Answer Share

Extended definition

Answer Share measures how frequently your brand appears anywhere within AI-generated responses, regardless of whether you receive formal citation credit. This broader metric captures brand mentions, indirect references, examples using your company, and situations where your ideas are discussed without explicit attribution. Answer Share typically runs higher than Citation Share because it includes all forms of visibility, not just formal source citations.

Why this matters for AI search visibility

Even without citations, appearing in AI answers builds brand awareness and shapes perception. When prospects repeatedly see your brand mentioned in AI responses, it creates familiarity and implied authority. Answer Share also reveals content usage patterns: if your Answer Share significantly exceeds your Citation Share, it suggests AI engines are learning from your content but not attributing it properly—a signal to strengthen your entity signals and structured data.

Practical examples

• A project management tool appears in 58% of answers about task management but only receives citations in 22%
• A thought leader's name is mentioned in 34% of AI answers about their specialty, establishing personal brand authority
• A company's methodology is referenced in 41% of answers but attributed correctly in only 18%, indicating entity misattribution