An AEO scorecard for a Los Angeles practice should track five things once a month: whether AI answers name the practice, what Search Console shows for non-branded searches, visits from AI assistants in Google Analytics, one Microsoft citation number, and the health of reviews and listings. Set targets as direction, not promises. No tool can guarantee that an AI answer will name a practice.
If AEO is new to you, start with what is answer engine optimization. This post covers measurement only.
1. Set directional targets for 90 days
Pick a short list of outcomes you can check, and write them down before the work starts so nobody moves the goalposts later. Good examples:
- named in more of your fixed AI questions than at the start;
- more non-branded searches showing your pages in Search Console;
- business details correct in every AI answer that mentions you;
- reviews arriving steadily, not in one burst.
Write the starting point next to each target. A target with no baseline cannot be judged.
2. Run the same AI questions every month
Keep a fixed list of the questions patients actually ask, such as the best med spa near a neighborhood or who does a treatment in your part of Los Angeles. Ask each one in a fresh session on the same day each month, in the same assistants.
For each answer, record:
- whether the practice is named, and where in the answer;
- which other businesses are named;
- which sources the answer cites;
- whether the facts about the practice (name, address, phone, services) are correct.
Do not change the questions month to month, or the results stop being comparable. Wrong facts in an answer are a task: fix the source page or listing first.
3. Read Search Console without looking for a separate AI report
Google's guidance is plain: "sites appearing in AI features (such as AI Overviews and AI Mode) are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console." There is no separate AI Overviews total to report. Watch impressions and clicks for non-branded searches and for the pages that answer patient questions, month over month.
4. Use the AI Assistant channel in Google Analytics
Google Analytics has a default channel for these visits. Its Help page says: "AI Assistant is the channel by which users arrive at your site from sources like ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Copilot, or Grok." Track sessions and booked consult requests from that channel each month. Google says visits are assigned to this channel when the referrer matches its list of AI assistants, so treat the number as a floor, not a complete count.
5. Add one Microsoft data point
If the practice already uses Bing's free webmaster account, copy one number from its AI Performance report onto the sheet: how many practice pages were cited that month. Bing says it shows "how often your content is cited in generative answers." Record it as citation activity, nothing more.
6. Keep reviews and listings on the same sheet
AI answers lean on what other sites say about you. Each month, record the review count and how many arrived in the last 90 days, whether the practice replied, and whether every listing shows the same name, address, phone and hours. For how many reviews a practice needs, see how many Google reviews a practice needs.
7. One page, once a month
Put all of this on one page with three columns: last month, this month, and what changed on the site or listings in between. Lead with booked consults where you can connect them, then the AEO signals. For what any agency report should include, see what should a marketing agency report.
Monthly scorecard checklist
- Fixed AI question list run in fresh sessions, results recorded.
- Wrong facts in any answer logged and traced to a source.
- Search Console non-branded impressions and clicks noted.
- Google Analytics AI Assistant sessions and consult requests noted.
- One Microsoft citation number noted, if the account exists.
- Reviews, replies and listing consistency checked.
- Site and listing changes for the month written down.
If you want this scorecard run for your practice each month, see our AEO agency in Los Angeles page.
Questions people ask
What should an AEO report include?
Whether AI answers name the practice for a fixed list of questions, non-branded Search Console results, Google Analytics AI Assistant visits, Microsoft citation activity, and review and listing health, compared month over month.
Does Search Console show AI Overviews traffic separately?
No. Google says sites appearing in AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console.
How can we see visits from ChatGPT in Google Analytics?
Google Analytics has a default AI Assistant channel for visitors arriving from sources like ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Copilot or Grok. Treat it as a floor, not a complete count.
How often should we check whether AI answers name our practice?
Once a month is enough for most practices, using the same questions in fresh sessions so results can be compared.
Can an agency guarantee our practice will be named by ChatGPT?
No. AEO improves the sources AI answers draw on, but no one controls what an assistant says. Targets should be directional.
