Shortlist benchmark: Example MES Co.
Example MES Co. is named in 6 of 25 checks. Competitor A is named in 17. The three biggest gaps are a missing directory listing, no comparison page against Competitor A, and missing product schema.
24
Shortlist Score24 out of 100
Named
6 of 25
checks
Cited as a source
2 of 25
checks
Average position
3.2
across 6 mentions
1Shortlist Score
How often AI names you across your buyers’ questions, from 0 to 100. Every figure comes with its sample size.
By platform
By question type
What this means: you show up when buyers describe a specific use case, but rarely when they ask for the best suppliers or compare options. Those are the questions closest to a shortlist.
2Mentioned vs cited
Being named is not the same as being cited. A citation means AI linked to your site as a source, which buyers can click.
| Buyer question | Named | Cited | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best MES for mid-size discrete manufacturers | Yes | No | 4 |
| MES with built-in OEE tracking | Yes | Yes | 2 |
| MES that integrates with our ERP | Yes | Yes | 3 |
| Alternatives to Competitor A | No | No | – |
| Shop-floor scheduling software for job shops | No | No | – |
Showing 5 of 25 checks. Position is your average place in the answer when named.
3Who gets named instead
The competitors AI recommends for the same questions, and the sources behind their mentions.
Share of shortlist
44 brand mentions across 25 checks: Competitor A 17, Competitor B 12, Competitor C 9, Example MES Co. 6.
Sources behind the mentions
| Source | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C | You |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main industry directory profile | Cited | Cited | – | Not listed |
| Trade publication buyer’s guide | Cited | Cited | Cited | Not included |
| Review site comparison page | Cited | – | Cited | No page |
| Own website | Cited | Cited | – | Cited 2× |
4Errors to fix
What AI gets wrong about your products, and the source it most likely learned it from.
AI saysISO 9001:2008 certified
CorrectISO 9001:2015
Likely sourceOld directory listing
AI saysOn-premise only
CorrectCloud and on-premise
Likely sourceArchived product page
AI saysNo SPC module
CorrectSPC module included
Likely sourceModule listed only in a PDF
5Real answer examples
Two answers from the checks, shortened. Your benchmark includes the full, dated answers.
ChatGPT · “Best MES for a mid-size discrete manufacturer?”
For a plant of that size, three options stand out: Competitor A for fast rollout, Competitor B for deep ERP integration, and Competitor C for single-site teams…
Example MES Co. not named
Perplexity · “MES with built-in OEE tracking?”
Several platforms include OEE out of the box. Competitor A is the most common pick, and Example MES Co. offers OEE dashboards in its standard plan [source: examplemes.com]…
Named at position 2 and cited
6Top three gaps, ranked by deal value
Where to start. Each gap is ranked by how close its questions sit to a buying decision, not by keyword volume.
Get listed in the category’s main industry directory
Competitors A and B are cited from it in most “best supplier” answers.
Affects: “best supplier” questions, 10 of 25 checks
Publish a comparison page against Competitor A
“Alternatives to Competitor A” questions currently send buyers to a review site that leaves you out.
Affects: comparison questions, 8 of 25 checks
Add product schema to your module pages
Helps AI read your modules, certifications and specs correctly, and fixes the errors in section 4.
Affects: spec accuracy and use-case questions
7How we measured
Your real buyer questions
Built with your team from how buyers in your category ask.
Repeated checks
Fresh sessions, across platforms and locations.
Every answer stored
Dated and kept, so any claim can be re-checked.
Same method every month
Same questions, sample sizes always shown.
See this for your own company.
Your company, your competitors, your real buyer questions.