RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
AEO Research Methodology & Evidence Standard
This protocol defines how Charles Brian International will collect, classify, score and report AI visibility evidence. It is a public operating standard, not a claim that a benchmark has already been executed.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Study Design Sequence
01
Define the decision
State the buyer decision, category boundaries, audience and commercial question before prompt collection begins.
02
Build the corpus
Create prompt families across discovery, comparison, risk, proof, implementation and procurement.
03
Freeze the protocol
Record surfaces, models, geography, dates, session conditions, repetitions and scoring rules.
04
Capture evidence
Preserve answers, citations, links, brand order, recommendation language, caveats and timestamps.
05
Review quality
Apply duplicate checks, adjudication rules, outlier handling and documented exclusions.
06
Publish limits
Report what the sample supports, what it does not support and what may change over time.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Measurement Rules
Unit of analysis
An individual answer to a frozen prompt on a named surface at a recorded time.
Presence
Whether a defined entity appears, not whether the wording feels favorable.
Recommendation
Whether a brand is explicitly suggested for the use case, separated from incidental mention.
Framing
The strengths, limitations, risks and use-case fit attached to the entity.
Citation
A visible source or link captured with exact provenance and access date.
Stability
The degree to which results persist across controlled repetitions, reported without false precision.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
What This Page Proves, And Does Not
Evidence boundary
This page proves that a reporting method has been specified. It does not prove market performance, model preference, category leadership or any company score.
Next Useful Step
Request An AI Visibility Diagnostic
Choose one company, one competitive set and one revenue-critical buyer journey. We will identify the decision questions, representation gaps and evidence requirements that matter most.