AEO Jargon Explained: The 4 Metrics That Actually Matter

AEO tools throw around jargon. "AI Visibility Score." "Citation Share." "Share of Voice."

But what do they actually mean? And why should you care?

Here's the truth: four metrics matter. The rest is noise.

Learn these four. Track these four. Optimize for these four. Ignore everything else.

The problem with AEO jargon

Most companies track the wrong things. They obsess over rankings. They count mentions. They miss the big picture.

Old SEO: rank #1, get clicks, measure traffic.

New AEO: appear in answers, get cited, measure visibility.

Different game. Different metrics. Different strategy.

These four metrics tell you everything you need to know.

Metric #1: AI Visibility Score

How often do you show up?

This is your main metric. It measures frequency. It shows reach. It reveals opportunity.

The formula

Visibility = (Number of answers mentioning your brand ÷ Total answers tested) × 100

Simple. Clear. Falsifiable.

Example

Test 20 prompts. Your brand appears in 8 answers.

Visibility = 8 ÷ 20 × 100 = 40%

That's your score. That's your baseline. That's what you improve.

SEO equivalent: Impression share

In SEO, this is impression share. How often your site appears in search results for your target keywords.

Old SEO: Track rankings for 100 keywords. Appear in top 10 for 40 keywords. Impression share = 40%.

New AEO: Track 20 prompts. Appear in 8 answers. Visibility Score = 40%.

Same concept. Different platform. Different measurement.

SEO measures search results. AEO measures AI answers. Both measure visibility.

Why it matters

Low visibility = low awareness. High visibility = high awareness.

If your visibility is 10%, you're invisible. If it's 80%, you're dominant.

Track this weekly. Improve this monthly. This is your north star.

Metric #2: Brand Mentions

What it measures: Every time AI says your brand name in an answer.

Not citations. Not links. Mentions. Your brand name in the text.

Why it matters

More mentions = more visibility. Position matters but presence matters more.

Users see your brand repeatedly across queries. They remember it. They trust it.

Example: ChatGPT mentions "Stripe" 47 times across 100 payment queries.

That's 47 opportunities. That's 47 impressions. That's 47 chances to convert.

SEO equivalent: Branded search volume

In SEO, this is branded search volume. How many people search for your brand name.

Old SEO: Track "Stripe" searches. 50,000 monthly searches. High brand awareness.

New AEO: Track "Stripe" mentions. 47 mentions in 100 queries. High brand visibility.

Same concept. Different platform. Different measurement.

SEO measures search intent. AEO measures answer presence. Both measure brand awareness.

The reality check

No mention = you don't exist. Competitors are probably stealing your revenue.

If AI never says your brand name, users never see it. If users never see it, they never buy it.

Track mentions weekly. Increase mentions monthly. This is your awareness metric.

Metric #3: Citation Share

How often is YOUR content the source?

This measures authority. This measures trust. This measures control.

The formula

Citation Share = (Answers citing your content ÷ Total answers tracked) × 100

Simple. Clear. Falsifiable.

Why track this

Branded queries: You want YOUR site as the source. Most accurate. Controlled messaging.

Non-branded queries: Your content influences AI's answers. You shape the narrative.

Authority: AI trusts your content enough to reference it. That's credibility.

Control: You control the narrative by being the source. That's power.

SEO equivalent: Backlink share

In SEO, this is backlink share. How often your site is linked as the source.

Old SEO: Track backlinks for 100 keywords. Your site linked 30 times. Backlink share = 30%.

New AEO: Track citations for 100 prompts. Your site cited 30 times. Citation Share = 30%.

Same concept. Different platform. Different measurement.

SEO measures link authority. AEO measures citation authority. Both measure credibility.

Example

Query: "Best payment processing tools"

AI answer mentions Stripe, Square, PayPal. Cites Stripe.com as source.

That's a citation. That's authority. That's control.

Track citations weekly. Increase citations monthly. This is your authority metric.

Metric #4: Share of Voice

Who owns the market?

This measures your position relative to competitors. This shows your market share. This reveals your competitive strength.

What it measures

Your visibility percentage compared to all competitors combined in AI answers.

Example: Test 100 prompts. Your brand appears in 20. Competitors appear in 80.

Your share of voice = 20%. Competitors' share = 80%.

That's your market position. That's your competitive reality.

Reality check

If your share of voice is below 10%, you are virtually invisible in your market and to AI platforms.

Below 10% = irrelevant. 10-30% = competitive. Above 30% = dominant.

Know your real competitive position. Don't guess. Measure.

SEO equivalent: Market share of search results

In SEO, this is market share of search results. How often you appear vs competitors.

Old SEO: Track SERP features for 100 keywords. You own 20 features. Competitors own 80. Your share = 20%.

New AEO: Track AI answers for 100 prompts. You appear in 20. Competitors appear in 80. Your share = 20%.

Same concept. Different platform. Different measurement.

SEO measures SERP dominance. AEO measures answer dominance. Both measure market share.

Why it matters

Low share of voice = low market presence. High share of voice = high market presence.

If competitors own 90% of answers, they own 90% of visibility. If they own visibility, they own customers.

Track share of voice monthly. Increase share of voice quarterly. This is your competitive metric.

How to track all four metrics

Track these weekly. Record in a spreadsheet. Analyze monthly.

Your spreadsheet should have:

• Date: When you tested
• Prompts tested: Total number
• Brand mentions: How many times you appeared
• Citations: How many times you were cited
• Competitor mentions: How many times competitors appeared
• AI Visibility Score: (Mentions ÷ Prompts) × 100
• Citation Share: (Citations ÷ Prompts) × 100
• Share of Voice: (Your mentions ÷ Total mentions) × 100

Track consistently. Measure accurately. Improve systematically.

The old way vs. the new way

Old SEO: Track rankings → measure traffic → optimize keywords → hope for clicks.

New AEO: Track visibility → measure mentions → optimize content → get cited.

Different metrics. Different goals. Different strategy.

These four metrics bridge the gap. They show you what works. They guide your optimization.

Which metric matters most?

All four matter. But start with AI Visibility Score.

If you're not visible, nothing else matters. If you're visible, everything else follows.

Track Visibility Score first. Then Brand Mentions. Then Citation Share. Then Share of Voice.

One metric at a time. One improvement at a time. One win at a time.