AI Visibility Audit
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Prepared by saigon.digital · July 2026
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Your customers are no longer just searching on Google · they're asking AI which platforms to shortlist. This audit shows exactly where you stand, who's winning, and what to do next.
Saigon Digital helped us completely rethink our digital visibility strategy. Within months of working together, our school started appearing in AI-generated recommendations, our organic traffic grew significantly, and the quality of admissions enquiries improved dramatically. They understand where digital discovery is heading and how to position brands to win.
See how we've helped brands grow. Read our case studies and learn more about what we do.
View Case StudiesA snapshot of where UK Planning Gateway stands in the AI search era · and the opportunity cost of the current gap.
Michael, UK Planning Gateway has a genuinely differentiated product · the only independent planning submission platform in England & Wales with built-in validation checks and an AI assistant (AskArchi). But when architects, homeowners, and planning consultants ask AI tools which platform to use for submitting planning applications, it's the Planning Portal, TerraQuest, Urbanist Architecture, and even newcomer Planda Portal that dominate the conversation. With a DR of just 16 and only 8 organic keywords driving 4 visits per month, UK Planning Gateway is virtually invisible to the AI engines now shaping buyer shortlists. The government's own Extract AI tool and Planda's AI validation are getting press coverage that trains the models · every month that passes without action makes the gap harder to close.
We tested how UK Planning Gateway appears when architects, planning consultants, and homeowners ask AI tools for planning submission platform recommendations. Here's what we found.
ChatGPT defaults to Planning Portal and general planning advice sites like Urbanist Architecture. UK Planning Gateway does not appear in any tested planning platform queries.
UKPG appears in niche queries like "planning portal alternative" but is absent from broader buyer searches like "best platform to submit planning application UK".
Perplexity draws from high-DR sources and industry publications. With DR 16 and limited third-party coverage, UKPG does not appear in planning platform queries.
Gemini cites Planning Portal, government sources, and established architecture firms. No signal from UK Planning Gateway in any tested query.
1 / 4 platforms currently surface UK Planning Gateway in relevant AI-generated recommendations (partial visibility on Google AIO only).
Structured authority content targeting buyer-intent keywords, third-party reviews and coverage in Planning Resource / RIBA Journal, FAQ pages with schema markup, comparison hubs (UKPG vs Planning Portal), and consistent signals across PropTech publications.
We ran the exact searches your potential users type when asking AI and search engines for planning submission help. Here's who appeared · and whether UK Planning Gateway was in the answer.
UK Planning Gateway only appears when searchers use your exact brand positioning ("planning portal alternative"). For broader buyer-intent queries about avoiding invalidation, AI tools, or submitting applications online, council websites, Urbanist Architecture, and newer AI-native competitors like Validar and Planda dominate instead. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini return zero results for UKPG.
The "planning portal alternative" niche is yours to own · you're already visible there. The "how to avoid invalidation" query is your exact value proposition, yet you're absent. With targeted content, structured data, and authority-building, UKPG could dominate this category across all four AI platforms within 90 days.
These are the companies currently winning AI recommendations in your market. Understanding why they're cited · and you're not · reveals the exact gap to close.
| Company | DR | ChatGPT | Google AIO | Perplexity | Why They Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Planning Gateway You | 16 | Not Cited | Partial | Not Cited | Audit target |
| Planning Portal | 83 | Cited | Appearing | Cited | Government-backed incumbent handling the vast majority of submissions. DR 83 makes it AI's default planning answer. Two decades of backlinks and institutional authority. |
| Urbanist Architecture | 51 | Cited | Appearing | Partial | Massive content library with planning permission guides, refusal reasons, and infographics. Owns buyer-intent keywords that AI tools quote verbatim. |
| TerraQuest | 48 | Partial | Appearing | Partial | Powers the Planning Portal's submission software. Strong government and industry backlinks. Frequently cited as the technology behind planning submissions. |
| Planda Portal | 6 | Not Cited | Partial | Not Cited | Direct competitor with AI-powered validation (Ava). Despite low DR, strategic PR in Planning Resource is building AI visibility fast. The threat is real. |
| Validar | <1 | Not Cited | Partial | Not Cited | Brand new AI validation tool already appearing in Google results for "AI check planning application". Niche positioning and planning-specific content driving early visibility. |
Badge key: Cited Partial Not Cited DR data from Ahrefs, July 2026
These are the highest-leverage changes UK Planning Gateway can make right now to start dominating AI-generated recommendations within 60–120 days.
