AI Mentions
AI mentions are instances where your brand, product, or website is named or referenced in responses generated by artificial intelligence models.
TL;DR
Key Definition
An AI mention occurs each time an AI assistant cites your brand in a response. Tracking mentions helps understand how AI perceives and recommends your business.
Why It Matters
- Each mention is a conversion opportunity
- Mentions reflect your reputation in AI data
- Tracking allows quick problem detection
- Positive mentions reinforce prospect trust
- Understanding your mentions helps refine your GEO strategy
How It Works
AI mentions are generated when a language model deems it relevant to cite your brand in response to a user query.
Types of Mentions
Mentions can be direct (your brand name) or indirect (describing your product without naming it). They can be positive, neutral, or negative.
Mention Context
Context determines a mention's value. Being cited as 'best option' has more impact than being listed among ten alternatives.
Frequency and Consistency
A brand mentioned regularly and consistently benefits from better perception. Sporadic mentions have less impact.
How to Measure It
- Total number of mentions per period
- Distribution by AI platform
- Mention sentiment (positive/neutral/negative)
- Position in response (first mention vs last)
- Query types generating mentions
- Temporal evolution of mentions
Common Mistakes
- Counting only mentions without analyzing context
- Ignoring negative or critical mentions
- Not differentiating between AI platforms
- Forgetting to track competitor mentions
- Focusing on quantity rather than quality
Quick Checklist
Follow these steps to get started.
- Define brand name variants to track
- Identify key queries for your industry
- Test regularly on ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity
- Document each mention with its context
- Analyze the sentiment of each mention
- Compare with competitor mentions
- Create a monthly tracking report
Examples
Positive Mention
ChatGPT responds "For project management, Notion and Asana are leaders, but [Your SaaS] offers the best value for SMBs."
Contextual Mention
Perplexity cites your blog article as a source to explain a technical concept, generating qualified traffic to your site.