The old playbook
For years, SEO teams lived and died by a handful of metrics: keyword position, organic traffic, domain authority, and click-through rate. These are still useful—but they no longer tell the full story.
What AI mentions measure
Mention share is the percentage of AI-generated answers in your category that reference your brand. It’s the AI-era equivalent of share of voice.
Sentiment captures whether the assistant frames your brand positively, neutrally, or negatively. A mention that says “Brand X is a budget option” is very different from “Brand X is the leading choice for enterprises.”
Recommendation placement tracks whether your brand appears as a top recommendation or is buried in a list of alternatives.
Benchmarks to start with
| Metric | Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mention share | < 5% | 5–15% | > 15% |
| Positive sentiment | < 50% | 50–75% | > 75% |
| Top-3 recommendation | < 10% | 10–30% | > 30% |
How to improve your numbers
Start by identifying which assistants and queries matter most for your category. Then create content that directly addresses those queries with authoritative, specific answers. Track weekly, adjust monthly, and you’ll see mention share climb within a quarter.