Key Metrics Explained

Understanding Your Metrics

The platform tracks three core metrics that together paint a complete picture of your AI visibility.

Appearance Rate

What It Measures

Appearance rate shows how often AI platforms mention your brand when responding to your tracked prompts.

Formula:

Appearance Rate = (Prompts with brand mention / Total active prompts) x 100

Example

If you track 50 prompts and your brand appears in AI responses for 20 of them:

• Appearance Rate = (20 / 50) x 100 = 40%

Interpreting Appearance Rate

Factors That Affect Appearance Rate

Increases appearance rate:

• Strong content on topics AI references
• Mentions on authoritative sources AI cites
• Clear brand positioning in your niche
• Comprehensive coverage of your industry

Decreases appearance rate:

• Thin or outdated content
• Low authority in AI training data
• Strong competitor presence
• Prompts outside your expertise area

Average Position

What It Measures

When your brand does appear, average position shows where you're mentioned in the AI's response - first, third, fifth, etc.

How It Works

AI platforms often list multiple brands when answering questions like "What are the best CRM tools?"

Example AI response:

1. Salesforce - Enterprise-grade CRM... (Position 1)
2. HubSpot - Great for growing businesses... (Position 2)
3. Pipedrive - Sales-focused CRM... (Position 3)

If Pipedrive is mentioned across 10 prompts at positions 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4, 3, 1:

• Average Position = (3+2+4+3+5+2+3+4+3+1) / 10 = 3.0

Interpreting Average Position

Why Position Matters

Users tend to:

• Focus on the first 2-3 recommendations
• Trust brands mentioned earlier
• Skip brands buried at position 5+

Being mentioned is good. Being mentioned first is better.

Visibility Score

What It Measures

Visibility score is a combined metric (0-100) that weighs both appearance rate and average position to give you one number representing overall AI visibility health.

How It's Calculated

The score combines:

• How often you appear (appearance rate)
• Where you appear (average position)
• Weighted by prompt importance

Higher appearance rate + better positions = higher visibility score.

Interpreting Visibility Score

Using Visibility Score

The score is best used for:

• Tracking progress over time
• Comparing against competitors
• Prioritizing improvement efforts

Don't obsess over the exact number - focus on the trend.

Metrics in Context

Compare to Competitors

Raw numbers mean little without context. A 40% appearance rate might be:

• Excellent if competitors average 20%
• Concerning if competitors average 70%

Always review metrics alongside competitor data in your report.

Consider Your Industry

Some industries have:

• Higher competition (lower typical scores)
• More established players (harder to break in)
• Rapidly changing landscapes (more volatility)

Track Trends, Not Snapshots

A single day's metrics can fluctuate. Focus on:

• Week-over-week trends
• Month-over-month progress
• Correlation with your content/PR efforts

Improving Your Metrics

To Increase Appearance Rate

1. Create content AI platforms reference
2. Get mentioned on sources AI cites
3. Build topical authority
4. Target gaps where competitors appear

To Improve Position

1. Strengthen your unique value proposition
2. Earn more high-authority mentions
3. Create more comprehensive content
4. Build brand recognition in your niche

To Boost Visibility Score

Focus on prompts where you:

• Don't appear (but should)
• Appear but in low positions
• Have strong competitor presence

Use the Content Plan and Link Building Plan for specific actions.

Next Steps

• Understanding Daily Trends
• Citation Details Explained