Arrow A mention names the business. A citation links to a source. A recommendation proposes the business, product or resource for the user’s need. These outcomes can overlap, but they should be classified separately. Also record whether the answer describes the right entity and whether the cited source supports the claim.
Use clear classification rules
A same-name company is not a valid mention of the intended business. A link to an unrelated domain is not a subject-domain citation. A list that includes several tools needs context before it can be classified as a recommendation for the particular buying need.
Record resource recommendations separately from commercial recommendations when that distinction matters to the program. A hub can be valuable as an educational source even when the user was not shopping for software.
Keep counts interpretable
For an illustrative set of ten valid responses, three mentions, two citations and one commercial recommendation are three different rates. They are not six independent wins, because a single response can contribute to more than one category.
Report collection failures separately from valid answers with no mention. Preserve the prompt panel, observation conditions and review rule so another analyst can reproduce the classification.
What to check
- Define the intended company and domain before reviewing answers.
- Read the surrounding sentence to determine what, if anything, is recommended.
- Count each outcome against its stated set of eligible observations.
A practical example
“Arrow explains citation measurement” with a link is a mention and a source citation. “Use Arrow’s guide to define your measurement panel” additionally recommends a resource. Neither sentence necessarily recommends buying Arrow’s software.
Sources and further reading
These steps are Arrow AI's implementation guidance. The example is illustrative; it is not a measured customer result. Publication and source access do not guarantee an AI recommendation.
Apply this to your website
Identify the source gaps and decide what to improve with Arrow's free audit. Review what Arrow GEO measures before choosing a reporting scope.