How it works Pricing Why me Contact Writing Free visibility check →
AI Search Visibility for Suppliers

When buyers search for suppliers using AI tools: do you appear?

I help B2B contract manufacturers, niche suppliers, and logistics and professional services providers find out, and fix it if the answer is no. I spent 25 years on the buying side running exactly these searches, and now I help suppliers get shortlisted.

AI Visibility Snapshot · Illustrative example
A US 3PL warehousing & fulfillment provider
Queries tested
3 × 2 platforms
0
Appeared in 0 of 6 tests
ChatGPT × 3 + Perplexity × 3
Leading competitor
4 of 6 tests
Buyer query tested on ChatGPT & Perplexity
"FDA registered HACCP audited 3PL for organic food and beverage warehousing in the US"
1 Leading competitor Appears
2 Second competitor Appears
This supplier not found Missing
What this means
This supplier holds the FDA registration and HACCP audit credentials the query asks for directly. Its leading competitor, with a comparable certification set, appeared in 4 of 6 tests. This is the gap the full audit maps across 20 queries and 4 platforms.
Free AI Search Visibility Snapshot

See what I find
before you spend anything.

I run 3 searches for your category on ChatGPT and Perplexity and send you a one-page PDF showing who's coming up instead of you. No pitch. No call required. Just what I found.

Request your snapshot
Fill this in and I'll run 3 searches for your category. You'll see which competitors come up where you don't, and one observation on why I think that's happening.
This snapshot is designed for suppliers targeting English-speaking buyers with an English version of their website. If your website is not yet in English, reach out directly and we can discuss the right first step.
No pitch. No sales call required. One email with your results within 48 hours.
What the audit finds in practice

Illustrative examples produced using the same methodology applied in every visibility assessment.

Buyer-intent queries built from verified public credentials, tested across AI platforms in clean sessions, with competitor results recorded exactly as returned. Scores, credentials, and competitor results reflect realistic findings from the sectors shown. Company names and specific details are not disclosed.

Food and beverage 3PL · Portland, OR
1 of 6
FDA registered · HACCP audited · Certified organic handling · DEA certified · Bonded warehouse

The company appeared once across six tests, returned by ChatGPT under the name of its trucking operation rather than its warehousing and fulfillment business. It holds FDA registration, HACCP certification, certified organic handling, and DEA certification. None of those credentials connected to the buyer searches that should surface them.

The gap
AI platforms read the company name and identified it as a trucking company. Its warehousing and fulfillment operation did not surface in the six tests, while its trucking identity did.
FMC licensed NVOCC and freight forwarder · US
2 of 6
FMC licensed NVOCC · Licensed customs broker · Hazmat consolidation · Project cargo and breakbulk · LCL consolidation · Bonded warehouse

The company appeared in 2 of 6 tests, both times on Perplexity only, for the hazmat consolidation and project cargo queries. It did not appear on ChatGPT for any of the three queries. Expeditors, DSV, and Kuehne+Nagel each appeared in 2 of 6 tests as large global forwarders rather than specialized NVOCC operators.

The gap
A specialized operator did not appear in any of the three ChatGPT tests, while large global forwarders did. Perplexity returned different results for two of the three queries.
Medical device contract manufacturer · US
1 of 6
ISO 13485 certified · FDA compliant · Medical grade silicone injection molding · Cleanroom manufacturing

The company appeared in 1 of 6 tests, on Perplexity only. It holds ISO 13485 certification, FDA registration, and operates a certified cleanroom. The leading competitor appeared in 5 of 6 tests across both platforms. Both hold ISO 13485 certification and operate in the same product category. The results did not appear to reflect the two companies' core certification or manufacturing capabilities alone.

The gap
Credentials that are difficult to find, interpret or connect to the query are less likely to influence the answer, regardless of whether they are real and verifiable.
The opportunity

AI platforms are becoming part of how buyers find suppliers.
Many qualified suppliers do not appear on them.

