HandBuiltBrands Assessment Timeline

Four phases. Five checkpoints. AI visibility tracking live by end of Week 1.

Our Search and AI Visibility Assessment runs three weeks. The AI visibility tracker is the longest-lead item in the engagement, so everything it needs gets front-loaded into the first few days. That lets the tracker go live by the end of Week 1 and accumulate two full weeks of signal before the final presentation.

Phase 1 - Foundation
Phase 2 - Research and Audit
Phase 3 - Analysis and Baselines
Phase 4 - Synthesis and Delivery
Client checkpoint
↞ Depends on earlier work
Workstream
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Early
Late
Early
Late
Early
Late
Phase 1 Foundation
01 Access and Account Provisioning
Gather access
02 Stakeholder, Audience, and Product Inputs
Context, segments, catalog
03 Foundation Document and Voice/Style Guide
Draft, iterate, reconcile02
Phase 2 Research and Audit
04 Competitive Landscape Research
Named + search + AI competitors
05 Keyword Research
Themes, volumes, SERPs01 02 04
06 Search Console and Analytics Baseline
16-mo GSC + 12-mo GA401
Checkpoint 1
Inputs review
07 Current Website Audit
Crawl, IA, tech SEO, depth
08 Competitor Site and Content Analysis
Taxonomies, gaps, schema04
09 Local Search and Google Business Profile
GBP, citations, local pack
10 Google Ads Account Audit
Structure, spend, conversions01
Phase 3 Analysis and Baselines
11 AI Prompt Drafting
Buyer-language prompts02 05 06
Checkpoint 2
AI prompts approved, tracker live
12 AI Visibility Tracker and Signal
Live, accumulating signal, analyzing11
Checkpoint 3
Foundation + Voice review
13 Future State Site Map and Recs
Content briefs, architecture05 08
14 Technical SEO and Tracking Validation
GTM, GA4, Ads, pixel checks
Checkpoint 4
Site map review
Phase 4 Synthesis and Delivery
15 Deliverable Assembly
Reports, maps, recommendations12 13
Checkpoint 5
Final presentation

Why Early Week 1 is the most intense stretch of the engagement

AI visibility tracking takes time to produce meaningful signal. To give the tracker as much runway as possible, every input it needs gets resolved in the first few days. That chain is the backbone of the whole timeline - if any piece slips, the tracker launches late and the signal window compresses.

Critical path
Access + stakeholder + audience + product (Early W1) → Keyword research + GSC data (Early W1) → AI prompt drafting (Late W1) → CP2 approval + tracker live (Late W1) → Two-week signal window through Week 3
Content chain
Stakeholder + audience + product inputs (Early W1) → Foundation Document and Voice Guide drafts (ongoing) → CP3 approval (Early W2) → Content briefs for future site
Site map chain
Keyword themes locked (CP1) → Competitor architecture mapped (Early W2) → Future state site map (Late W2) → CP4 site map review
Ads chain
Google Ads access (Early W1) → Account audit (Late W1 - Early W2) → Keyword themes locked (CP1) → Proposed restructure (Late W2 - Week 3)

See what a three-week assessment would uncover for your business

A 30-minute conversation is usually enough to know whether this is the right next step. We'll tell you either way.

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