Mention rate

Mention rate is the share of sampled AI answers in which a company is named, whether or not a page is linked. It is measured the same way as citation rate: a fixed prompt set, several runs per prompt in logged-out sessions, per engine, with the spread across runs shown.

What counts as a mention

The company or site is named in the answer text, in any form that unambiguously refers to it. A mention can be positive, neutral or wrong; we score accuracy separately, as correct, partly correct or wrong against the company’s own stated facts.

Why it matters on its own

For category prompts (“who are the best SEO consultants for B2B exporters?”) a mention is the outcome that matters: the company made the shortlist. A citation without a mention is common for informational prompts, where a page is used as evidence without the company being recommended.

Reading the number

A mention rate of 2 out of 3 runs on one prompt is not evidence of anything on its own. We report by prompt group (category, comparison, problem, brand) and by engine, and we treat movement inside the run-to-run spread as noise. The Lab shows the method and the first results.