Arrow No. A provider can commit to defined research, source improvements, implementation and reporting. The assistant controls the generated answer. Keep advertising placements and organic recommendations separate, and require the measurement protocol behind any claimed placement or uplift.
Separate the contract from the outcome
A provider can commit to research, verified edits, publishing checks and a reporting protocol. It cannot control every generated response from an independent product. Ask for acceptance criteria that a reviewer can inspect even if the brand is absent from the next sample.
Evaluate evidence behind a performance claim
A credible report names the question set, collection dates, interfaces and eligible denominator. It preserves absences and failed requests. If a provider offers only selected screenshots, request the scope needed to understand how representative they are.
An observed improvement can support a decision to continue testing. Establishing its cause requires more than publication followed by a favorable response; other sources and product behavior may have changed too.
What to check
- Ask which deliverables the provider controls: research, content changes, technical fixes and reporting.
- For a claimed result, request the question, date, AI surface, full response and number of observations, including non-mentions.
- Separate an advertising placement from an organic recommendation, and separate a citation from an endorsement.
A practical example
A statement such as 'we will publish five reviewed source improvements and report weekly observations' is a verifiable scope. 'We will make ChatGPT recommend you first' describes an outcome controlled by a third party.
Sources and further reading
These steps are Arrow AI's implementation guidance. The example is illustrative; it is not a measured customer result. Publication and source access do not guarantee an AI recommendation.
Apply this to your website
Identify the source gaps and decide what to improve with Arrow's free audit. Review what Arrow GEO measures before choosing a reporting scope.