# Design Positive AI visibility audit

> Design Positive (designpositive.co) was named in 0% of 127 answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity to buyer questions that did not mention it (95% range 0–3%, September 2026). The site AI linked most instead: elevationweb.org (12 citations).

- Audited site: https://designpositive.co
- Category: Creative Services
- Sampled: 2026-09-27
- Audit by: Ivan Karaman (https://ivankaraman.com)
- Full report: https://ivankaraman.com/audit/agencies/designpositive.co

## The numbers

- Unprompted mention rate: 0% of 127 answers (95% Wilson range 0–3%).
- Own site linked as a source: 0 of 127 answers.
- Sample quality: solid.

| Engine | Model | Named | Rate | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5.4-mini | 0 of 32 | 0% | 0–11% |
| Claude | claude-haiku-4.5 | 0 of 32 | 0% | 0–11% |
| Gemini | gemini-2.5-flash | 0 of 32 | 0% | 0–11% |
| Perplexity | sonar | 0 of 31 | 0% | 0–11% |

## The buyer questions asked

Each question was asked 4 times on every engine, with web search on. The business name was never in the question.

- "What branding agencies specialize in working with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations?"
- "Who can redesign our nonprofit's website to meet WCAG and ADA accessibility standards?"
- "Our annual report and donor materials look dated, who can help modernize them?"
- "Can you recommend a branding and web design studio in Austin, TX for nonprofits?"
- "How do I choose an accessible web design agency for a nonprofit on a limited budget?"
- "What is the best nonprofit branding agency for healthcare and sustainability organizations?"
- "Which design studios near Austin, Texas offer flat-fee retainers instead of hourly freelance work?"
- "Looking for a purpose-driven brand design studio to create our visual identity and guidelines"

## Who AI cited instead

| Site | Type | Times linked |
|---|---|---|
| clutch.co | Review site | 32 |
| designrush.com | Review site | 16 |
| brandingforhumanity.com | Other source | 15 |
| withstudio.co | Other source | 14 |
| precious.studio | Other source | 14 |
| bbmg.com | Other source | 13 |
| elevationweb.org | Competitor | 12 |
| fireantstudio.com | Other source | 12 |
| abravenew.com | Other source | 12 |
| ryderking.co | Other source | 12 |
| mindfulandgood.com | Other source | 12 |
| morweb.org | Other source | 11 |

- **Clutch**: Nonprofit-filtered rankings with verified reviews, project cost, and hourly rates. Cited 32 times because recommendation prompts resolve to this comparison layer.
- **Elevation**: Nonprofit-only agency with an explicit WCAG 2.2 AA service page, CPACC claim, and presence in both Google and AI results for these prompts.
- **Fifty & Fifty**: Positions as the top nonprofit branding agency and publishes listicles that name WCAG and AI readability, the exact answer shape engines cite.

## Diagnosis

Design Positive has a well-regarded track record, working with purpose-driven clients like the HealthWell Foundation since 2007. However, that reputation does not translate to AI discovery. In 127 unprompted tests for nonprofit web design and branding services, Design Positive appeared 0 times (0.0% mention rate, CI: 0.0% - 2.9%).

The public web knows Taylor Martin's studio through podcasts and a 2025 MasonMade founder profile, but that footprint is remarkably thin where it counts. AI engines answering buyer prompts cite comparison directories like Clutch (32 citations) and DesignRush (16 citations), or competitors like Elevation who publish explicit WCAG 2.2 AA service pages. A VerifiedNode audit accurately scores your current directory footprint as 'Critical - Almost invisible'.

The underlying cause is technical and content-based. The designpositive.co sitemap has a median age of 620 days with zero updates in the last 90 days. PageSpeed sits at 74 on WordPress, undercutting the studio's accessibility narrative, and the site lacks an llms.txt file or robust Organization/Service schema. AI tools cannot cite what they cannot confidently parse. To turn your real-world expertise into AI recommendations, you need a verified Clutch profile and a fresh, crawlable service page that definitively outlines your WCAG commitment and nonprofit focus.

