AI Visibility Dictionary
Clear, measurable definitions for AI search terminology—linked to Visus methodology and our 2026 benchmark.
Read the 2026 benchmark · Methodology
- AI visibility
AI visibility is the probability that a brand, product, or location appears inside AI-generated answers when people ask commercially relevan…
- Website AI readiness score
A website AI readiness score is a 0-100 index of how well a single web page gives automated systems clear, extractable, and trustworthy fact…
- Mention rate
Mention rate is the percentage of sampled AI answers, for your frozen question set, in which your brand is named.…
- Domain citation rate
Domain citation rate is the percentage of sampled AI answers that include a link to your website domain.…
- Answer alignment (matches your site)
Answer alignment (shown as “matches your site” in Visus) is whether a sampled AI answer is consistent with evidence extracted from your page…
- Query pack
A query pack is a frozen list of natural-language questions that mirror how customers ask AI assistants about your category, brand, or locat…
- Monthly AI citation check
A monthly AI citation check is a scheduled batch that asks your frozen query pack to a configured AI provider and stores mention, citation, …
- Entity clarity
Entity clarity is how unambiguously a page identifies the business entity: name, category, geography, and offer.…
- Compressibility
Compressibility is how easily an automated system can shorten your page into accurate bullets or spoken answers without untangling marketing…
- Corroboration
Corroboration is evidence outside your marketing copy—profiles, reviews, listings, press, or docs—that helps assistants cross-check your cla…
- Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of improving pages and entities so generative AI systems can retrieve, summarize, and c…
- Answer engine optimization (AEO)
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is optimizing for systems that respond with a single synthesized answer instead of ten links.…
- AI SEO
AI SEO is the overlap between traditional search optimization and work that helps large language models understand and reuse your content in…
- LLM discoverability
LLM discoverability is how reachable and parseable your business facts are to large language models and retrieval systems that ground answer…
- AI citation
An AI citation is when an AI answer includes your URL (or clearly attributes your site) as a source for a claim.…
- Brand mention (in AI answers)
A brand mention in AI answers is any explicit use of your business or product name in the generated text.…
- AI search optimization
AI search optimization is the umbrella of tactics that help your brand show up when users search inside AI assistants and answer engines.…
- AI answer presence
AI answer presence is whether your brand, product, or URL appears at all in an AI-generated answer for a given prompt.…
- AI visibility vs Google ranking
Google ranking measures position in search results for keywords; AI visibility measures whether assistants understand, mention, and cite you…
- Mention vs citation
A mention names your brand in the answer text; a citation links to your domain as a source.…
- AI recommendation
An AI recommendation is when an assistant presents your business as a suitable option for the user’s intent, often alongside alternatives.…
- AI visibility audit
An AI visibility audit evaluates one URL for signals that help AI systems extract facts, trust the page, and potentially cite it.…
- Citation tracking
Citation tracking is repeated measurement of whether AI answers include your domain, usually on a fixed schedule and question list.…
- Competitor mention (in AI answers)
A competitor mention is when an AI answer names another business in your category while omitting your brand.…
- AI visibility benchmark
An AI visibility benchmark is a structured study that scores many sites with the same rubric so teams can compare answer-readiness—not live …
- Factual anchors
Factual anchors are specific, checkable statements—hours, location, price bands, certifications—in normal sentences models can quote.…
- Trust surface
A trust surface is any verifiable path—reviews, profiles, author identity, policies, third-party listings—that supports claims on your marke…
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