A growing share of B2B buyers now use AI tools during supplier research. The suppliers that show up aren't always the most qualified ones. They're the ones these tools can find, understand, and confidently describe. That's a fixable problem.

01
AI tools often return a short list.
When a buyer uses an AI tool (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Claude) to find suppliers in their category, a small number of names come back. Buyers often build their shortlist from that list. If your company is not on it, you may never be considered, even if you are the most qualified option available.
02
Traditional SEO alone doesn't solve this
A supplier ranking first on Google for their category can be completely absent from AI responses for the same search. The two systems work differently. What gets you found on Google won't necessarily get you shortlisted on AI platforms.
03
Visibility and capability are not the same thing
Across hundreds of tested queries, the suppliers appearing in AI responses are not always the most capable or the best in category. They simply have their content structured in a way AI can read and cite. That's the gap this audit is built to identify and address.
04
The window to act is now
AI citation patterns are still settling. Suppliers building visibility now have a better chance of establishing a position before the category gets more competitive. That advantage is real today, but it will not last indefinitely.
The service

What's missing, and how to fix it.

Three stages. At the end you have a clear picture of where you stand and exactly what to do about it. Built around how procurement professionals actually find and evaluate suppliers.

1
Audit
A buyer simulation across 4 AI platforms
I run 20 buyer-intent queries across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, built the way buyers actually search.
What buyers find when they search your category: which competitors are shortlisted, how they are described, and what signals AI platforms are responding to
Where you stand across all 4 AI platforms: which specific queries you are missing from and what is keeping you off the shortlist
An action plan ranked by impact on your shortlist appearances
Customized for your business

Before the audit begins you will receive a short intake form. Your non-confidential answers ensure every buyer-intent query simulated is built around your actual capabilities, certifications, and service specializations, not a generic template applied to every client.

2
Action Pack
Ready-to-publish materials that make your expertise visible to the AI platforms your buyers use
Each priority gap the audit finds is matched to a specific corrective action or content asset. Built from your capabilities and credentials. Ready to publish when you receive it.
Evidence-gap map: which certifications, capabilities, or service descriptions are missing or unclear in your current public content, and which specific buyer queries that gap affects
The written descriptions of your capabilities, certifications, sectors and geographies on your website, rewritten so AI platforms can read, understand and cite them accurately
FAQ section built around the questions buyers ask AI platforms when searching for suppliers like you
LinkedIn article and posts that put your expertise in front of the buyer communities already active on the platform
A supplier-authored article published on a third-party platform, providing an additional public source that AI systems may discover and cite when researching your business
3
Debrief and way forward
You leave knowing what to do and why
We go through the findings together on a 60-minute call. You leave with a clear picture of where you stand, what to do first, and what it will take to sustain the position over time.
A walkthrough of every finding and what it means from a buyer's perspective
90-day implementation checklist with prioritized actions per deliverable
8-week check-in to assess early visibility signals and report on progress based on what is publicly visible and what you already implemented
Recommendations on what ongoing work is needed to sustain and build on the visibility position established in the foundational audit
Why Mounir

I've been the buyer building those shortlists for 25 years.

I'm not an SEO agency that pivoted to AI. I spent 25 years on the buying side of supplier discovery, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That's where the methodology comes from.

🎯
Built from the buyer's perspective
The 20 queries in your audit were built the way a buyer actually searches. I know that language because I used it for 25 years to decide which suppliers made the list and which didn't.
⚙️
Diagnosis before prescription
My background is engineering, not marketing. Every audit is a diagnostic first: evidence gathered, gaps identified, recommendations tied to specific findings. I don't tell you to "publish more content." I tell you which content, for which query, on which platform, in which week.
🔬
Built for your specific niche
I build query banks for specific categories, not generic lists recycled across clients. A freight forwarder's buyers search differently from a cosmetics manufacturer's buyers. The queries in your audit reflect that. I've sourced across enough industries to know the difference.
📊
Straight about what this can and can't do
AI citation patterns shift. I tell you what the data shows.
"AI platforms reward visibility over capability. That's a fixable problem, and it won't stay open forever."
Mounir Ouhadi · 25 years in supply chain and procurement
Pricing

Simple. One audit.
One retainer. No surprises.

