Understanding AI Visibility: Visibility, Citations, Mentions & Sentiment

Table of Contents
1. The Problem: One Metric Isn't Enough
2. What is AI Visibility?
3. What are AI Citations?
4. What are AI Mentions?
5. What is AI Sentiment?
6. Comparing the Four Metrics
7. How to Improve Visibility
8. How to Improve Citations
9. How to Improve Mentions
10. How to Improve Sentiment
11. Custom Mention Keywords
12. Getting Started

1. The Problem: One Metric Isn't Enough

When we first launched AI Visibility Analytics, we tracked a single metric: how often your website appeared in AI search results. But as AI systems evolved, we realized this was only part of the picture.

Modern AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity don't just search — they read, synthesize, and cite. Understanding the difference between these stages is crucial for optimizing your AI presence.

"Our website ranks well on Google, but when I ask ChatGPT about our industry, it never mentions our brand. What's going on?"

This is a common frustration. When ChatGPT performs a web search, your site might appear in the results it retrieves — but that doesn't mean it will visit your page. And even if it does visit, that doesn't guarantee it will mention your brand in its answer to the user. Each step represents a different level of AI engagement with your content.

That's why Ayzeo now tracks four distinct metrics:

• Visibility — Your brand appears in the AI's search results
• Citations — The AI actually visits your URL
• Mentions — Your brand is named in the AI's response
• Sentiment — How AI describes your brand (positive, neutral, or negative)

2. What is AI Visibility?

When a user asks an AI assistant a question, the AI often performs a web search behind the scenes. Visibility measures whether your website appears in those search results — essentially, whether the AI "sees" your content as a potential source.

What drives Visibility?

• SEO fundamentals — The same factors that help you rank in Google also help you appear in AI search results
• Domain authority — Established, trustworthy domains are more likely to appear
• Keyword relevance — Content that closely matches the user's query
• Fresh content — Recently updated pages often rank better

Visibility is the foundation. The more often you appear in AI search results, the more likely you are to be cited or mentioned. However, AI can also mention well-known brands from its training data even without a web search.

3. What are AI Citations?

Just because your URL appears in search results doesn't mean the AI will click on it. Citations measure when AI systems actually visit your page to extract information.

This is a crucial distinction. An AI might perform multiple searches and see dozens of URLs in its results, but only visit a handful of them before generating a response. Being in that select group means the AI considered your content valuable enough to examine closely.

What drives Citations?

• Compelling titles and meta descriptions — These help the AI decide which links to click
• Search result position — Higher-ranking results are more likely to be visited
• Relevance signals — URLs that closely match the query intent
• Content quality indicators — Structured data, authoritative domain

Citations indicate that AI systems trust your content enough to use it as a source.

4. What are AI Mentions?

This is the ultimate goal: having the AI actually name your brand when answering a user's question. Mentions represent the highest form of AI visibility because users see and hear your brand name directly.

For example, if a user asks "What's the best project management software?" and the AI responds "Some popular options include Asana, Monday.com, and Notion..." — those brands just received a mention.

What drives Mentions?

• Brand recognition — Well-known brands are more likely to be named
• Clear brand identity in content — Consistent use of your brand name
• Authoritative positioning — Being seen as a leader in your space
• Third-party validation — Reviews, comparisons, and mentions on other sites

Mentions are the gold standard. When AI names your brand, it drives awareness and consideration.

5. What is AI Sentiment?

Getting mentioned is great, but how you're mentioned matters just as much. Sentiment tracks whether AI portrays your brand in a positive, neutral, or negative light when it mentions you.

For example, if a user asks "What do people think about Company X?" the AI might respond:

• Positive: "Company X is widely praised for its excellent customer service and innovative features..."
• Neutral: "Company X offers project management software with various pricing tiers..."
• Negative: "Company X has faced criticism for reliability issues and slow support responses..."

What drives Sentiment?

• Customer reviews and testimonials — AI reads and synthesizes public reviews
• Media coverage — News articles and press mentions influence perception
• Third-party comparisons — How you're positioned against competitors
• Content quality — Well-written, helpful content creates positive associations
• Brand reputation — Historical perception from training data

Why Sentiment Matters: You might be mentioned frequently, but if those mentions are negative, they could hurt your brand. Tracking sentiment helps you identify reputation issues before they escalate.