## Technical readiness

- AI crawlers can read the site: OK. No AI crawler is blocked in robots.txt.
- llms.txt: Missing. None yet. A plain summary of what you do, written for AI readers.
- Sitemap: OK. 24 URLs listed across 2 sitemaps.
- Structured data (JSON-LD): Weak. Only WebPage, BreadcrumbList, WebSite. Nothing says what you sell or answer.
- Homepage description: OK. Set.
- agents.md: Note. Optional. Very few sites have one yet.

## What people say

- "Design Positive not only created a great new website for my organization, but they were a pleasure to work with every step of the way." (Chamber of Commerce / Google reviews, https://www.chamberofcommerce.com/business-directory/texas/austin/design-agency/2013240575-design-positive)
- "As someone also in the industry it's so refreshing to see an agency that not only values – but emphasizes AND practices – accessibility and sustainability in design!" (Alignable, https://www.alignable.com/austin-tx/design-positive)
- "Critical - Almost invisible" (VerifiedNode, https://www.verifiednode.com/audit/texas/austin/design-positive)
- "we've been trying to redesign our website for a couple of years now and you think you know it's like the cobbler has no shoes" (EveryWord Media interview, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEjD83PbRg)
- "Do you have a commitment to building accessible web sites? Do nonprofits get complete control of the web sites you create, so that they don't have to rely on you for adding new pages or editing pages later?" (r/Nonprofit_Marketing, https://www.reddit.com/r/Nonprofit_Marketing/comments/sdzf9l/hello_fellow_nonprofits/)
- "A site those tools can't read is invisible to a growing share of the people who would have found you." (Fifty & Fifty blog, https://www.fiftyandfifty.org/blog/what-makes-a-good-nonprofit-website)

## Questions and answers

**Do AI search engines recommend Design Positive?**

In 127 answers from Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity to buyer questions from people looking for a nonprofit branding & accessible web design studio (Sep 2026), Design Positive was mentioned in 0% of them (95% confidence interval 0%–3%).

**Does any AI engine mention Design Positive?**

Not in this sample. Gemini: 0 of 32 answers (CI up to 11%). ChatGPT: 0 of 32 answers (CI up to 11%). Claude: 0 of 32 answers (CI up to 11%). Perplexity: 0 of 31 answers (CI up to 11%).

**Which websites do AI engines cite when buyers look for a nonprofit branding & accessible web design studio?**

Most cited instead of Design Positive: clutch.co, designrush.com, brandingforhumanity.com, withstudio.co, precious.studio. Design Positive's own site was cited in 0 of 127 answers.

**What do AI engines say about Design Positive when asked by name?**

Asked directly about Design Positive by name, the engines named it in 84% of answers (CI 67%–93%). This is a separate measure from unprompted discovery above.

**How was this AI visibility audit measured?**

Each buyer-intent prompt was asked 4 times on each engine with live web search; an answer counts as a mention when it names Design Positive, and as a citation when it links the brand's own site. Rates carry 95% Wilson confidence intervals.

**Does AI recommend Design Positive for nonprofit accessible web design?**

No. Across 127 unprompted searches, Design Positive was recommended 0 times (0.0% mention rate, CI: 0.0% - 2.9%). AI engines point buyers to competitors like Elevation or directories like Clutch.

**Why is Design Positive invisible to AI search engines?**

The agency lacks a strong presence on cited directories like Clutch (32 citations) and its website lacks llms.txt and robust Organization schema, preventing AI from confidently comparing them.

## Method

127 answers: 8 buyer questions × 4 samples × 4 engines, sampled through the engines' APIs with web search on (ChatGPT: gpt-5.4-mini, Claude: claude-haiku-4.5, Gemini: gemini-2.5-flash, Perplexity: sonar). A "mention" is the business named in the answer text; a "citation" is its own URL linked as a source. The two are counted separately. Rates carry 95% Wilson score confidence intervals. Reviewed by hand before publishing.

Source: https://ivankaraman.com/audit/agencies/designpositive.co