How to Check AI Mentions of an Accounting Firm
Check AI mentions of an accounting firm by recording what a specific search feature shows for a specific query, date and location. Save the answer and its supporting links. Separate a mention of the firm’s name from a link to its website, and separate both from an inquiry.
A single screenshot shows one observation. It does not establish a stable position or explain why the firm appeared.
Identify the feature you are checking
Label AI Overviews and AI Mode separately. Do not count an ordinary organic result, a People also ask panel or a related-search suggestion as an AI mention just because it appears on the same page.
Google’s AI features guidance explains that AI Overviews and AI Mode can show different responses and supporting links. A query may not show an AI Overview at all.
Choose questions that match the firm’s work
Start with a small set of questions based on the services the firm actually offers. Include its real service area where that matters. Keep branded questions separate from questions asked by someone who does not know the firm.
For example, a hypothetical firm might check its own name, a bookkeeping question and a local accounting-service query. These are suggested test categories, not evidence that a particular query has traffic or will show an AI answer.
Record the exact words. Keep a stable core set for comparison, and label new queries when you add them. Removing a query because the firm was absent would make later reports look better without showing an actual improvement.
Keep a dated observation log
For each check, record:
- The exact query and the feature being checked.
- Date, device and whether the browser is signed in.
- Actual location and any location override used.
- Whether the feature appeared.
- Whether the firm was named and whether its website was linked.
- Supporting URLs and the saved screenshot.
- Any factual error that needs a separate review.
A VPN or browser location override does not perfectly reproduce another person’s search. Record those conditions rather than presenting a simulated location as a physical visit.
Check the cited pages before drawing conclusions
Open each supporting page and read the relevant passage. Confirm that it describes the same firm and the same service. A citation can be stale, unrelated or insufficient to support the generated statement.
If an answer reports the wrong hours or service area, compare it with the firm’s current public information. Correct a source you control when it is wrong. If the source is accurate but the generated answer is wrong, record that distinction. Do not rewrite accurate business facts simply to match an AI response.
Keep Search Console totals separate
Google reports traffic from its AI features within the Web search type in Search Console. Those totals are not a log of every AI answer or a separate count of all AI mentions.
Use the observation log to document appearances you actually saw. Use Search Console to review the site’s reported search traffic. Use the firm’s approved inquiry records to establish whether a contact became a client. Do not label all organic traffic as AI traffic.
Choose a useful next action
Prioritize wrong contact details, unclear service descriptions and missing evidence on pages the firm controls. Give each correction an owner and a review date. Keep before-and-after observations under comparable conditions.
A clearer website can help readers understand the firm. It does not guarantee an AI mention. Google does not require special AI markup or a new AI text file for these features. Preserve useful pages and accurate business details rather than adding a page for every test query.
Use the monthly review worksheet to track corrections and unresolved questions. The result should be a dated record of what was observed, what was changed and what remains unknown.
For the wording on individual service pages, use the guide to clear service descriptions.