What can change quickly?
Access. OpenAI says it can take about 24 hours for its systems to adjust after you update robots.txt to allow its search crawler. Fixing inconsistent business details and rewriting key pages can also show results within weeks.
Sources: OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
What takes longer?
Earning mentions on other trusted sites, building reviews and creating content that adds something new. These are the signals most closely linked to AI visibility in Ahrefs' research, and they build up over months.
Sources: Ahrefs: Top brand visibility factors in ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews
Why do results go up and down?
AI answers are volatile. Ahrefs reports that AI Overviews have about a 70% chance of changing between observations, and Semrush found 40 to 60% of cited sources change month to month. Progress should be measured as a trend, not one screenshot.
Sources: Search Engine Land: Generative engine optimization (GEO): How to win AI mentions
How do you measure progress?
In our done-for-you sprint we retest the same buyer questions 30 days after work begins, engine by engine. We report measured movement and never promise a fixed score. ChatGPT also tags visits it sends you with utm_source=chatgpt.com, so you can see them in Google Analytics.
References
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
- Ahrefs: Top brand visibility factors in ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews
- Search Engine Land: Generative engine optimization (GEO): How to win AI mentions
- OpenAI Help Center: Publishers and developers FAQ
All sources checked on 6 October 2026. Studies cited show correlations, not guarantees. Results vary.
Go deeper: the AI Search Flywheel and the 127-Point AI Search OS.
Answered by Dr. Radhakrishnan KG
Founder, WebNamaste · In search since 2006 · Updated 6 October 2026