Audits For Dummies — Plain-English Guide to Your Visibility Audit

What we measured, why it matters.

Three systems decide whether new customers find your business: local search (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing Places), website indexing (every search engine), and AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews). Your audit grades you across five pillars that all three systems check — not just AI.

01Brand

22% of grade

Can a stranger figure out what you do in 5 seconds? Does your homepage state the problem you solve, who you serve, and the next step — without scrolling?

Clear value prop above the fold
Real audience named (industry, town, customer type)
One obvious CTA — not "Learn More"
Same message on every page

In plain English

Your tagline isn't a problem statement. A new visitor can't tell what you do or why they should care in the first screen they see.

02Reputation

20% of grade

Can search engines find proof other people trust you? Are reviews visible, recent, marked up so machines can read them, and pulled from more than one platform?

Testimonials on the site (not just Google)
Review tags so AI & Google can read the stars
Multiple platforms (Google + Yelp + Facebook)
Specific reviews — not "great service"

In plain English

You might have great reviews, but if they only live on Google, both AI and your own website are flying blind on trust.

03Structure

22% of grade

Can Google and AI read your site cleanly? Invisible tags (schema), proper headings, a real page per service — the plumbing both local SEO and AI need to identify your business as a real entity.

LocalBusiness + Organization tags
One H1, logical heading hierarchy
A page per service (not one catch-all)
Alt text, canonical URL, sitemap.xml

In plain English

Without these behind-the-scenes tags, Google and AI can't categorize what you do. So they don't recommend you when someone searches.

04Distribution

18% of grade

Do you show up where customers (and AI) look for businesses? Google Business Profile, social media, directories, third-party mentions. Connected = recommendable.

Google Business Profile linked + populated
3+ social profiles linked from the site
Name, address, phone consistent everywhere
Directory presence — Yelp, BBB, industry sites

In plain English

Your website is one island. Google ranks businesses that show up across the whole map — your GBP, social, directories, all pointing at each other.

05Authority

18% of grade

Does your site show credibility a search engine can verify? Licenses, real team names, awards, case studies, depth on what you do best — the signals that separate "legitimate small business" from "guy with a Squarespace."

Licenses + insurance visible (especially for trades)
Real team or owner named — not "the team"
Case studies with specifics — not "great work!"
Topical depth — known for one or two things, not 20
Dates on content (recency = active business)

In plain English

Authority is the long game. The first four pillars get you on the map. Authority is what keeps you there once Google and AI start ranking you.