6. Comparing the Four Metrics

How Mentions Actually Happen

Unlike a traditional funnel, AI mentions can come from multiple pathways—not just from citations:

Key insight: Mentions don't require citations. Well-known brands get mentioned from training data alone. For lesser-known brands, citations are crucial—when AI reads your content, it's more likely to reference you accurately.

High visibility but low citations? Work on making your content more compelling in search results. High citations but low mentions? Focus on brand positioning and authority building. Getting mentioned but with negative sentiment? Address the underlying issues affecting your reputation.

7. How to Improve Visibility

Visibility is driven by the same factors that help you rank in traditional search:

1. Optimize for relevant keywords — Ensure your content targets the queries your audience asks AI assistants
2. Build domain authority — Quality backlinks from authoritative sites signal trustworthiness
3. Create comprehensive content — Thorough, well-structured content is more likely to appear in search
4. Maintain technical SEO — Fast load times, proper indexing, structured data
5. Publish consistently — Fresh content signals an active, maintained resource

Use Ayzeo's SEO Analysis to identify technical issues that might be limiting your visibility.

8. How to Improve Citations

To move from visibility to citations, you need to stand out in search results:

1. Write compelling meta descriptions — These help AI decide which links are worth clicking
2. Use clear, descriptive titles — Match user intent with specific, accurate headlines
3. Rank higher in search results — AI systems are more likely to visit top-ranking pages
4. Structure content clearly — Use headers, lists, and clear formatting for easy AI parsing
5. Create llms.txt files — Help AI crawlers understand your site structure

Check Ayzeo's GEO Recommendations for specific optimization suggestions.

9. How to Improve Mentions

Getting AI to mention your brand by name requires building authority and recognition:

1. Be explicit about your brand — Ensure your brand name appears prominently in your content
2. Build brand recognition — The more well-known your brand, the more likely AI will name it
3. Get mentioned on other sites — Third-party reviews, comparisons, and mentions train AI to recognize your brand
4. Create comparison content — "Brand X vs Brand Y" articles often get cited with brand names
5. Position as an authority — Thought leadership content establishes you as a go-to source

10. How to Improve Sentiment

If AI is mentioning your brand but with negative or neutral sentiment, here's how to improve:

1. Address negative reviews — Respond to criticism on review sites and resolve customer complaints
2. Create positive content — Publish case studies, success stories, and customer testimonials
3. Improve your product/service — The best way to fix sentiment is to fix the underlying issues
4. Get positive press coverage — Earned media and PR can shift the narrative
5. Encourage customer advocacy — Happy customers who share their experiences improve overall perception
6. Monitor and respond quickly — Use Ayzeo's sentiment tracking to catch issues early

Pro tip: In Ayzeo's prompt analysis modal, you can see exactly which phrases AI used to describe your brand and whether they were positive, neutral, or negative. This helps you understand what's driving your sentiment score.

11. Custom Mention Keywords

Your brand isn't just your company name. You might want to track:

• Product names (e.g., "Ayzeo Pro", "Ayzeo Analytics")
• Brand variations (e.g., "AYZEO", "Ayzeo.com")
• Executive names (e.g., "John Smith, CEO")
• Proprietary terms (e.g., "GEO Score", "AI Visibility Rate")

Ayzeo now lets you define Custom Mention Keywords in your project settings. When AI mentions any of these terms in its response, it counts as a brand mention.

12. Getting Started

Ready to track all three metrics for your brand?

1. Create an Ayzeo account or log in
2. Subscribe to a plan to unlock AI Visibility tracking
3. Create a new project or select an existing one
4. Set up prompts that represent how users might search for your brand
5. Add custom mention keywords in Project Settings
6. View your dashboard to see Visibility, Citations, Mentions, and Sentiment

Key Takeaways

• Visibility is the foundation — optimize SEO to appear in AI search results
• Citations show AI trusts your content — make your listings compelling
• Mentions drive awareness — build brand authority and recognition
• Sentiment shapes perception — monitor how AI portrays your brand
• Track all four to understand the full picture of your AI presence
• Use custom keywords to track product names and brand variations

Related Articles

• 7 Strategies to Improve Your AI Chatbot Citations
• Track AI Visibility Across Your Owned Channels
• Measuring AI Traffic with Google Analytics
• Complete Guide to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)