--- title: "Prime AI Visibility metrics & methodology" slug: "metrics" canonical_path: "/metrics" meta_title: "AI Visibility Metrics & Methodology | Prime AI Visibility" meta_description: "Prime AI Visibility metrics explained: Visible in AI answers, Brand named, Website cited, Source links and the 0-100 AI Visibility Score. Full methodology." h1: "AI Visibility Metrics That Keep the Evidence Separate" date: "2026-09-19" last_updated: "2026-09-25" --- # AI Visibility Metrics That Keep the Evidence Separate Prime AI records the answers returned for the questions and AI tools you choose. It reports Visible in AI answers, Brand named, Website cited, Source links, Explicit recommendation, Comparable change, and a 0–100 Prime AI Visibility Score. These are observations from a defined check, not rankings, forecasts, or proof that one action caused a change. ## Reporting vocabulary ### Visible in AI answers Answers that name the brand, cite its website, or do both. Each answer counts once. ### Brand named Answers that explicitly name the brand or an approved name variant. ### Website cited Answers containing at least one qualifying link to a tracked brand website. ### Source links Individual citation links. Multiple links in one answer do not mean multiple visible answers, and a link is observed evidence rather than proof of a model's hidden reasoning. ### Explicit recommendation An answer clearly recommends the brand. Naming or citing alone does not establish a recommendation. ### Comparable change A comparison using a sufficiently aligned question set, tools, persona, market, and measurement method. Prime AI reports observed gains, losses, and recoveries without claiming that a content edit caused them. ## Prime AI Visibility Score The Prime AI Visibility Score is a 0–100 summary of observed visibility across the requested check scope. It considers saved brand and website evidence, competitor context, and completeness. Missing requested answers cannot improve the score. Prime AI does not publish its internal weights or private reach thresholds, and the score is not a universal AI ranking. ## Read the evidence in scope Reports identify the questions, tools, market, time period, requested answers, returned answers, usable answers, and missing answers. Percentages use their stated denominator. A score may be unavailable or provisional when evidence is insufficient. **Illustrative example:** 12 of 14 answers cited your website. None named the brand in the answer text. Your site was visible in 12 of 14 answers. A website citation counts as visibility even when the answer does not spell out the brand name. ## Tools and cadence Prime AI supports ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and an AI Overview-style preview using Google-grounded answers. The Google option is not a capture or exact reproduction of the live Google Search AI Overview panel. API-based observations can differ from a person's consumer-app experience. Monthly checks are the default for active saved questions and plan-supported tools. Weekly or temporary daily schedules are optional in Settings. You can also run an on-demand check; scheduled and on-demand checks use credits. ## What Prime AI does not report - **Rank.** Generated answers do not provide a stable universal rank. - **AI traffic estimates.** Prime AI does not turn answer observations into unsupported click estimates. - **Forecasts.** Predictor goals and opportunity labels are planning aids, not predictions of rankings, citations, traffic, revenue, or time to win. - **Causal attribution.** A change between checks does not prove that a particular edit caused it. ## Methodology notes - You choose the questions and plan-supported tools for a check; provider availability, plan limits, and credits apply. - Prime AI preserves requested scope, saved answers, and completion or partial status. - Approved brand-name variants are normalized for Brand named reporting. - Qualifying links to tracked brand websites support Website cited reporting. - Similar checks should be compared over time because AI answers can vary. Sign up at [app.primeaivisibility.com/sign-up](https://app.primeaivisibility.com/sign-up). ## Frequently asked questions **What is the Prime AI Visibility Score?** It is a 0–100 summary of observed visibility across the requested check scope, considering saved brand and website evidence, competitor context, and completeness; it is not a universal ranking, and Prime AI does not publish its internal weights. **What does Visible in AI answers mean?** It counts answers that name the brand, cite its website, or do both, with each answer counted once. **Are Brand named and Website cited the same thing?** No. Brand named requires the answer text to use the brand or an approved variant, while Website cited requires a qualifying link to a tracked brand website; either can make an answer visible. **Does a citation mean the AI recommends my brand?** No. An Explicit recommendation requires clear recommendation language; a brand name or website citation alone is not an endorsement. **How often does Prime AI check my questions?** Monthly checks are the default, with optional weekly or temporary daily schedules in Settings and on-demand checks when needed; scheduled and on-demand checks use credits. **How should I compare results over time?** Use Comparable change: align the question set, tools, persona, market, and measurement method, then review the saved evidence and any missing answers before interpreting movement. **Does Prime AI track the live Google AI Overview panel?** No. Prime AI's Google option is an AI Overview-style preview using Google-grounded answers, not a capture or exact reproduction of the live Google Search panel.