You already rank for "planning portal alternative" · now dominate it. Publish a definitive "Planning Portal vs UK Planning Gateway: Complete 2026 Comparison" page with structured FAQ schema, validation success rate data from the Lapworth Architects case study, and real user testimonials. Include comparison tables with specific feature breakdowns · these are the exact formats AI tools cite verbatim.
Your core value proposition · reducing invalidation · has zero organic visibility. Publish 10–15 high-intent articles targeting queries like "how to avoid planning application being invalidated", "planning validation checklist UK", and "common reasons planning applications are rejected". Each piece needs FAQ schema, internal links, and real data from your 800+ processed applications. This is the content AI models train on.
Secure coverage in Planning Resource, RIBA Journal, and PropTech publications · these are the exact sources AI platforms scan to build recommendation lists. Claim profiles on G2, Capterra, and Product Hunt. Leverage the RICS, HMLR, and Ordnance Survey partnerships for authority backlinks. Michael's MCIOB and FIPWS credentials should be front and centre in thought-leadership pieces.
While auditing your AI visibility, we also reviewed the planninggateway.co.uk website itself. A strong website is the foundation everything else builds on · AI visibility, SEO, and conversion all depend on it.
Several resource and navigation links on the About page resolve to "#" or undefined internal routes, creating dead-end user journeys. Footer links in the Resources section also appear non-functional. For a platform selling reliability and validation, broken navigation undermines the core brand promise · and search engines penalise sites with broken internal links.
The site has FAQ content on the homepage and a dedicated /faqs page, but neither uses FAQ schema markup. There's basic WebSite and WebPage schema, but no Organization schema despite having full business details (company number, address, phone). This is a significant missed opportunity: FAQ schema is the single highest-impact structured data type for AI citation. Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT both preferentially cite content with FAQ schema · adding it is a quick technical win.
While robots.txt correctly allows AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot are not blocked), there's no llms.txt file to guide AI models on your most important content. An llms.txt file explicitly tells AI engines what your platform does, your key differentiators, and which pages to prioritise · it's the digital equivalent of a briefing document for every AI that visits your site. Given the competitive pressure from Planda and Validar, this is low-hanging fruit.
The site loads reasonably well, uses lazy-loading for images, and the core Elementor build is professional. The blog has 20+ substantive articles reviewed by planning experts. The foundation is solid · it just needs technical optimisation and a content strategy overhaul to convert into AI visibility.
AI platforms don't just read your content · they assess your site's technical signals. Missing structured data, broken links, and no llms.txt tell AI engines this isn't an authoritative source worth citing. Fix these and your existing content immediately becomes more citable.
This audit reveals the problem. We have a clear, proven strategy to fix it · covering AI visibility, SEO, and the website itself. Results typically begin showing within the first 60 days.
UK Planning Gateway has a genuine competitive advantage · the only independent submission platform with built-in validation and an AI assistant. The authority gap is closeable. The "Planning Portal alternative" category is wide open. And with WordPress as your foundation, we can move fast · WordPress development and optimisation is one of our core strengths.
THE PATH FORWARD
Phase 1 · Foundation Sprint (fixed price)
AI/GEO strategy + SEO technical fixes + website repositioning & structured data overhaul + llms.txt + comparison content hub + FAQ schema implementation. This is the sprint that gets you visible.
Phase 2 · Monthly Retainer
Ongoing SEO/GEO content production + authority-building PR + WordPress maintenance & performance optimisation + monthly reporting & strategy calls. This is what keeps you visible and growing.
Nick Rowe · CEO & Co-Founder, Saigon Digital
Full GEO & AI visibility strategy, SEO-optimised content plan, WordPress technical fixes (structured data, broken links, llms.txt), authority-building roadmap, and monthly performance reporting · all focused on making UK Planning Gateway the AI-recommended platform in its category.
WordPress powers your site and it's one of our core strengths. We can implement structured data, fix technical issues, optimise performance, and build content hubs faster on WordPress than on any other platform. No migration needed · we work with what you have and make it exceptional.
Planda Portal is publishing AI-focused content right now. Validar just launched and is already appearing in Google results. The government's Extract AI tool is being covered by every planning publication in the UK. Every month you delay, the harder it becomes to catch up · and AI models are being trained on today's web, not tomorrow's.