Core concepts
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Prompt | A query sent to an AI model to simulate user search intent | ”best CRM for small business” |
| Prompt set | A group of related prompts tracked together | All “best X” prompts for your category |
| Model/platform | The AI system being queried (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) | Perplexity, ChatGPT |
| Brand mention | An occurrence of your brand name in an AI response | ”Pierview is great for tracking AI visibility” |
| Visibility | The share of responses that mention your brand | 8 of 10 responses mention you → 80% visibility |
| Sentiment | Tone of the mention: positive, neutral, or negative | ”Highly recommended” vs “mixed reviews” |
| Citation | A source URL or reference the AI includes in its answer | A link to your blog, G2, or a news article |
| Source | The domain or site behind a citation | g2.com, techcrunch.com, your-site.com |
| Used | How often a source is cited across responses | G2 appears in 7 of 10 answers → Used = 7 |
| Avg citations | Average number of citations per response for a given source | Source appears 2.3 times per response on average |
| Share of Answer | Your brand’s share of total mentions in a response (vs competitors) | You’re 3 of 5 brands mentioned → 60% share |
| Baseline | Your initial visibility/sentiment/citation metrics before changes | First scan = baseline for comparison |
| Scan | A single run of your prompts against AI models | Weekly scan across 20 prompts |
| Tracking period | The time window for a scan or comparison | Last 7 days, last 30 days |
Quick examples
- Prompt: “best AI visibility tools” — what users might type into an AI assistant.
- Visibility formula: — percentage of responses that include your brand.
- Citation rate: — how often your site is cited.
- Source gap: A domain AI frequently cites (e.g., a top publication) where you don’t yet appear — an opportunity for content or PR.
For the full glossary, see Glossary.