AI Visibility Ranking Factors Study: 403K Prompts

Free Instant SEO Audit

By NewSunSEO July 30, 2026

A large-scale analysis of 403,000 prompts across 10 different large language models identified which signals most strongly correlate with a business being recommended by AI. The study, conducted by Ben Wills, covered 100 different industries, including many in local search, and produced a clear list of factors that move the needle on LLM visibility.

For local businesses, the message is direct: traditional SEO still matters. Showing up on the first page of Google had the strongest correlation with being cited by AI assistants, putting conventional search optimization back at the center of an AI-era strategy.

What the study measured

Wills ran the prompts across 10 different LLM platforms, then correlated the brands that were mentioned or recommended against a wide set of web signals. The goal was to find which factors most often appeared together with AI recommendations, rather than to prove causation.

Among the strongest signals for visibility in the “legal services for businesses” category were:

Appearing in Google’s search results
Having a homepage that is highly relevant to what you offer
Building strong backlinks and domain authority
Maintaining a presence on Wikidata
Being mentioned in relevant Reddit discussions

Appearing anywhere on page 1 of Google was enough to count. The study did not find that holding the top organic spot was required to be picked up by AI.

How to improve AI visibility based on the data

The findings translate into practical steps for local businesses and agencies:

Show up in Google’s search results, since page 1 presence is the single strongest correlating factor.
Clearly explain services and location on the homepage so AI systems can match the page to relevant prompts.
Earn links from trusted, relevant websites to build domain authority.
Build a consistent and recognizable business entity across the web.
Get listed on Wikidata, which is easier to get into than Wikipedia and provides structured data AI tools can read.
Participate in the Reddit communities your customers already use, since Reddit mentions correlated with AI recommendations.

Why local SEO still wins

The strongest single correlation in the dataset was between Google search visibility and AI citations. For local businesses competing in AI-generated answers, that means the same work that has driven map pack and organic local rankings for years continues to feed the LLMs that increasingly answer user questions.

Homepage clarity and entity consistency reinforce the point. AI models pull from many sources to decide what a business does and where it operates. A homepage that plainly states services and service areas, plus a uniform business name, address, and phone number across citations and profiles, makes that job easier for the model.

The Reddit and Wikidata signals

Two signals stand out as more novel: Wikidata presence and Reddit mentions. Wikidata offers structured, machine-readable facts about businesses and brands, which LLMs can draw from directly. Reddit threads, on the other hand, are treated as authentic conversational sources that AI tools often surface when users ask for recommendations or real-world opinions.

For local businesses, this means investing in a Wikidata entry where eligibility allows, and contributing to or being mentioned in community Reddit threads relevant to the service area.

What this means for local search practitioners

Local SEO is often framed as either traditional pack rankings or the newer AI surfaces. The study suggests the two are tightly linked. A business that ranks well on Google has a stronger base to be cited by AI, and the same homepage, link profile, and entity signals feed both channels.

For agencies and in-house teams, the practical takeaway is to keep doing the fundamentals of local SEO, while adding two newer habits: pursuing a Wikidata listing and earning organic mentions in the Reddit communities that match the business’s audience.

FAQ

What did the AI visibility study actually analyze?

The study ran 403,000 prompts across 10 large language models and 100 different industries, including many local search verticals. It then correlated the brands that were mentioned or recommended against web signals like search rankings, backlinks, Wikidata presence, and Reddit mentions.

Which factor had the strongest correlation with AI recommendations?

Appearing on page 1 of Google’s search results was the strongest correlating signal. Being in the top organic position was not required; any page 1 placement was enough to show a strong association with LLM visibility.

Do backlinks and Wikidata still matter for AI visibility?

Yes. Strong backlinks and domain authority were among the top signals, along with having a presence on Wikidata and being mentioned in relevant Reddit discussions. Together with homepage clarity and page 1 Google rankings, these made up the main drivers of LLM recommendations in the dataset.