Mentions, citations & sentiment
AI visibility is not just about being mentioned.
How, where, and why your brand appears matters just as much. Genwolf breaks this down into three signals: mentions, citations, and sentiment.
These signals explain why a visibility score moves.
Mentions
A mention occurs when your brand name appears in an AI-generated answer.
Mentions are binary at the response level: mentioned or not mentioned. Over multiple runs, they become probabilistic. Consistency matters more than frequency in a single run.
Citations
Citations reveal why a brand was mentioned.
If a competitor is consistently cited and you are not, visibility will likely follow.
Sentiment
Sentiment describes how your brand is framed in an answer.
Sentiment is contextual, not emotional. A neutral mention may still be valuable if it positions your brand as a standard option.
How these signals work together
Mentions, citations, and sentiment are interdependent:
Understanding all three explains why visibility looks the way it does.
Common interpretation mistakes
Single answers are not the full story.
How to use this data
Use mentions, citations, and sentiment to
- diagnose visibility changes
- identify source gaps
- understand competitive positioning
Remember
These signals are diagnostic tools, not vanity metrics.
Summary
Visibility tells you if you appear.
Mentions, citations, and sentiment explain why.
Together, they turn AI answers into actionable insight.