AI search visibility for industrial companies
When buyers ask AI who to buy from, does it name you?
Engineers, plant managers and buyers now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI for a shortlist. We measure who gets named, find out why, and fix what keeps your company off the list.
- Your company and competitors
- No sales call needed
The Shortlist Bench
Example run
Each socket is one buyer question
We map the questions your buyers ask and benchmark your category, checking each question across AI platforms.
Every gap is ranked by deal value, not keyword volume, so the first fixes are the ones worth the most.
We build the content, citations and technical changes AI reads. Nothing goes live without your approval.
The same checks run again. We report what changed, including fixes the platforms haven’t picked up yet, then repeat.
The shortlist gets made before anyone visits your website.
An engineer asks ChatGPT for the best US suppliers in your category. It names three companies. One is the competitor you’ve faced at trade shows for years. Yours isn’t one of them.
The buyer now has a shortlist, you’re not on it, and nothing in your analytics will show it happened.
Who are the best US suppliers of quality inspection software for a mid-size plant?
The deal starts without you. No visit, no form fill, no trace in your reports.
Buyers shortlist before they visit.
AI shapes the first consideration set.
Your booth closes on day four.
Competitors keep getting named after the show ends.
Rankings miss it.
Keyword reports and traffic don’t show whether AI recommends you.
AI now shapes who your customers buy from.
Independent buyer research from G2 and 6sense.
51%
of B2B software buyers start their research in an AI chatbot.
G2, March 2026, n=1,076 software buyers
69%
chose a different vendor than planned after chatbot guidance.
G2, March 2026, n=1,076 software buyers
94%
of buying groups ranked preferred vendors before first contact.
6sense, 2025, 4,000+ buyers
3 to 5
names on the short list AI hands a buyer. Not named means not considered.
AI search is now a channel your team has to run. We run it for you.
Get my benchmarkYour benchmark shows where you stand and what to fix.
Your real buyer questions, tested against your named competitors on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
Example report: Example MES Co.
See the full sampleOne number from 0 to 100 for how often AI names you across your buyers’ questions. Every figure comes with its sample size. You never get a bare percentage.
24
Named in 6 of 25 checks
Being named is not the same as being cited. We show where AI mentions you, where it links to you as a source, and your average position when you appear.
Mentioned
6 of 25
Cited as a source
2 of 25
Average position
3.2
| Buyer question | Mentioned | Cited |
|---|---|---|
| Best MES for mid-size discrete manufacturers | Yes | No |
| MES with built-in OEE tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Alternatives to Competitor A | No | No |
The competitors AI recommends, how often, and the directories, publications and pages behind their mentions.
Behind Competitor A’s mentions
- Industry directory profile
- Trade publication buyer’s guide
- Review site comparison page
What AI gets wrong about your products, such as outdated certifications, wrong specs and missing capabilities. Plus your top three gaps and real answer examples.
AI saysISO 9001:2008 certified
CorrectISO 9001:2015
AI saysOn-premise only
CorrectCloud and on-premise
AI saysNo SPC module
CorrectSPC module included
Top three gaps
- No listing in the category’s main industry directory
- No comparison page against Competitor A
- Product schema missing on module pages
We don’t take one screenshot and call it proof.
AI answers change between searches. One screenshot shows what happened once, not what buyers usually see.
So we run repeated checks of the same buyer questions, in fresh sessions, across platforms and locations. Every answer is dated and stored, so any claim can be re-checked. Same questions and the same method every month. We never change the measurement to flatter the numbers.
One screenshot
“We’re named!” Once, on one day, in one session.
Repeated checks
Named in 6 of 25 checks. A rate you can compare month to month.
What we measure
One system to get you named, trusted and chosen.
Answer-engine visibility
A buyer-question map ranked by deal value, plus category strategy before any execution.
Content for buying committees
Comparison, use-case, application and alternatives pages, and rewrites of pages that are losing citations.
Authority, citations and accuracy
Placements in the directories and publications AI trusts, plus corrections of wrong claims.
Technical and entity
Structured data, product and company entities, and AI crawler access.
Measurement
The Shortlist Index and AI-sourced quote tracking on your forms, tagged in your CRM.
For your sales team
- AI battle cards
- For each key competitor: what AI says about them and about you, which sources drive it, and a talk track your reps can use.
- Competitor watch
- An alert when a competitor’s share of shortlist jumps, plus a teardown of the sources behind it.
Add-ons
- Trade show to AI mentions
- Turn exhibiting into lasting directory, press and exhibitor-list references.
- Sponsored answers
- Paid placements in AI answers, where platforms offer them.
You see the baseline first. Then the first fixes go live.
Your first sprint, from starting number to live changes.
1Phase 1
Baseline
Buyer questions built, repeated checks run, your starting share of shortlist measured.
2Phase 2
Gaps
Competitors and their sources mapped, prioritised plan signed off by you.
3Phase 3
First fixes
Technical and schema fixes, priority pages rewritten, quote tracking live, citation work started.
Then it compounds. Every change is logged, and each monthly re-run shows exactly what moved.
Get my benchmarkReach the manufacturers and engineers already looking for what you sell.
Manufacturing software
- ERP and quoting
- MES and shop-floor scheduling
- Quality, SPC and inspection data
- Machine monitoring and OEE
- Digital work instructions
- FEA and CFD simulation
Industrial products and services
- CMMs and metrology
- Automation and robotics
- Additive manufacturing
- Medical device contract manufacturing
Why it matters now
Buyers are asking AI right now.
Every day, engineers and buyers in your category ask AI who to shortlist. Each answer that names a competitor is a deal that starts without you.
AI keeps naming who it already trusts.
Once a competitor is cited by the directories and publications AI reads, it keeps coming up. The sooner you’re in those sources, the less ground you have to win back.
Wrong facts travel fast.
If AI repeats an old certification or misses a module, every buyer who asks hears it. Fixing it early stops it spreading.
Your trade-show budget keeps working.
The shows you already pay for become directory, press and exhibitor-list mentions that AI keeps finding after the booth closes.
You finally see the channel.
Traffic reports can’t show a shortlist you were never on. A benchmark turns AI search into numbers your team can track and grow.
Honest numbers. Visible progress.
Every month you see the same questions, the same method and the real sample sizes, so you always know where you stand and what’s moving. Here’s what we commit to.
An honest number every month
Same questions, same method, sample sizes shown.
A clear record
What we changed and what’s next.
Visibility tied to pipeline
Through AI-sourced enquiry tracking.
Month-to-month
You stay because the work makes sense.
- NDA on request
- GDPR-aligned
- Your data is never resold
Questions, answered plainly.
See all questionsIs this just another SEO service?
No. We start from the answers AI gives your buyers, the competitors it names and the sources it trusts. Technical SEO and content are tools we use toward that goal, not the goal itself.
How do you improve how AI recommends us?
We improve the information AI draws on: your pages, the directories and publications it trusts, and the facts it repeats about your products. Then we measure every change, so you see what’s working.
Why repeated checks instead of a screenshot?
Answers vary. Repeated checks give a mention rate you can trust and compare month to month.
We already have an SEO agency. Does that matter?
No. We work alongside them on AI answers, competitor sources and AI-sourced enquiry tracking.
How is pricing set?
By scope: products, markets, competitors and platforms covered. We quote after reviewing your benchmark with you. Engagements are month-to-month.
Your competitors may already be on the shortlist. Are you?
Get your benchmark. No obligation.
- Your company
- Your competitors
- Your real buyer questions