Capstone · Practitioner
Capstone: GEO Practitioner
The GEO Practitioner capstone is a 60-day GEO sprint: you set a baseline, run a focused set of technical, content and citation changes, then re-scan and report what changed. You'll submit a sprint plan, baseline and re-scan data, a citation gap analysis and a monthly report dashboard. The rubric rewards sound method and honest analysis; a positive result isn't required to pass.
What's the brief?
- Pick a scope. One brand, one priority topic and 30–50 prompts. A narrow scope gives clearer results.
- Run a baseline. Scan the prompts across at least 3 engines, ideally with repeat runs, in a MentionX free account. Record mention rate, citation rate, recommendation rate and share of voice versus competitors.
- Do a technical check. Confirm AI crawler access in robots.txt, firewall and CDN settings, rendering and server logs, using Technical GEO.
- Run a citation gap analysis. List the URLs engines cite for your prompts, then classify which ones mention you, which mention only competitors and which you could realistically influence.
- Write a 60-day sprint plan. Include 5–10 prioritised actions with owners, dates and the metric each should move.
- Execute and log. Record every change with its date so you can match it against results.
- Re-scan at day 60 with the same prompts, engines and method.
- Build a monthly report dashboard showing baseline versus re-scan, with confidence intervals or ranges where relevant.
What must you submit?
| Item | Contents |
|---|---|
| Sprint plan | Scope, prompt set, actions, owners, dates, target metrics |
| Baseline and re-scan data | Exports with dates, engines and run counts |
| Citation gap analysis | Cited URLs classified by influence and status |
| Change log | Every action with date and link |
| Report dashboard | Baseline vs re-scan, ranges, interpretation, next steps |
How is it scored?
| Criterion | Points | What earns full marks |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement design | 20 | Consistent method across both scans, repeat runs, competitors included |
| Technical audit | 15 | Crawler access verified with evidence (robots.txt, logs or tests) |
| Citation gap analysis | 20 | Sources classified, realistic targets chosen |
| Execution | 15 | Actions completed and logged with dates |
| Analysis and honesty | 20 | Change shown with ranges; noise and confounders discussed; no causal overclaiming |
| Reporting | 10 | Clear dashboard a stakeholder can read in two minutes |
| Total | 100 | Pass: 70 |
What does a strong report look like?
Illustrative example only; numbers are invented to show the format.
What are the common pitfalls?
- Changing the method between scans. Different prompts or engines make comparisons meaningless.
- Single runs. AI answers vary; use repeat runs to estimate noise.
- Too many changes. Ten actions at once make it hard to say what worked. Log everything and be modest.
- Causal claims. Say "coincided with", not "caused", unless you have a control.
- Ignoring zero results. A flat result with good analysis can still score well.
How should you plan the 60 days?
| Days | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1–7 | Scope, prompts, baseline, technical check |
| 8–14 | Citation gap analysis and sprint plan |
| 15–50 | Execute and log |
| 51–60 | Re-scan, analysis and dashboard |
Where can you get help?
Use Measuring AI Visibility and ROI for metrics and intervals, Earning AI Citations for the gap analysis and the citation gap analysis template and monthly reporting dashboard for structure.
Passing earns MentionX Certified: GEO Practitioner. Next, take the Lead AI Search Strategy path.
Questions
Why does it take 60 days?
AI answers change slowly and vary between runs. Sixty days gives changes time to be crawled and gives you enough repeat data to see a signal.
Do I need a paid tool?
No. A MentionX free account or a disciplined manual process is enough.
What if visibility doesn't improve?
You can still pass. The rubric rewards sound method and honest analysis, not a particular result.