How to Do AEO Tracking for Free?

You can track AEO rankings for $0. Every Monday. 30 minutes.

Pick 10 prompts. Test on ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews. Use incognito mode. Record in Google Sheets.

That's it. No credit card. No subscription. No commitment.

The problem with not tracking

Most companies optimize blindly. They publish content. They hope AI cites them. They have no data.

Without tracking, you can't answer:

• Are you appearing in AI responses?
• Which prompts drive visibility?
• Which platforms cite you most?
• Is your optimization working?

You're guessing. You're optimizing without feedback. You're wasting time.

Weekly tracking fixes this. It gives you data. It shows you trends. It guides your strategy.

The free weekly tracking system

Five steps. One system. Zero cost.

Takes 30 minutes per week. Set a Monday reminder. Make it a habit.

Step 1: Pick 10 prompts

Select 10 diverse prompts. Not 5. Not 20. Ten.

Why 10? Too few and you miss trends. Too many and you burn out.

Choose prompts that matter:

• Product features: "What is [your product]?" "How does [your product] work?"
• Comparisons: "Best [your category] tools" "Top [your category] solutions"
• How-to guides: "How to [solve problem your product solves]"
• Industry questions: "What is [industry term]?" "How to [industry task]?"
• Competitor comparisons: "[Your product] vs [competitor]"

Make them specific. Make them relevant. Make them diverse.

Example for an AEO tool:

• "What is answer engine optimization?"
• "Best AEO tools 2025"
• "How to track AI citations"
• "ChatGPT rank tracking tools"
• "Perplexity citation tracking"
• "AI visibility monitoring tools"
• "How to optimize for ChatGPT"
• "Best AI SEO tools"
• "xSeek vs Highlighted.ai"
• "How to track AI traffic in GA4"

These cover different angles. They test different aspects. They give you comprehensive data.

How to choose your prompts

Don't guess. Use data:

• Google Search Console: See which queries drive traffic. Track those.
• Customer questions: What do prospects ask? Track those.
• Competitor analysis: What prompts do competitors rank for? Track those.
• Keyword research: Use Ubersuggest or Ahrefs. Find relevant queries.

Start with 10. Stick with them for 4 weeks. Then evaluate.

Consistency beats perfection. Pick 10. Track weekly. Adjust monthly.

Step 2: Test on 3 AI platforms

Test your 10 prompts on three platforms: ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews.

Why these three? They represent 80%+ of AI search traffic. They're free. They're accessible.

Here's how to test each:

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Go to chat.openai.com. Sign in (or create a free account). Type your prompt. Check the response.

Look for:

• Brand mentions (is your company name in the answer?)
• Source citations (does it cite your website?)
• Position (are you first, second, or not mentioned?)
• Context (how is your brand described?)

ChatGPT shows sources at the bottom. Click through. See if your site appears.

Free accounts work. You don't need ChatGPT Plus.

Google Gemini

Go to gemini.google.com. Sign in with your Google account. Enter your prompt. Review the response.

Gemini shows sources differently. Check the "Sources" section. Look for your domain.

Sometimes sources aren't prominent. Scroll through the response. Look for citations in the text.

Free accounts work. No paid subscription needed.

Google AI Overviews

Go to google.com. Search your prompt. Look for the AI Overview box at the top.

AI Overviews shows sources below the answer. Click "Show more sources" if available. Check if your site appears.

Not all queries trigger AI Overviews. That's fine. Record "No AI Overview" if it doesn't appear.

This is free. No account needed.

What to look for

For each prompt, record:

• Mentioned: Yes or No
• Position: First mention, second mention, or not mentioned
• Source cited: Did it link to your site?
• Context: How was your brand described? Positive? Neutral? Negative?
• Competitors: Who else was mentioned?

Be specific. "Mentioned first" beats "mentioned." "Cited homepage" beats "cited."

Details matter. They show trends. They reveal opportunities.

Step 3: Use incognito mode

Always test in incognito mode. Always.

Why? Your browsing history influences results. Your location matters. Your previous searches affect what AI shows you.

Incognito mode removes this bias. It shows you what most users see. It gives you consistent results.

How to use incognito mode:

• Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac)
• Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
• Safari: Cmd+Shift+N
• Edge: Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac)

Open incognito window. Test your prompts. Close window. Repeat next week.

Don't skip this step. Personalization bias ruins your data. Incognito mode fixes it.

Why personalization matters

AI systems personalize results. They use your search history, location, previous interactions, account preferences.

If you've searched for your brand before, AI might show it more often. That's not real visibility. That's personalization.

Incognito mode removes this. It shows unbiased results. It reflects what new users see.

Test in incognito. Always.

Step 4: Record in spreadsheet

Document everything in Google Sheets. Excel works. Airtable works. Use what you prefer.

Your spreadsheet should have these columns:

• Date: When you tested (e.g., "2025-01-30")
• Prompt: The exact prompt you tested
• Platform: ChatGPT / Gemini / AI Overviews
• Mentioned: Yes / No
• Position: 1st / 2nd / 3rd / Not mentioned
• Source cited: Yes / No
• Source URL: The exact URL cited (if applicable)
• Context: How your brand was described
• Competitors mentioned: Who else appeared
• Notes: Any observations or insights

Create one row per prompt per platform. That's 30 rows per week (10 prompts × 3 platforms).

