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Setting Up an AI Visibility Dashboard for Your Business

Why You Need a Dashboard

Tracking your AI visibility manually is essential, but without a system to organize and analyze that data, you're just collecting numbers. A proper dashboard transforms raw tracking data into actionable insights.

This guide shows you how to build a complete AI visibility tracking system—from simple spreadsheets to more sophisticated setups—that reveals trends, measures progress, and guides your strategy.

The Three-Level Approach

Your dashboard should operate on three levels:

Level 1: Daily/Weekly Tracking - Raw data collection

Level 2: Monthly Analysis - Trend identification

Level 3: Quarterly Strategic - Big picture and ROI

Most businesses need all three levels. Starting with just Level 1 leaves insights on the table. Jumping straight to Level 3 without foundations gives you nothing to analyze.

Level 1: Building Your Tracking Foundation

The Essential Tracking Spreadsheet

Create a Google Sheet with these tabs:

1. Query Testing

2. Citation Analysis

3. Competitor Tracking

4. Source Inventory

5. Progress Dashboard

Tab 1: Query Testing

This is your raw data collection point. Every AI query you test gets logged here.

Columns you need:

  • Date (format: YYYY-MM-DD for easy sorting)
  • Week number (formula: =WEEKNUM(A2))
  • AI Tool (dropdown: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot)
  • Query Type (dropdown: Direct Brand, Category, Problem-Solving, Competitor)
  • Query Text (exact question asked)
  • Mentioned? (dropdown: Yes, No)
  • Mention Position (dropdown: First, Early, Middle, Late, Not Mentioned)
  • Context (dropdown: Positive, Neutral, Negative, Factual)
  • Competitors Mentioned (comma-separated list)
  • Notable Details (free text)
  • Link to Screenshot (if you're capturing them)

    • Set up data validation for dropdowns to keep data consistent.

    Formula for quick analysis:

  • Mention Rate This Week: =COUNTIF(F:F,"Yes")/COUNTA(F:F)*100

    • How to use it: Log every test immediately. Don't trust memory. The more consistent you are, the more valuable your trends become.

    Tab 2: Citation Analysis

    When you ARE mentioned, this tab digs deeper.

    Columns you need:

  • Date
  • AI Tool
  • Query
  • Full Response Text (copy the entire AI response)
  • Your Position in Response
  • Information Accuracy (dropdown: Accurate, Partially Accurate, Inaccurate)
  • Information Completeness (1-5 scale)
  • Sources Cited by AI (if any are shown)
  • Unique Details Mentioned (what specifically did AI say about you?)
  • Competitor Context (how were you positioned relative to competitors?)

    • Why this matters: Over time, this reveals how AI's understanding of your business evolves. You can see whether:

  • Accuracy is improving
  • More details are being included
  • Your positioning is changing

    • Monthly analysis task: Review all citations from the past month and summarize patterns in a new row at the bottom.

    Tab 3: Competitor Tracking

    Track what's working for competitors who get cited more often.

    Columns you need:

  • Competitor Name
  • Times Mentioned This Month
  • Typical Position (where they appear in responses)
  • Contexts They're Cited In (what types of queries trigger their mention?)
  • Their Key Differentiators (what does AI emphasize about them?)
  • Recent Changes (new mentions, dropped mentions, changed positioning)
  • Their Citation Sources (what publications seem to drive their citations?)

    • Update frequency: Weekly for top 3 competitors, monthly for others.

    Action trigger: If a competitor's mention rate suddenly increases, immediately investigate what changed. New press coverage? New reviews? Changed messaging?

    Tab 4: Source Inventory

    This is your master list of everywhere your business appears online.

    Columns you need:

  • Source Name
  • Source Type (dropdown: News, Directory, Review Site, Social, Blog, etc.)
  • Authority Tier (dropdown: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4)
  • URL
  • Date Added
  • Last Updated
  • Information Accuracy (dropdown: Accurate, Needs Update, Inaccurate)
  • Next Action Required
  • Status (dropdown: Optimized, In Progress, Not Started)

    • Importance: This becomes your action list. It shows you where to focus optimization efforts and tracks completion.

    Quarterly task: Review every source. Update information that's changed. Remove dead links. Add new sources you've secured.

