Frequently Asked Questions

ASTONTO is an independent AI research company that studies the observable behaviour of large language models and AI recommendation systems.

ASTONTO researches how AI platforms interpret corporate information, resolve entity identity, select citation sources, compare alternatives, and generate brand recommendations across platforms, locations, and languages.

ASTONTO is an independent research company. ASTONTO AI Search Visibility is our applied commercial service that provides empirical AI Search Visibility audits, optimisation sprints and monitoring for corporate clients.

Black-box AI evaluation is the scientific observation of publicly accessible AI outputs under controlled prompt conditions, measuring real-world model responses without claiming internal access to proprietary code or weights.

No. ASTONTO evaluates observable outputs from public and enterprise interfaces. We do not claim access to proprietary model weights, hidden ranking algorithms, or undisclosed vendor update schedules.

ASTONTO enforces strict methodology controls, preserves verbatim output logs, and refuses commercial arrangements that mandate specific research findings or ranking outcomes.

ASTONTO LTD, a private limited company registered in England and Wales (company number 17320644), with its registered office at 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA.

ASTONTO is an independent company. Together with Softgenix LTD it powers Groportune: ASTONTO contributes research on how AI systems recommend businesses, and Softgenix builds the technology. Groportune applies that research for local and service businesses; ASTONTO works directly with larger B2B organisations.

ASTONTO AI Search Visibility is our evidence-based audit, optimisation and monitoring service. It measures how businesses are recommended across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews using the PULSE Method.

AI Search Visibility is the degree to which an organisation is accurately cited, prominently positioned, and positively recommended by generative AI engines when prospects ask commercial buyer queries.

ASTONTO evaluates ChatGPT (OpenAI), Perplexity, Gemini (Google), and Google AI Overviews.

An AI mention occurs whenever a brand name appears in an answer. An AI recommendation occurs when the AI engine explicitly endorses the company as a preferred solution for a specific buyer context.

Commercial size is not something an assistant can see directly. It works from what it can read: how clearly and consistently a company is described across its own site, registries, directories and independent sources. A market leader with inconsistent or thin public information can be described less confidently than a smaller, better-documented competitor. We test this per company rather than assume it.

No. Commercial AI engines operate non-deterministically. ASTONTO identifies visibility gaps and implements evidence-based improvements, but does not guarantee future AI recommendation outcomes.

Competitors are selected during audit scoping based on direct commercial overlap, geographic market rivalry, and buyer evaluation context.

AI platforms draw from different index sources, user IP geolocations, and linguistic models, resulting in distinct vendor recommendations across geographic markets.

Because commercial LLMs update continuously, baseline benchmarking should be performed quarterly, supported by ongoing monthly monitoring for high-value buyer prompts.

SEO measures where your pages rank in a list of links. AI Search Visibility measures what an AI assistant actually says: whether your company is named, how strongly it is recommended, how it is described, and which sources the answer relies on. The two overlap, because assistants draw on web content, but a strong ranking does not guarantee a recommendation.

The factors we test for are consistent entity details across your website, registries and directories; clear, answer-ready descriptions of what you do, for whom and where; structured data; and independent third-party sources such as trade media and reviews. We treat these as hypotheses to measure, not guarantees.

The PULSE Method is ASTONTO's proprietary framework for calculating multi-platform AI recommendation visibility, prominence, sentiment, and competitor performance.

A PULSE Score measures observed AI recommendation strength across position, endorsement classification, sentiment, and prompt importance.

PULSE Reliability indicates statistical confidence based on prompt volume, repeat test runs, platform coverage, and testing duration (High, Medium, or Indicative).

A PULSE Benchmark Score establishes an organisation's baseline AI visibility score at the start of an audit or optimisation sprint.

A PULSE Market Score measures visibility across a defined geographic or sector market segment.

PULSE Share of Voice measures your company's relative visibility and recommendation win rate compared with four selected competitors.

Negative sentiment, hallucinated errors, or cautionary disclaimers reduce the Sentiment Factor in the PULSE formula and are flagged as Reputation Risks.

AI answers vary between runs, so a single answer can mislead. Each prompt is repeated and scored as a pattern; the number of repeats is stated in every result and determines its reliability rating (High requires five or more).

The audit evaluates your company plus four competitors across four AI platforms, delivering a PULSE Score, preserved evidence log, Reputation Risk analysis, and live presentation.

The 90-day sprint includes entity and technical clarity fixes, answer-ready content expansion, third-party authority building, gap closure, and final retesting.

Key improvements target entity schema resolution, answer-ready site content structure, third-party profile consistency, and authoritative industry citations.

Pricing is calculated based on market scope, language requirements, prompt volume, and implementation depth. Live scope confirmation is provided before agreement.

Yes. The 24-Hour AI Visibility Audit fee is credited toward the 90-Day Optimisation Sprint when agreed within the approved timeframe.

AI Visibility Monitoring tracks monthly PULSE Score movements, competitor overtakes, prompt changes, negative sentiment alerts, and LLM model updates.

To begin an audit, we require your corporate domain, primary geographic markets, key service offerings, and four selected market competitors.

Ask how results are measured: which prompts, how many repeated runs, which platforms, which location and language, and whether raw outputs are preserved. Be cautious of anyone who guarantees rankings or recommendations, reports single screenshots as proof, or counts mentions without assessing recommendation strength.

ASTONTO's audits and sprints are designed for B2B and professional-services organisations. Local and service businesses such as trades and clinics are usually better served by Groportune, which applies ASTONTO's research at a scale and price suited to them.