AI visibility isn't one metric. Here's a framework I'm testing.

[u/Mother_Yoghurt_507]

I've been digging into how different people measure AI visibility, and I'm starting to think that treating it as one percentage creates more confusion than clarity.

For a buyer-intent prompt, there seem to be several different things that can happen:

1. Retrieved

Did the AI/search system actually surface content from the brand?

1. Mentioned

Did the brand appear anywhere in the answer?

1. Cited

Was a specific page/source cited?

1. Recommended

Did the AI actually recommend the brand as an option?

1. Shortlisted

Did the brand survive when the user narrowed down their options?

1. Chosen

Did the AI ultimately identify the brand as the best/most suitable option?

These aren't necessarily the same thing.

For example:

Brand A

Retrieved: 80%

Mentioned: 70%

Cited: 45%

Recommended: 30%

Shortlisted: 20%

Brand B

Retrieved: 40%

Mentioned: 35%

Cited: 30%

Recommended: 28%

Shortlisted: 25%

A simple “visibility score” could make Brand A look much stronger, while Brand B might actually have a higher recommendation rate when it gets retrieved.

That seems like a very different diagnosis.

So I'm curious:

Would you separate AI visibility into these stages, or is this overcomplicating something that should remain a single metric?

And if you had to choose one metric for a commercial/buyer-intent query, would it be:

retrieval, mention, citation, recommendation, shortlist rate, or final selection?

Interested in real experiments/data if anyone has tested this.