HubSpot's AI Search Grader has democratized access to AI visibility insights. This completely free tool gives marketers a quick diagnostic of how their brand appears across major AI platforms—without requiring subscriptions or technical setup.
For teams exploring Answer Engine Optimization but not ready to invest in enterprise tools, the AEO Grader provides an essential starting point for understanding AI search visibility.
HubSpot's AI Search Grader (also called the AEO Grader) is a free web-based tool that analyzes how your brand appears across AI-powered search platforms. You enter your website URL and a target keyword, and the tool evaluates your visibility across ChatGPT (GPT-4o), Gemini 2.0 Flash, and Perplexity AI.
Unlike enterprise AEO platforms that require ongoing subscriptions, the AI Search Grader provides instant, one-time snapshots perfect for baseline assessments and quarterly benchmarking.
The AEO Grader delivers a comprehensive report organized around five metrics:
| Metric | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Brand Recognition | How frequently AI platforms surface your brand |
| Market Competition | Share of voice relative to competitors |
| Presence Quality | Strength and reliability of citations |
| Brand Sentiment | Tone and polarity across mentions |
| Contextual Analysis | How consistently AI describes your brand |
Each metric includes underlying factors like mention depth, source quality, and confidence levels—helping identify exactly what's working and where improvements are needed.
The grader analyzes visibility across three major AI platforms:
This coverage captures the most important AI search touchpoints where users discover brands in 2026.
Beyond metrics, the tool provides specific suggestions for improving AI visibility. These recommendations address content structure, authority signals, and optimization tactics tailored to each platform's preferences.
The grader shows how your visibility compares to competitors in your category. This context helps prioritize improvements—knowing whether you're leading or trailing in AI visibility shapes strategy.
Navigate to HubSpot's AI Search Grader page. No account or login is required for basic results.
Provide your website URL and a target keyword relevant to your business. Choose a keyword that represents your core offering or a primary search term.
The tool queries AI platforms using standardized prompts, collecting data on mentions, citations, sentiment, and competitive positioning.
Examine each of the five metrics. Note areas where you score well and identify gaps where competitors outperform you.
Use the actionable suggestions to guide content optimization. Prioritize improvements that address your weakest metrics.
Run the grader quarterly or before major campaigns to track visibility changes. Consistent benchmarking reveals optimization impact.
Completely Free: No subscription, credit card, or HubSpot account required for basic functionality. This accessibility makes it perfect for teams evaluating AI visibility before committing to paid tools.
Instant Results: Get visibility insights in minutes rather than waiting for setup, configuration, or data collection periods.
Actionable Output: The tool doesn't just report metrics—it provides specific recommendations for improvement.
HubSpot Integration: For HubSpot users, insights flow into the Smart CRM, connecting AI visibility to pipeline metrics and contact records.
Low Barrier to Entry: Any marketer can run a report without technical expertise, making it accessible to teams new to AEO.
Limited Depth: As a free entry-level tool, it provides less granular data than enterprise platforms like Profound or SE Visible.
Three Platform Coverage: Monitors ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity but doesn't track Claude, Copilot, or other AI systems.
No Continuous Tracking: Each report is a snapshot; there's no ongoing monitoring or alert functionality.
Manual Process: You must run reports manually rather than receiving automated updates or scheduled analysis.
Single Keyword Focus: Each report analyzes one keyword at a time, limiting efficiency for comprehensive visibility audits.
HubSpot emphasizes treating AI visibility as a leading indicator of awareness and demand. When AI platforms mention your brand more frequently, that recognition typically appears downstream in:
For HubSpot users, the AEO Grader integrates with reporting tools to track these connections—tying visibility trends to influenced contacts, content-assisted opportunities, and pipeline from AI discovery sources.
Establish a regular cadence for visibility assessments. Quarterly reports reveal trends and measure optimization impact over time.
While each report focuses on one keyword, run multiple reports across your core terms to build a comprehensive visibility picture.
Run reports before implementing optimization changes, then again afterward to measure impact. This baseline-comparison approach validates strategy effectiveness.
The AEO Grader works best as a complement to other visibility efforts—combining free diagnostics with more comprehensive paid monitoring when budget allows.
Reports are only valuable when insights drive action. Prioritize implementing the tool's recommendations rather than just collecting data.
Yes, completely free with no login or HubSpot account required for basic results. More advanced integration features are available for HubSpot customers, but the core visibility analysis is accessible to everyone.
Quarterly benchmarking works well for most teams. Run additional reports before major campaigns or after significant content updates to measure visibility changes.
Yes, the tool includes competitive benchmarking showing your share of voice relative to competitors in your category. However, you can't run reports specifically on competitor domains.
For teams exploring AI visibility, the grader provides essential insights without investment. For comprehensive monitoring, continuous tracking, and deeper analysis, paid tools offer additional capabilities. The grader works well as a starting point or complement to paid platforms.
Need help interpreting AI Search Grader results and developing optimization strategies? Our team helps businesses translate visibility insights into actionable content plans. Schedule a consultation to discuss your AI visibility approach.
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