Track AEO with a combination of first-party search data, a repeatable sample of AI answers, and website outcomes. For Google, the current Search Console Generative AI performance report shows impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode, with dimensions including page, country, date, and device. For other engines, record whether a consistent set of relevant questions produces a brand mention, a citation to your site, or an inaccurate description.
Keep the prompt wording, market, platform, and sampling method consistent when comparing periods. Use analytics to identify available AI referral sources and track enquiries or purchases from those visits. Missing referrer data and answers that generate no click limit attribution, so do not treat referral visits as total AI exposure. Report trends, sample sizes, and business outcomes together, and separate observed changes from claims that a particular edit caused them.