Gumshoe AI | Understand What AI Thinks About Your Brand

Gumshoe FAQ

What is Gumshoe?

Gumshoe is an AI search visibility platform. It shows you how AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity talk about your brand when people ask them for recommendations.

When someone asks an AI, "What's the best project management tool?" or "Which running shoes should I buy?", the AI gives an answer. Gumshoe tells you whether your brand is part of that answer, how often, why, and what to do about it.

Why does AI search visibility matter?

More people are asking AI for recommendations instead of typing keywords into Google. When they do, they often get a direct answer with a few brand names rather than a page of links to click through.

If your brand is not in those AI-generated answers, you are invisible to a growing segment of your potential customers. And unlike traditional search, there is no ad slot you can buy to show up.

How does Gumshoe work?

Gumshoe simulates real conversations with AI models. We create buyer personas that represent your target customers, generate the questions those personas would ask, and submit them to multiple AI models through their official APIs.

We then analyze the responses to see which brands get mentioned, which sources get cited, and how your visibility compares to competitors. The result is a report that shows exactly where you stand in AI search and what you can do about it.

What AI models does Gumshoe track?

Gumshoe tracks all the major AI platforms people use for recommendations and research:

ChatGPT
Google Gemini and AI Overviews
Anthropic Claude
Perplexity Sonar
DeepSeek
Grok

You choose which models to include in each report based on where your audience is most likely to search.

Who is Gumshoe for?

Gumshoe is built for marketing teams, SEO professionals, and agencies who want to understand and improve their brand's presence in AI-generated search results. Our customers include direct brands tracking their own visibility and agencies managing AI search optimization for their clients.

How is this different from SEO?

SEO focuses on ranking in search engine results pages. You optimize for keywords, build backlinks, and try to appear higher in a list of links.

AI search optimization focuses on being mentioned in AI-generated answers. There is no list of links to rank in. The AI decides which brands to recommend based on what it has learned from content across the web.

Traditional search engines share traffic and behavior data through tools like Google Analytics and Search Console; AI models do not expose this data, so you need Gumshoe to track how often you are mentioned and recommended. You’ll also need Gumshoe to understand why you’re performing the way you are and what to do about it.

The tactics overlap in some areas, such as creating high-quality content and technical schema, but the mechanics differ. Gumshoe measures the AI search side specifically.

What can I do with the insights from Gumshoe?

Gumshoe reports show you where your visibility is strong, where it is weak, and what to do about it. You can see which personas and topics need attention, which competitors are outperforming you, and which sources AI models cite when discussing your category.

The platform also includes tools to help you act on those insights, including audits to identify technical issues, content generation to address coverage gaps, visibility into third-party source mentions, and trend tracking to measure progress over time.

How much does Gumshoe cost?

Gumshoe uses pay-as-you-go pricing with no subscription fees.

Your first 3 reports are free (1 free report for personal email addresses)
Additional reports cost $0.10 per conversation
Content generation costs $25 per batch

A typical report runs 800 conversations, which would cost $80 after your free reports. You control the scope and cost by choosing how many personas, topics, and models to include.

As much as you want to spend! Our pricing is usage-based and flexible. Visit our pricing page for details.

How do I get started?

Sign up at https://app.gumshoe.ai/go with your business email. You can run your first report for free and see your AI visibility results within minutes.

If you want to talk through your use case first, reach out to our team at hello@gumshoe.ai or book a demo through our website.

Understanding AI Search Visibility

What does "brand visibility" actually measure?

Brand visibility is the percentage of AI-generated answers that mention your brand when responding to relevant questions. If Gumshoe submits 100 prompts to AI models and your brand appears in 35 of the responses, your visibility score is 35%.

This is different from impressions or rankings. Visibility measures whether you are part of the conversation at all, not how high you appear in a list.

What is the difference between being mentioned and being recommended?

AI models can reference your brand in various ways. They may list your brand as an option, recommend it as a top choice, or refer to your website during their decision-making process. While the latter does not contribute to your brand's visibility mention count, it will count towards your domain's citation mention total.

