Glossary
Recommendation Rate
Recommendation rate is the percentage of measured AI responses that actively suggest a brand as an option for the user’s stated need. It should be calculated from a fixed prompt set and distinguished from mentions or citations, which do not necessarily indicate endorsement.
In plain terms
It measures how often AI tells a buyer to consider your brand.
Why it matters
This is the visibility metric closest to shortlist formation, but only when the prompt set reflects genuine buying decisions.
How to apply it
- Define what language qualifies as a recommendation.
- Score repeated runs against a locked prompt set.
- Compare the rate with named competitors by buying stage.
Example
A vendor is explicitly suggested in 12 of 30 shortlist responses, producing a 40% observed recommendation rate for that prompt set.
Sources
Related reading
Related terms
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Ranking is no longer enough
You need to be cited, mentioned, and recommended.
Being cited, mentioned, and recommended are three different outcomes, and most brands only ever achieve the first one. Ranking is no longer enough because AI engines answer buyers directly and name only a short list of vendors as the recommendation — everyone else is cited in passing, if at all. Get a free AI Visibility Report to see exactly where your brand appears today across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot, where competitors are winning the recommendation instead, and what's keeping you from moving up the shortlist.