Technical Access Issues
AI crawlers are blocked from your site
If your site blocks AI crawlers (via robots.txt, rate limiting, or firewall rules), AI platforms can't index your content to include in responses. This is the most common reason brands appear in 0% of answers.
How to check
Review your robots.txt file and CDN/firewall settings for rules that block user agents like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot. If you see denials in your web server logs, that's the cause.
How to fix
Allowlist the AI crawlers you want to reach. Follow this guide to update your robots.txt and CDN rules.
Content Accessibility Problems
Your content is behind JavaScript rendering
Many AI crawlers cannot execute JavaScript, so if your page content only appears after JavaScript runs, crawlers see an empty or incomplete page.
Your key content is gated or password-protected
Login walls, paywalls, or region locks prevent crawlers from reaching the information AI platforms need.
How to diagnose
Use Scrunch's Site Audit tool to see what crawlers actually retrieve from your pages. If the audit shows blank or minimal content, you have an accessibility issue.
No Relevant Prompts or Competitive Saturation
Your brand isn't a natural answer to the prompts you're tracking
If the prompts in Scrunch don't align with what your brand actually offers, AI platforms will mention competitors instead. A 0% presence often means the prompt set needs refinement.
Competitors dominate the topic
In highly competitive categories, established brands with more authoritative content and backlinks appear first. A newer or less-cited brand may not break into the top results.
What to do
Review and refine your prompt list to match what your brand is known for. Track prompts where you have a genuine competitive position, not aspirational ones where you lack authority.
Insufficient Context Setup
AI platforms don't have enough structured context about your brand
If your site lacks clear, crawlable content explaining what you do, who you serve, and why you're relevant, AI models can't confidently include you in answers.
How to improve context
Use Scrunch's AI Context tab and Knowledge Studio to define and structure the information AI platforms need. Make sure your homepage and key landing pages clearly state your value proposition, offerings, and differentiators.
Data Collection Lag (New Brands)
If you just added prompts or enabled a brand in Scrunch, it can take 24-48 hours for the first AI responses to appear. A 0% presence immediately after setup is expected.
Wait two days, then check again. If you still see no mentions, the issue is one of the technical or content problems above.
Diagnosing the Root Cause
To identify which issue applies to your brand, run through this checklist in order:
Check if AI crawlers can access your site (allowlist them if they're blocked)
Run a Site Audit to confirm crawlers see your full content
Review your prompt list for relevance and competitive positioning
Strengthen your structured context in AI Context and Knowledge Studio
Most 0% presence cases resolve after fixing crawler access and improving on-page context.