Example row:

• Date: 2025-01-30
• Prompt: "Best AEO tools 2025"
• Platform: ChatGPT
• Mentioned: Yes
• Position: 2nd
• Source cited: Yes
• Source URL: https://xseek.io/
• Context: "xSeek offers comprehensive AEO tracking"
• Competitors mentioned: Highlighted.ai, Otterly.ai
• Notes: Mentioned after Highlighted.ai, positive context

Be consistent. Use the same format every week. Make it easy to compare.

Spreadsheet template

Here's a template you can copy:

Column A: Date
Column B: Prompt
Column C: Platform
Column D: Mentioned (Yes/No)
Column E: Position
Column F: Source Cited (Yes/No)
Column G: Source URL
Column H: Context
Column I: Competitors
Column J: Notes

Freeze the first row. Add filters. Make it easy to sort and analyze.

Use conditional formatting. Highlight "Yes" in green. Highlight "No" in red. Make trends visible.

Create a summary sheet. Count mentions per platform. Track position changes. Spot trends.

How to analyze your data

After 4 weeks, analyze:

• Mention rate: What percentage of prompts mention your brand?
• Platform performance: Which platform mentions you most? ChatGPT? Gemini? AI Overviews?
• Position trends: Are you moving up? Staying stable? Declining?
• Prompt performance: Which prompts drive the most mentions?
• Competitor analysis: Who appears most often? Where do they rank?

Use pivot tables. Create charts. Visualize trends.

Data tells stories. Track consistently. Analyze monthly. Adjust strategy.

Step 5: Every Monday

Set a Monday reminder. Make it a habit. Track weekly.

Why Monday? It starts your week. It's consistent. It's easy to remember.

Set a calendar reminder. Add it to your task list. Make it non-negotiable.

Takes 30 minutes. That's 2.5 hours per month. Worth it.

How to make it stick

Habits require consistency. Here's how to maintain it:

• Set a specific time: "Every Monday at 9am" beats "sometime Monday"
• Block your calendar: Treat it like a meeting. Don't skip it.
• Start small: Track 5 prompts if 10 feels overwhelming. Build up.
• Automate reminders: Use Google Calendar, Todoist, or your task manager.
• Track with someone: Share your spreadsheet. Get accountability.

Consistency beats perfection. Track weekly. Even if you miss a week, start again next Monday.

After 4 weeks, it becomes habit. After 12 weeks, you have real data. After 24 weeks, you see clear trends.

Why this works

Free tracking works because:

• It's accessible: No credit card. No subscription. No commitment.
• It's consistent: Weekly tracking builds data over time.
• It's actionable: You see what works. You adjust strategy.
• It's educational: You learn how AI systems work. You understand citation patterns.

Paid tools automate this. They scale it. They add features.

But you don't need them to start. You need consistency. You need data. You need this system.

When to upgrade to paid tools

Free tracking works for 3-6 months. Then consider upgrading if:

• You're tracking 50+ prompts (too time-consuming manually)
• You need historical data (paid tools store months of history)
• You want alerts (notifications when rankings change)
• You need team collaboration (multiple users, shared dashboards)
• You want API access (integrate with other tools)

Start free. Build the habit. Understand the data. Then upgrade when you need scale.

Don't pay for tools before you know what you're tracking. Don't automate before you understand the process.

Free tracking teaches you. Paid tools scale you. Do both. In that order.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid these mistakes:

• Not using incognito: Personalization bias ruins your data. Always use incognito.
• Changing prompts weekly: Consistency matters. Stick with 10 prompts for 4 weeks.
• Skipping weeks: Gaps in data hide trends. Track every week.
• Not recording details: "Mentioned" isn't enough. Record position, context, competitors.
• Testing at different times: Test all prompts on the same day. Same time. Same conditions.
• Ignoring competitors: Track who else appears. Understand the competitive landscape.

These mistakes kill your data quality. Avoid them. Track consistently. Record details. Analyze trends.

Measuring success

Track these metrics:

• Mention rate: Percentage of prompts that mention your brand (target: 30%+)
• First position rate: Percentage of mentions where you're mentioned first (target: 50%+)
• Source citation rate: Percentage of mentions that cite your website (target: 70%+)
• Platform distribution: Which platform mentions you most (aim for balance)
• Trend direction: Are metrics improving? Stable? Declining?

Don't obsess over weekly changes. Look at monthly trends. Focus on direction, not daily fluctuations.

Success isn't perfection. Success is improvement. Track consistently. Optimize based on data. Measure progress.

The old way vs. the new way

Old way: Don't track → guess what works → optimize blindly → wonder why nothing changes.

New way: Track weekly → see what works → optimize based on data → measure improvement.

The difference? One is guessing. One is knowing. One is reactive. One is proactive.

Free tracking gives you data. Data guides strategy. Strategy drives results.