AI Visibility Report Metrics Explained

An AI visibility report is useful only when its metrics can be traced back to real prompts and answers. Start with the evidence, not the headline number.

Mention rate

Mention rate is the share of valid monitored answers that contain the brand. It answers “Did the model include us?” but not “Did the model prefer us?”

A mention can be neutral, negative, or incidental. Open the response to understand the context.

Recommendation rate

A recommendation requires stronger language: the assistant presents the brand as a suitable option for the user's need. A brand may have a high mention rate but a low recommendation rate when its category is understood but its advantages are not persuasive.

Position and list rank

Earlier placement can matter in list-style answers, but prose answers do not always have a meaningful rank. Use position as supporting context rather than an absolute search ranking.

Competitor presence

Competitor counts reveal which alternatives occupy the same answers. Inspect the reasons they are recommended: stronger proof, clearer use cases, broader recognition, or citations from trusted sources. A discovered brand is not automatically a direct competitor, so confirm it before adding it to the project.

Citations

When a model returns sources, Dottly AI records the available URLs and domains. Citations show which pages help shape the answer. No recorded citation can also mean that the provider or model did not expose source data; it should not always be read as “the model used no sources.”

Trends

Compare equivalent runs over time. A small sample can move sharply after one answer changes, so consider the denominator and read the changed responses. Prompt edits, model changes, and temporary provider behavior can all affect a trend.

The strongest workflow is simple: find a repeated gap, inspect the supporting answers and sources, make a verifiable improvement, then observe future runs under the same conditions.

Investigate the next layer

The Dottly AI report documentation explains how to inspect prompt-level evidence. Learn how to separate signal from AI visibility fluctuations, turn repeated brand displacement into a GEO competitor analysis, and investigate AI search citation gaps.