Gumshoe tracks both mentions and recommendation position. A brand might appear in many answers, but it rarely gets recommended first. Another brand might appear less often, but consistently gets positioned as the top choice. Both patterns matter, and Gumshoe shows you both.

Why do different AI models give different answers?

Each AI model is built differently. They are trained on different data, updated on different schedules, and use different approaches to generate responses.

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity can all give different recommendations for the same question. Some models search the web in real time. Others rely primarily on training data. Some weigh live-searched, recent information more heavily. Others prioritize established sources.

This is why Gumshoe tracks multiple models. Your visibility might be strong on one platform and weak on another, and knowing the difference helps you prioritize your actions.

What is the difference between live search models and training-based models?

Live search models query the web to generate answers. Examples include Google's AI Overviews, Perplexity, and certain configurations of ChatGPT, all of which pull current information from websites before responding.

In contrast, training-based models rely on data they learned during their training, which has a specific cutoff date. These models do not access your latest blog posts or press releases unless that information was included in their training data.

Both types of models are important. Live search models can quickly pick up new content, while training-based models reflect AI's understanding of your brand based on past information. Although it can be more challenging to change a training-based model’s responses in the short term, these models still represent the actual answers users will receive when they ask questions.

Increasingly, AI models are adopting a hybrid approach, using live search when deemed necessary. This means they often rely on foundational knowledge while also keeping track of live search results. Understanding both foundational and live search outcomes helps you gauge your current position and anticipate changes as the models update their knowledge.

How do AI models decide which brands to recommend?

AI models synthesize information from many sources: their training data, cited web pages, and internal reasoning patterns. The final recommendation reflects all of these inputs combined.

A model might cite a review site that mentions five brands but recommends a sixth brand that it learned about elsewhere. Or it might recommend your competitor because your content didn't address the specific feature the user asked about, even though your product does offer it.

This is why visibility optimization is different from SEO. You are not just trying to rank for keywords. You are trying to shape the model's beliefs about your brand.

How Gumshoe Works

What are personas and why do they matter?

Personas are simulated buyer profiles that represent your target customers. Each persona has characteristics like role, goals, constraints, and context that shape the questions they ask and how AI models respond to them.

The majority of users of AI models are logged in and identifiable to the LLMs.

AI search is personal. When you ask ChatGPT for advice, it considers what it knows about you. A startup founder asking about CRM software gets different recommendations than an enterprise IT director asking the same question.

Gumshoe uses personas to simulate these real-world variations. Instead of asking generic questions, we ask them the way your actual customers would. This gives you visibility into what your target audience actually sees.

How does Gumshoe generate the questions it asks AI models?

Gumshoe generates prompts based on the personas and topics in your report. For each persona, we create questions that person would realistically ask when researching your category.

A "Budget-Conscious Small Business Owner" asks different questions than a "Tech-Forward Enterprise Buyer." The prompts reflect those differences in priorities, language, and concerns.

You can also add custom prompts if you want to track specific questions.

What sources does Gumshoe show me?

Gumshoe monitors the domains and URLs referenced by AI models when generating responses. Only AI models that perform live searches will provide citation links.

The Sources section in a Gumshoe report shows you which websites AI models rely on when discussing your business. This includes your own site, competitor sites, review platforms, media publications, social media, and any other domains that get cited.

Understanding which sources AI models trust helps you identify opportunities for digital PR, partnerships, and content placement beyond your own website. It also helps you track your website’s effectiveness in enhancing content and technical elements.

How is Gumshoe different from other AI visibility tools?

Gumshoe uses official API integrations with AI models rather than scraping logged-out chat interfaces. This matters for three reasons.

API access is compliant and reliable. Scraping can break when platforms change their interfaces, and it may violate their terms of service.
API access lets us provide user context with each prompt. Scraping a logged-out window gives you answers for an anonymous user, not your target persona. Evidence shows that users who convert are logged in and known to the models.
API access produces consistent, repeatable results. Scraped results vary based on session state, A/B tests, and other factors outside your control.

The result: reliable data, real persona targeting, and actionable insights without the noise, cost, or fragility of scraping.