Introductory pricing for the first 5 clients. The retainer comes up at the debrief call once we've reviewed the audit findings together. Not before.

Monthly retainer
AI Visibility Retainer
$1,500
Standard rate: $2,500/month
per month · 3-month minimum · introductory rate locked for the first 6 months

Each month builds on the last. The retainer monitors changes, tests priority queries, and addresses new visibility gaps over time.

Monthly distribution monitoring: each of 10 priority queries run 3 times across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude — 120 runs per month — tracking your appearance rate, recommendation rate, and competitor frequency against your baseline
Monthly distribution report covering your movement against baseline and how AI platforms are describing your top 3 priority competitors across the same queries
One prioritized corrective action each month, based on that month's findings: a website update, a new FAQ entry, a LinkedIn article, or whatever the data points to as the highest-impact fix
30-minute advisory call on priority actions for the coming month
Ask about the retainer →

Introductory pricing closes after 5 clients. Clients who sign at the introductory rate keep it for the first 6 months of their retainer. Standard rates apply to all new clients thereafter.

A note on realistic timelines: read before purchasing

AI citation patterns are not instant, and they do not move at the same pace across platforms. Perplexity tends to surface new or updated content faster than ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, so early signals are more likely to show up there first, often within several weeks. Broader, more consistent visibility across all four platforms generally takes longer, often several months, of consistent implementation.

Two things determine the speed: how quickly you implement the delivered assets, and how actively your competitors are building their own presence in parallel. This is not a one-time fix. It is a position that builds and compounds over time.

Perplexity
Several weeks
Early signals possible
ChatGPT · Gemini · Claude
Several months
Typically slower to reflect changes
Cross-platform
Several months
Consistent implementation needed
Re-audit
8 weeks
First measurement point

The 8-week re-audit checks for early signals from implemented actions. The retainer continues that work over time. Suppliers who implement quickly and consistently tend to see results sooner than those who do not.

One-time · Introductory pricing
AI Buyer Visibility Audit + Action Pack
$2,500
Standard rate: $3,500
Before proceeding, please confirm:
Confirm all boxes to proceed →

Check all boxes above to activate secure payment · ACH bank transfer available on request

Monthly · 3-month minimum · Introductory pricing · Rate locked 6 months
AI Visibility Retainer
$1,500/mo
Standard rate: $2,500/mo
Before proceeding, please confirm:
Confirm all boxes to proceed →

Check all boxes above to activate secure payment · Introductory rate locked for the first 6 months

By confirming the above and completing payment, you acknowledge having read and agreed to the Terms of Service. The timestamp of payment confirmation serves as the record of this agreement. Payment links are sent directly by Mounir Ouhadi within 24 hours of confirmation.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions worth answering before you decide

What exactly do you test?

The full audit tests 20 buyer-intent queries across four AI platforms: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude. Each query is built the way a real buyer in your category would search, not generic keyword phrases.

For example, a cosmetics contract manufacturer might be tested against a query like "ISO 22716 certified contract manufacturer with low MOQ for skincare brands US," while a 3PL might be tested against "FDA registered HACCP audited 3PL for organic food and beverage warehousing in the US." Every query result is recorded: whether you appear, who appears instead, and what those competitors have published that you have not. You receive a summarized report of these findings as standard. Raw query outputs are available on request.

Can you guarantee we will appear?

No, and any provider who claims to guarantee a specific AI platform result should be treated with caution. These platforms are not controlled by anyone outside the companies that build them, and their responses can shift based on factors no consultant can promise to influence.

