ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity have each changed their default models and answering methods over the past few months. Because Brand Visibility Check and Competitor Comparison measure against what a typical user gets in each app, we have refreshed all three axes to the current defaults at once.
What changed
- All three axes (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) now ask questions under each service's current default consumer settings. When a service changes its defaults, the set of brands that appear in the same answer changes too, so the measurement baseline has to move with it.
- Perplexity's answer engine itself changed. Perplexity is retiring its previous answering method at the end of September and moving to a new one, so the check now measures against the new method. Answers tend to be longer and mention more local brands.
- Answers are read to the end before scoring instead of being cut off. Measurements may take longer than before.
What this means for your results
- More mentions are captured, so scores and grades may rise compared with earlier runs. The ChatGPT axis, which used to read low, changes the most.
- Do not compare directly with results from before September 5. The conditions differ, so the same site produces different numbers. Compare trends only among results from September 5 onward.
- AI answers vary from run to run even for the same question. Read the trend across two or three measurements rather than a single grade change.
Also added
- Eleven new categories: bedding and home textiles, bathroom and building materials, home appliances, medical devices, home health devices, gyms and personal training, hospital and treatment information platforms, architecture firms, commercial video production, universities and cyber universities, and food and beverage brands. A new "Home & Living" group was created.
- "None of these fit my business": when registering a domain, a link under the category list sends your case to our next category review. Registration continues with the closest category.
FAQ
I was an A yesterday and a B today. Did my site get worse? Comparing across the day the baseline changed can look that way. Re-measure two or three times a few days apart under the new baseline and read the trend.
Is Competitor Comparison on the same baseline? Yes. Brand Visibility Check and Competitor Comparison share the same measurement engine and were updated on the same day.