    Tab 5: Progress Dashboard

    This is where raw data becomes insight. Use this tab for visual tracking.

    Key metrics to track:

    Overall Mention Rate

  • Formula: =COUNTIF('Query Testing'!F:F,"Yes")/COUNTA('Query Testing'!F:F)*100

    • By AI Tool (separate metric for each):

  • ChatGPT: =COUNTIFS('Query Testing'!C:C,"ChatGPT",'Query Testing'!F:F,"Yes")/COUNTIFS('Query Testing'!C:C,"ChatGPT")

    • By Query Type:

  • Direct brand mentions
  • Category mentions
  • Problem-solving mentions

    • Trend Over Time: Create a pivot table from Query Testing tab:

  • Rows: Week Number
  • Values: COUNT of Mentioned? (filter for "Yes")

    • Visual elements to add:

  • Line chart showing weekly mention rate trend
  • Bar chart comparing mention rates across AI tools
  • Stacked bar chart showing mention position distribution

    • Level 2: Monthly Analysis System

    Raw data is just the starting point. Monthly analysis reveals what's actually happening.

    Your Monthly Review Checklist

    Last week of every month, complete this analysis:

    Analysis 1: Trend Direction

    Question: Are we moving in the right direction?

    How to determine:

  • Compare this month's mention rate to last month
  • Look for consistent week-over-week growth (even small)
  • Identify which query types are improving vs. declining

    • Red flag: If no improvement after 3 months, your strategy needs adjustment.

    Green flag: Consistent improvement of even 2-3% per month compounds significantly over time.

    Analysis 2: Quality of Mentions

    Question: Are mentions getting better, not just more frequent?

    How to determine:

  • Review Citation Analysis tab
  • Calculate average Position score (assign numbers: First=5, Early=4, Middle=3, Late=2, Last=1)
  • Track accuracy and completeness scores

    • Target: Position score should trend upward. Accuracy should be consistently high (address any inaccuracies immediately).

    Analysis 3: Competitive Positioning

    Question: Are we gaining ground on competitors?

    How to determine:

  • Calculate mention rate gap between you and top cited competitor
  • Track whether gap is narrowing or widening
  • Note query types where you're now competitive vs. where competitors dominate

    • Strategy adjustment: If a competitor consistently beats you in specific query types, analyze their positioning in those contexts and adapt.

    Analysis 4: Source Effectiveness

    Question: Which sources are driving citations?

    How to determine:

  • Cross-reference Citation Analysis (sources AI mentions) with Source Inventory
  • Identify correlation between new sources added and citation increases
  • Determine which source types (news, directories, reviews) seem most impactful

    • Action: Double down on source types that correlate with citation increases.

    Create a Monthly Summary

    At the bottom of your Progress Dashboard tab, add:

    Month/Year: October 2025

    Key Metrics:

  • Overall mention rate: 23% (up from 18% last month)
  • Best performing AI tool: Claude (31% mention rate)
  • Worst performing AI tool: Gemini (12% mention rate)
  • Most effective query type: Problem-solving (28% mention rate)

    • Highlights:

  • First mention in Perplexity this month
  • Accuracy improved - no incorrect information this month
  • Competitor X stopped appearing in local queries

    • Concerns:

  • Still not appearing in category queries
  • Gemini mention rate declining

    • Next month priorities:

    1. Focus on category query positioning

    2. Investigate Gemini citation patterns

    3. Secure 2 new Tier 1 sources

    This monthly summary becomes your strategic roadmap.

    Level 3: Quarterly Strategic Review

    Every quarter, zoom out for the big picture.

    Your Quarterly Dashboard

    Create a separate sheet called "Quarterly Review" with these sections:

    Section 1: 90-Day Trends

    Create visualizations showing:

  • 3-month trend line for overall mentions
  • Stacked area chart showing mention distribution across AI tools
  • Before/after comparison: Week 1 vs. Week 12

    • Key question: Is progress accelerating, steady, or plateauing?

    Section 2: Milestone Tracking

    Define milestones at the start of each quarter:

  • Reach X% mention rate
  • Get first mention in [specific AI tool]
  • Appear in top 3 for [specific query type]
  • Secure Y new Tier 1 sources

    • Track completion: Which milestones did you hit? Which did you miss? Why?