What the audit guarantees is the diagnostic itself: a clear, evidence-based picture of where you stand today, exactly what your competitors have published that you have not, and a prioritized plan for closing that gap. The re-audit at 8 weeks measures whether implemented changes produced movement, honestly, whether the result is positive or not.

How is AI search visibility different from traditional SEO?

Traditional SEO focuses on ranking in Google search results. AI visibility, sometimes called AEO or GEO, focuses on appearing inside AI-generated answers.

A supplier can rank well on Google and still be missing from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Claude responses. AI platforms look for different signals when deciding which companies to mention, describe, or cite.

SEO still matters because brand-owned websites can feed AI visibility. But the goal is different. You are not only trying to win a blue link. You are trying to become part of the answer.

Which credentials matter most for AI visibility?

The credentials that matter most are the ones buyers actually include in their search queries, and these go beyond formal certifications. Certifications like ISO 9001, ISO 13485, SQF, or CTPAT matter when your category requires them and buyers search for them by name. But credentials can also include specialized capabilities (such as cleanroom classification, MOQ flexibility, or geographic coverage), operational facts (such as years in business, facility size, or ownership structure), and clearly described service specializations that distinguish you from generalist competitors.

Having the credential is not enough. It needs to be visible in clear, structured, public content that AI tools can read and connect to the right buyer searches. A supplier with the strongest certifications in their category can still be invisible if that information is buried in a PDF or missing from their website entirely.

What does the client need to do after the audit?

The audit and Action Pack deliver strategic findings and ready-to-publish materials, including rewritten website content, FAQ sections, and articles. None of this creates visibility on its own until it is published.

Before anything goes live, you review and approve every piece of delivered content, including verifying that certifications, capability statements, and factual claims are accurate for your business. Once approved, you are responsible for implementing the delivered assets: updating your website, publishing the LinkedIn content, and posting the Medium article, typically within the timeframe agreed at the debrief call. If you do not have someone who can make these changes, it is worth identifying that person, whether internal staff or an outside contractor, before the engagement begins, since results depend entirely on implementation.

Understanding the landscape

AI search goes by many names.
The problem is the same.

AI search visibility goes by several names: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), AI SEO, and LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization). Whatever term your team uses, the outcome is the same: whether qualified buyers find and understand your company when they search on AI platforms.

Get in touch

Ready to talk?
Two ways to reach me.

Book a call directly

📍 Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

If you've seen the snapshot and want to dig into a full audit, book a 20-minute call. I'll have already looked at your website and run some preliminary queries before we speak. No prep needed on your end.

Deliverables are not high-level strategy documents. Every audit includes ready-to-paste structured data code, exact website copy replacements, and a full content package your team can implement directly. An 8-week re-audit is included to verify the AI platforms are reading the changes correctly.

Terms of Service

Key terms summarised here for transparency. The complete agreement is available in the full Terms of Service.

Payment & scope

Full audit fee is due before work begins. Retainer requires a 3-month minimum.

No guarantee of results

AI platform responses are probabilistic and cannot be promised. See the FAQ above for what the audit guarantees instead.

Implementation

This is a strategic and content delivery service, not a managed implementation service. See the FAQ above for what's expected of you after the audit.

Ownership

Delivered assets (website copy, articles, FAQ content) are fully yours upon payment, with no restrictions on use. The underlying query methodology remains confidential.

Confidentiality

Genuinely confidential information, such as trade secrets or unreleased product details, should not be discussed during this engagement. Findings, queries, and your engagement details are kept confidential on my end as well.

Cancellation & post-engagement terms

Retainer engagements require 30 days written notice to cancel. Additional post-engagement obligations apply for 12 months and are detailed in the full Terms of Service.

Service provided by Mounir Ouhadi, independent consultant based in Cambridge, MA, USA. These terms apply to all engagements and are agreed to at the point of payment confirmation.