# BackTier opens the methods and data behind AI Visibility Index edition 2026.1

For immediate release · 2026-10-04

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 — https://backtier.com/ai-visibility-index · Index data (CSV) — https://backtier.com/data/ai-visibility-index-2026-h1.csv · Index data (JSON) — https://backtier.com/data/ai-visibility-index-2026-h1.json

More: View the edition and downloads — https://backtier.com/ai-visibility-index

Media contact: Jason T Wade · jason@backtier.com · (321) 946-5569