Taking Action on AI Visibility

What can I actually do to improve my AI visibility?

AI visibility is influenced by three main levers:

Make sure LLMs can see your content. Technical improvements help AI models find and process your information. This includes schema markup, clear heading structures, metadata, and crawlability.
Train LLMs by telling your own story. First-party content is what you publish on your site, such as FAQs, knowledge articles, how-to guides, and detailed product pages. This gives AI models material to learn from and cite.
Meet the models where they're already looking. Third-party content is coverage on external sites, reviews, media mentions, directory listings, and industry publications. These shape how AI models perceive your brand.

Gumshoe reports show where you're strong and weak across all three, and the platform includes tools to help you take action using all 3 levers.

How long does it take to improve AI visibility?

Results vary, but AI visibility can change faster than traditional SEO rankings. We have seen brands double their visibility within three months by publishing targeted content and making technical improvements.

Live search models can pick up new content within days or weeks. Training-based models take longer because they only update when retrained, but even then, they can shift as new content enters the training pipeline.

The key is consistent effort. Baseline your visibility, take recommended action, track your visibility, and iterate based on the data.

Does AI optimization replace SEO?

No, AI optimization (GEO, AEO, or AIO) and SEO are complementary, not competing.

SEO helps you rank in traditional search results, which still drives significant traffic. AI optimization helps you appear in AI-generated answers, a channel growing at a historic rate.

You need both because they optimize for different audiences with different preferences:

SEO focuses on popularity signals and concise, Google-friendly snippets designed to win clicks from a results page. Content is structured for skimmers who scan headings and decide in seconds whether to engage.
GEO focuses on authority, freshness, and exhaustive detail. AI models process information faster than humans and favor content that is thorough, accurate, and current enough to cite with confidence.

Search engines reward content that earns clicks. AI models reward content that earns trust.

The good news: these goals rarely directly conflict. Measurement, strategy, and actions vary, necessitating tools specifically designed for AI visibility.

How often should I run reports?

It depends on how actively you are optimizing and how dynamic your category is.

If you are making regular content updates and want to track progress, weekly or biweekly reports make sense. If you are monitoring a stable baseline, monthly reports may be sufficient for less volatile industries.

Gumshoe supports scheduled reports so you can automate tracking at whatever cadence works for your workflow.

Evaluating Gumshoe for Your Business

How do I know if my brand has an AI visibility problem?

Run a free report! You will see your visibility score, how you compare to competitors, and which personas and topics need attention.

If your visibility is low in areas that matter to your business, or if competitors are consistently outperforming you, that is a signal to act.

If your visibility is high, check for signs that competitors are gaining visibility or citations. Is your business always being recommended as the first choice, in addition to being mentioned?

Contact our team at support@gumshoe.ai for more insights into your report.

What if my industry is too niche for AI recommendations?

Niche industries often have more opportunities, not fewer. AI models have less training data for specialized categories, which means brands that do provide clear, comprehensive information can more easily dominate visibility.

Run a report to see what AI models currently know about your category. You may find gaps you can fill.

Is Gumshoe useful for agencies managing multiple clients?

Yes. Many agencies use Gumshoe to add AI search optimization services to their existing SEO or marketing consulting packages.

The pay-per-report pricing model means you only pay for what you use, with no seat-based fees for adding clients. Agency accounts also receive volume discounts.

Contact sales@gumshoe.ai for more information!

What results should I expect from a first report?

Your first report establishes a baseline. You will see who LLMs think you are, your current visibility score, how often you get recommended versus competitors, which personas and topics are strongest and weakest, and which sources AI models cite for your category.

This gives you a clear picture of where you stand and a foundation for measuring improvement over time.

To expand on your first report, try editing the Personas, Topics, and Prompts and running it again. Then experiment with scheduling your report to run regularly.

Getting Started

Can I try Gumshoe before committing?

Yes. You get three free reports with a business email address (one free report with a personal email). No credit card is required to start.

Run a report, explore the results, and decide if the insights are valuable before spending anything. Contact our team at support@gumshoe.ai if you’d like help getting started!

How long does it take to run a report?