    Section 3: Competitive Landscape Shifts

    Document changes:

  • New competitors entering AI visibility space
  • Competitors dropping out of mentions
  • Industry citation pattern shifts
  • New source types gaining importance

    • Strategic question: How is the competitive landscape evolving, and are we positioned to win?

    Section 4: ROI Connection

    This is critical but often overlooked: connecting AI visibility to business outcomes.

    Track these business metrics alongside AI metrics:

  • Website traffic (especially direct and branded search)
  • Inbound leads/inquiries
  • Brand search volume
  • Sales conversations where customers mention finding you via AI

    • Create a dual-axis chart: AI mention rate on one axis, business metric on the other, over time.

    Reality check: You're looking for correlation, not perfect causation. AI visibility is one factor among many. But over 6-12 months, patterns emerge.

    [Learn more about measuring AI SEO ROI](/learn/measuring-ai-seo-roi) in our dedicated guide.

    Section 5: Strategy Adjustment

    Based on quarterly data, adjust your strategy for the next 90 days.

    Questions to answer:

  • What's working that we should double down on?
  • What's not working that we should stop or change?
  • What new experiments should we try?
  • What resources do we need?

    • Output: A one-page strategic plan for the next quarter.

    Advanced Dashboard Features

    Once your foundation is solid, consider these enhancements:

    Automation Options

    Google Sheets formulas that save time:

    Auto-calculate weekly averages:

  • =QUERY('Query Testing'!A:G, "SELECT B, AVG(F='Yes') WHERE B IS NOT NULL GROUP BY B")

    • Automatic red/yellow/green indicators:

  • =IF(mention_rate>20,"🟢",IF(mention_rate>10,"🟡","🔴"))

    • Week-over-week change:

  • =((this_week-last_week)/last_week)*100

    • Integration With Other Tools

    Connect your dashboard to:

    Google Analytics: Import traffic data to correlate with AI mentions

    Google Alerts: Track and log press mentions automatically

    Review platforms: Pull review counts and ratings

    Social listening: Add Reddit/Twitter mention tracking

    Use Zapier or Make to automate data flow between tools and your spreadsheet.

    Team Collaboration

    If multiple people track AI visibility:

    Assign ownership:

  • Person A: ChatGPT and Claude testing
  • Person B: Perplexity and Gemini testing
  • Person C: Competitive analysis
  • Person D: Source inventory updates

    • Weekly sync: 15-minute meeting to review Dashboard tab and discuss findings.

    Shared learnings: Use a "Insights" tab where anyone can log interesting observations that don't fit other categories.

    Common Dashboard Mistakes to Avoid

    Mistake 1: Too complex at the start

  • Start simple. Add complexity as you understand what matters.

    • Mistake 2: Inconsistent logging

  • Set a specific schedule. Tuesday mornings = testing time. Calendar block it.

    • Mistake 3: Data without action

  • If your dashboard doesn't drive actions, it's useless. Always connect insights to next steps.

    • Mistake 4: Only tracking positives

  • Track failures too. "Not mentioned" data is as valuable as mention data.

    • Mistake 5: No regular review schedule

  • Data only matters if you look at it. Calendar block monthly and quarterly reviews.

    • Getting Started This Week

    Day 1: Set up the basic spreadsheet structure (all 5 tabs)

    Day 2: Create your query list and do your first round of testing

    Day 3: Log all results and set up basic formulas

    Day 4: Set up your weekly testing calendar block

    Day 5: Create your first weekly summary

    After 30 days: You'll have enough data for your first monthly analysis

    After 90 days: Your first quarterly review will reveal significant patterns

    Next Steps

    Understand what to track: Read about [how to track AI visibility](/learn/tracking-ai-visibility) systematically.

    Learn what the data means: Understand [AI citation patterns](/learn/understanding-ai-citation-patterns) to interpret your results.

    Connect to outcomes: Learn about [measuring AI SEO ROI](/learn/measuring-ai-seo-roi) to tie tracking to business results.

    Automate monitoring: [Join our waitlist](/waitlist) for tools that handle tracking automatically and surface insights you'd miss manually.

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      Setting Up an AI Visibility Dashboard for Your Business