How are metrics calculated at LLM Pulse?
When AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI answer questions about topics in your industry, are they talking about you? Are they recommending you? And when they do mention you, is it in a good light?
LLM Pulse tracks three core metrics to measure your brand’s AI visibility: Mentions , Citations , and Sentiment. This guide explains what each metric means and how it’s calculated.
Quick Overview
| Metric | What It Measures | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mentions | When AI says your brand name | Brand awareness in AI responses |
| Citations | When AI returns your website as a visible or background source | Source visibility across AI platforms |
| Sentiment | How positively AI talks about you | Brand reputation in AI ecosystem |
Mentions
A mention occurs when your brand name appears in an AI’s response text.
Example
If someone asks “What are the best project management tools?” and the AI responds:
“Popular options include Asana, Monday.com, and Trello. Asana is particularly known for its timeline views…”
Asana, Monday.com, and Trello each received a mention.
How mentions are detected
- We search for your brand name and any alternative names you’ve configured (e.g., “Coca-Cola” and “Coke”)
- We use word-boundary matching to avoid false positives (“Apple” won’t match inside “Pineapple”)
- If your brand name only appears inside a URL, it counts as a citation, not a mention
Mention metrics in your dashboard
- Total mentions: Number of times your brand was mentioned
- Brand Visibility: Percentage of responses that mention you
- Mention position: The position for mentions in a specific prompt response
- Competitor comparison: How your mentions compare to competitors
Citations
A citation occurs when an AI returns your website as a visible link or background source reference.
Example
“For SEO guides, check out Moz (moz.com/learn/seo) and Ahrefs (ahrefs.com/blog).”
Both Moz and Ahrefs received citations here.
How citations are detected
- We extract visible links and background source references
- We match domains against your website and competitors
- We filter out images, favicons, and CDN links
- We track the position of visible citations (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
Why citation position matters
Average Citation Position shows where visible citations typically rank. Background citations have no visible position and are excluded from this metric.
| Position | Impact |
|---|---|
| 1st | Highest visibility and click likelihood |
| 2nd-3rd | Still prominent, good visibility |
| 4th+ | Lower visibility, may require scrolling |
Citation metrics in your dashboard
- Total citations: Number of AI responses that return your site as a visible or background source
- Citation rate: Percentage of tracked responses that cite you, including background sources
- Average position: Your typical ranking across visible citations
- Competitor comparison: How your citations compare to competitors
Sentiment
Sentiment measures the tone of how AI talks about your brand: positive, neutral, or negative.
You could have many mentions, but if they’re negative, that’s a problem. Sentiment helps you understand the quality of your visibility, not just the quantity.
Sentiment levels
| Level | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Very Positive | +1.0 | Enthusiastic recommendation, strong praise |
| Positive | +0.5 | Favorable mention, mild endorsement |
| Neutral | 0.0 | Factual, neither positive nor negative |
| Negative | -0.5 | Critical, mentions drawbacks |
| Very Negative | -1.0 | Strong criticism or warnings |
How sentiment is analyzed
We use AI to analyze AI responses. When your brand is mentioned or cited, our system sends the response to an advanced language model that evaluates:
- The overall tone toward your brand
- Specific praise or criticism
- Key topics discussed about you
This approach catches nuances that simple keyword analysis would miss. For example:
“While Brand X is the industry leader, many users find their pricing prohibitive.”
This is mixed: positive (industry leader) with negative elements (pricing criticism). Our analysis captures both aspects.
Sentiment metrics in your dashboard
- Sentiment distribution: Breakdown across all five levels
- Net sentiment: (Positive + Very Positive) minus (Negative + Very Negative)
- Sentiment trends: How perception changes over time
- Competitor comparison: Your sentiment vs. competitors
Brand Visibility Score
Your Brand Visibility Score combines mentions into a single percentage:
Brand Visibility Score = (Mentions ÷ Total Responses) × 100
A 45% visibility score means your brand appears in nearly half of all tracked queries relevant to your business.
Mention rate across AI models
Every prompt you track runs across all five AI models: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews. Your mention rate is calculated per model first, then combined, so a strong score on one model can hide a weak one on another.
The AI Model Insights view breaks this down for you. It shows your mention rate side by side for each model and a mention share donut so you can see which models drive most of your visibility and where you have room to grow.
Understanding metric combinations
| Scenario | What It Suggests |
|---|---|
| High mentions, low citations | AI knows your brand but doesn’t link to your site |
| High citations, low mentions | You’re used as a source but not recommended by name |
| High visibility, negative sentiment | You’re well-known but with reputation issues |
| Low visibility, positive sentiment | Good reputation with room to grow awareness |
Filtering your data
By AI Platform
Different platforms may show different results:
- ChatGPT: Conversational AI assistant
- Perplexity: Research-focused, citation-heavy
- Google AI Overview: AI summaries in search results
- Google AI Mode: Conversational search experience
By Geography & Language
Your visibility may vary by region. Filter by country and language to see regional performance.
By Time Period
Track daily, weekly, or monthly trends to measure progress and spot changes.
Benchmarks
Performance varies by industry, but here are general guidelines:
| Metric | Good | Great | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mention Rate | 20%+ | 40%+ | 60%+ |
| Citation Rate | 10%+ | 25%+ | 40%+ |
| Average Position | Top 5 | Top 3 | #1 |
| Net Sentiment | +20% | +40% | +60% |
Note: Compare yourself to competitors in your industry for the most meaningful benchmarks.
Improving your metrics
Low mentions?
- Create more content that AI models can learn from
- Get mentioned on authoritative industry sites
- Ensure consistent brand naming across the web
Low citations?
- Create comprehensive, authoritative resources
- Improve technical SEO for better discoverability
- Build topical authority in your niche
Poor citation position?
- Strengthen your expertise signals
- Create definitive guides that AI would reference first
- Build more high-quality backlinks
Negative sentiment?
- Review the specific criticisms in your dashboard
- Address legitimate concerns about your product or service
- Monitor for improvements after making changes