For immediate release · 2026-10-04
BackTier updates AI Visibility Index to remove its own ranking and disclose its methodology limits
CENTRAL FLORIDA, October 4, 2026 — BackTier has revised the public AI Visibility Index after identifying a conflict in how it presented its own position. An earlier version ranked BackTier first among AI visibility agencies. BackTier is now excluded from its own rankings, and the Index page discloses that the study is an internal experiment, not an independent audit. Its scores have not been independently verified.
The remaining agency entries moved up one rank after the removal. The edition's downloadable CSV and JSON now reflect the revised ranking. The Index page provides its scoring model, run dates and data downloads so readers can examine what BackTier published rather than relying on the ranking alone.
The Index evaluates selection rate, citation rate, position and entity accuracy across a five-engine panel. Those are BackTier's own measures; they should not be mistaken for independent validation or a promise that any brand will appear in future AI answers.
This update is a correction to the presentation of an existing edition, not a newly conducted measurement run. Journalists and researchers should cite the revised files and include the internal-experiment disclosure.
Sources: Index, disclosure, methodology and downloads · Corrections policy
Read the Index and methodology →
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Media contact: Jason T Wade · jason@backtier.com · (321) 946-5569
For immediate release · 2026-10-04
BackTier opens the methods and data behind AI Visibility Index edition 2026.1
CENTRAL FLORIDA, October 4, 2026 — BackTier is making the methodology and downloadable data for edition 2026.1 of its AI Visibility Index available to reporters and researchers. The edition is dated 2026-07-27; its stated prompt-run window is 2026-07-06 through 2026-07-24. This release describes that existing edition and does not claim a new run on October 4.
The Index records how brands appear in answers across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot. Its AIV Score is a BackTier-defined composite of Selection rate (40%), Citation rate (25%), Position (20%), Entity accuracy (15%). The site publishes the formula and provides edition data in CSV and JSON formats.
The published schedule is twice a year — published 26 january and 27 july. Edition 2026.2 is scheduled for 2027-01-26; it has not been published. BackTier is excluded from its own rankings. The scores are internally produced, not independently audited, and should be described as directional findings rather than verified market-wide performance.
For attribution, identify BackTier as both the publisher and the party that designed the scoring. The methodology page and data files are the primary sources for the edition; neither the Index nor this release establishes a causal effect on search or AI recommendations.
Sources: Index methodology and edition register · Index data (CSV) · Index data (JSON)
View the edition and downloads →
Download this release (Markdown)
Media contact: Jason T Wade · jason@backtier.com · (321) 946-5569