# BackTier updates AI Visibility Index to remove its own ranking and disclose its methodology limits

For immediate release · 2026-10-04

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 — https://backtier.com/ai-visibility-index · Corrections policy — https://backtier.com/corrections

More: Read the Index and methodology — https://backtier.com/ai-visibility-index

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