The MAPS Method
The MAPS Method Audit

Where is your constraint?

Start with the five-minute grid, then score each of the 24 statements from 0 to 4. This is a directional baseline, not a scientific benchmark. The purpose is to identify where the next hour, or the next quarter's budget, is more likely to matter. Each statement is tagged with the reader it checks: peoplemarketmachine

Five-minute version

Four questions. Three readers. Green, amber or red.

Score each cell. The grid shows the constraint twice: which letter, and for whom. Then run the full 24 statements below to confirm it.

The questionPeopleMarketsMachines
M Could a customer describe us in our sentence?
A Who else says we’re good, and can a buyer try it?
P Are we on every channel our buyers use, often enough to be remembered?
S Can every surface be read, and is it one source of truth?

Click a cell to score it. Stored only in this browser.

Meaning · makes you understood · 0/24
peopleOur ICPs are defined with the need, trigger and disqualifiers, and sales, marketing and product use the same definitions.
peopleWe have a message architecture and vocabulary, and the brand is described the same way in our decks, ads, site and support replies.
marketOur category, offering and audience are stated explicitly on key pages.
machineWe have a defined prompt universe mapped to audiences and journey stages.
machineThe important relationships between brand, products, people, topics and markets are clear.
machineAI systems generally describe the brand accurately and without entity confusion.
Authority · makes you trusted · 0/24
peopleA buyer can try or experience our core claim before committing, and that path is designed, not accidental.
peopleSatisfied customers recommend us without being asked, and we can show referral or advocacy as a share of new business.
marketPriority claims are backed by specific first-party evidence and documented outcomes.
marketRelevant experts, authors and reviewers are visible and credibly represented.
machineIndependent sources corroborate the category, capabilities and reputation we want associated with the brand.
marketWe know which authority gaps separate us from stronger competitors.
Presence · makes you found · 0/24
peopleFor each ICP we know which channels they use and we are present in them with the proof message they need.
peopleOur paid and earned media carry a message-architecture claim and its proof, not only the logo.
machineWe are visible across the core and fan-out searches that surround priority prompts.
marketWe appear in the third-party source environments our audience and AI systems use.
marketWe have mapped competitor source gaps and chosen which ones are strategically worth closing.
marketPresence has been assessed by market, platform and source type where those differences matter.
Signals · makes you usable · 0/24
peopleEvery team member and agency can find the approved facts, messages and assets in one place, and uses them.
marketEvery surface that uses our facts, offers or assets (feeds, marketplaces, agents, voice, screens, media systems) draws from a current source of truth.
machinePriority pages are crawlable, indexable, render correctly and are internally discoverable.
machinePages use clear structure, explicit entities and extractable answer and evidence blocks.
machineStructured data and entity identifiers reinforce facts that are already correct on the page.
machineAuthorship, dates, provenance and transactional facts are sufficiently clear for verification and use.

0 = missing, 1 = weak or inconsistent, 2 = present but incomplete, 3 = strong, 4 = defensible and consistently maintained.

0 of 24 answeredResults
Interpret the result

The total score matters less than the shape.

Meaning

If this is weak, define ICPs, needs, message architecture, prompt universe and relationships before spending on distribution.

Authority

If this is weak, build proof, trial and advocacy. More reach will not compensate for weak evidence.

Presence

If this is weak, map where each ICP looks and the sources systems consult, then close the gaps that matter.

Signals

If this is weak, remove the friction between the proof you already have and the people and machines that need to use it.

One reader weak across pillars

That is the second constraint. A brand strong for machines and weak for people has an AI-visibility program, not a marketing one. A brand strong for people and weak for machines is invisible to the systems that now answer on its behalf.

Need a deeper MAPS audit?

The full version adds prompt baselines, competitor source and channel analysis, entity and fact reconciliation, a surface inventory and an implementation backlog.

Talk to GrantDownload the checklist (CSV)