Most reports are complete within a few minutes. Larger reports with many personas, topics, and models may take longer, but you will receive a notification when results are ready.

Where do I go if I have more questions?

Reach out to sales@gumshoe.ai for sales questions, or to support@gumshoe.ai for product support. You can also book a demo through our website to walk through your specific use case with our team.

Gumshoe AI Media Mentions & Social Presence

Compiled January 27, 2026

Major News & Tech Publications

GeekWire (April 29, 2025)

"Marketers are 'freaking out' about AI search. This Seattle startup just raised $2M to help."

Original funding announcement coverage by Taylor Soper. Featured quotes from Todd Sawicki comparing traditional SEO to a "high school prom king and queen" contest, noting that AI search favors accuracy over trend.

https://www.geekwire.com/2025/marketers-are-freaking-out-about-ai-search-this-seattle-startup-just-raised-2m-to-help/

Yahoo Finance (May 7, 2025)

"Marketers Are Panicking About ChatGPT's Impact On SEO - Gumshoe Just Raised $2M From Top Tech Veterans To Solve The AI Search Crisis"

Syndicated coverage highlighting the $2M pre-seed round led by Pioneer Square Labs with participation from Hawke Ventures and angel investor Ari Paparo.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/marketers-panicking-chatgpts-impact-seo-134506379.html

Industry Reviews & Analysis

Britopian (Michael Brito) (October 18, 2025)

"Gumshoe Review: The New Metric for Brand Visibility"

In-depth platform review using Vuori as a case study. Covers brand visibility scoring, persona analysis, and source tracking features. Notes that Gumshoe "positions itself as a platform for measuring brand visibility across AI search results."

https://www.britopian.com/geo/gumshoe-review/

Backlinko (January 2026)

"5 AI Visibility Tools to Track Your Brand Across LLMs"

Featured as a standout tool with persona-driven approach. Notes: "Gumshoe AI takes a different approach from every other tool on this list. You define your audience and Gumshoe reverse-engineers the kinds of prompts they're likely to ask."

https://backlinko.com/llm-tracking-tools

GenerateMore.ai (October 10, 2025)

"My Personal Gumshoe AI Review for AI Search Visibility"

Hands-on review highlighting comprehensive multi-AI engine coverage and dual validation methodology (API + native interface testing). Praises clean UI and persona-based approach.

https://generatemore.ai/blog/gumshoe-ai-review

Ascend.vc (2025)

AMA Session with Patrick O'Donnell

Patrick O'Donnell (CTO) discussed GEO strategies alongside Ethan Finkel of Gauge. Covered how GEO differs from SEO and content optimization strategies for AI search.

https://www.ascend.vc/blog/tag/Gumshoe+AI

Mailmodo (September 18, 2025)

"Master Generative Engine Optimization" Video

Todd Sawicki featured discussing core GEO strategies, RAG technology, and exclusive data on what LLMs look for in content.

https://www.mailmodo.com/videos/master-geo/

GEO Tools Roundups & Comparisons

TryProfound.com

"Best Generative Engine Optimization Tools for AI in 2025"

Featured for persona-driven approach and behavioral GEO analytics

https://www.tryprofound.com/blog/best-generative-engine-optimization-tools

UseBear.ai

"Best GEO Tools 2026: Complete Guide to Generative Engine Optimization Platforms"

Noted for content forensics and AI response analysis

https://www.usebear.ai/blog/best-geo-tools-2026

Community & Developer

Hacker News (February 18, 2025)

"Show HN: Gumshoe.ai - SEO for AI"

Founders Todd and Patrick introduced the product to the HN community. Todd mentioned his background with ICanHasCheezburger and Patrick's work with Urbanspoon and ESPN Fantasy Sports.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42976766

Dev Curation Substack (May 2, 2025)

"Gumshoe AI - Pre-Seed Round"

Coverage of funding round with analysis of the AI search visibility market opportunity.

https://devcuration.substack.com/p/gumshoe-ai-pre-seed-round

Tech & Startup Databases

Platform

URL

Crunchbase

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/gumshoe-ai

PitchBook

https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/819637-21