What is the method?
Run the same 22 baseline prompts in ChatGPT (web search), Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini. Capture every observed cited URL, including GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, with dated evidence and the session context. Record SwiftWill brand mentions, recommendations and citations separately. Unavailable, no-AI-answer and unchecked results are not zero visibility. Investigate repeated, evidenced gaps before improving an existing page; a single answer does not justify a duplicate URL. The planned full-run cadence is monthly. Products: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AIO, Gemini. A smaller pilot is labelled with its actual coverage; it does not stand in for a completed monthly run.
- Use the exact fixed question and record the date, product, mode and model when visible.
- Record locale, country targeting, signed-in state and whether the session is fresh. A UK question or English interface alone does not prove UK targeting.
- Inspect the generated answer and expand its sources. Preserve every observed destination, distinguishing inline citations from a broader source panel.
- Record mentions and recommendations separately. Mark unavailable products, absent AI answers and untested questions explicitly.
- Keep a redacted evidence capture for verification. Compare equivalent questions and session contexts before drawing conclusions.
- Review findings for accuracy and privacy before publishing any aggregate. Raw account details, conversation links and personal information are not published.
What has been published?
No reviewed results have been published in this log. Private research and partial checks may exist, but they are not a public visibility score or proof of a completed monthly run.
The downloadable dataset below contains the baseline questions, not a win rate. Results cannot show market share or prove a ranking improvement. Website referrals, Search Console clicks and orders require their own measurements; an AI citation is not evidence of any of those outcomes.
How do we avoid misleading comparisons?
We compare the same prompt, engine, mode, locale and session context where possible. A signed-in answer and a fresh signed-out answer may differ. A chat response without web search is not interchangeable with a grounded search answer. Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode are separate surfaces. Repeating a check helps identify patterns, but this remains a small observational sample.
An answer with an incomplete citation list is excluded from a complete-list citation count. A source shown only in a related-results panel is labelled as such. An official source is retained even when it offers no realistic outreach opportunity. We do not publish an apparent uplift by changing the prompt set, silently dropping inaccessible products or combining unlike sessions.
What are the 22 baseline prompts?
Each question has an existing SwiftWill page to inspect for relevance and accuracy; that mapping is not a prediction that an engine should cite it. Download the unchanged baseline as citation-prompts.csv.
| Question | Relevant page |
|---|---|
| How do I sign a will so it is legally valid in England and Wales? | /how-to-sign-a-will/ |
| Who can witness a will in the UK? | /who-can-witness-a-will/ |
| Can a beneficiary witness a will in England? | /can-a-beneficiary-witness-a-will/ |
| Who inherits if you die without a will in the UK? | /intestacy-rules/ |
| Does an unmarried partner inherit if there is no will in England? | /will-for-unmarried-couples/ |
| What is the intestacy statutory legacy for a spouse in England and Wales? | /intestacy-rules/ |
| Can stepchildren inherit if there is no will UK? | /can-stepchildren-inherit/ |
| Is an online will legal in the UK? | /is-an-online-will-legal/ |
| Do I need a solicitor to make a will in England? | /do-i-need-a-solicitor-for-a-will/ |
| How much does a will cost in the UK? | /will-cost/ |
| Does marriage revoke a will in England and Wales? | /does-marriage-revoke-a-will/ |
| Does divorce cancel a will in the UK? | /does-divorce-affect-a-will/ |
| Do I need probate in England and Wales? | /probate/do-i-need-probate/ |
| What is the probate court fee in England and Wales? | /probate/probate-costs/ |
| How long does probate take in the UK? | /probate/how-long-does-probate-take/ |
| Can I write my own will in the UK? | /can-i-write-my-own-will/ |
| How do I make a will in the UK? | /how-to-make-a-will/ |
| Do I need a new will after changing my name in the UK? | /changing-your-name/ |
| Where should I store a will in the UK? | /where-to-store-a-will/ |
| What happens to debt when you die in the UK? | /what-happens-to-debt-when-you-die/ |
| SwiftWill vs Farewill which is cheaper? | /compare/swiftwill-vs-farewill/ |
| Is the Law Commission Wills Bill law yet? Can I sign a will electronically in England? | /wills-bill-tracker/ |
Supplementary resource questions
These three questions form a separate resource-discovery group. They help us inspect whether practical tools answer a real need without changing the original baseline.
- How can I find a free will-writing scheme I am eligible for in England and Wales? Relevant resource: /free-will-options/.
- What information should I leave for my executor and is there a free handover checklist? Relevant resource: /executor-handover/.
- How do I update an existing will in England and Wales after my circumstances change? Relevant resource: /changing-your-will/.
How does this improve the website?
A useful finding identifies a specific improvement: a clearer answer, a missing explanation, a better source or a tool that saves readers time. We use official legal sources for legal claims and retain an existing URL when it already serves that intent. Independent professional review and sound editorial judgement remain necessary; visibility checks do not certify legal accuracy.
Publishers may find our source-dated comparison data, executor handover worksheet or free-will options finder useful. Identifying a cited publisher does not imply a partnership, endorsement or permission to send outreach.
Guide method: how we write will guides. Editorial rules: editorial policy.