The short answer

Use a fixed set of questions and save each complete response with its date and setup. Report brand mentions, linked source citations and explicit commercial recommendations separately. Include valid non-mentions; exclude failed requests from the observed-answer denominator while displaying missing coverage. Keep branded identity questions outside non-branded recommendation rates.

Define the eligible observations

Freeze the question panel and state which responses belong in each rate. Branded identity checks should not inflate a non-branded recommendation rate. A failed request should not silently become a valid answer without a mention.

Preserve a reviewable record

Retain the full answer, question, source links, date and collection context. Classify mentions, citations, resource recommendations and commercial recommendations according to written rules. Revisit uncertain cases rather than forcing every response into a positive or negative score.

Combine this evidence with site visits and business outcomes only where the connection is actually supported. A useful visibility report can include valuable observations even when no attributable visit was measured.

What to check

  1. Save a fixed panel of relevant questions and the complete responses with their observation settings.
  2. Count brand mentions, linked citations and explicit commercial recommendations as separate outcomes.
  3. Use valid observed responses as the denominator, include non-mentions and show failed or unavailable requests separately.

A practical example

In an illustrative panel of ten valid answers, three mentions, two citations and one recommendation are separate metrics. They are not six unique wins. If two additional requests failed, report that missing coverage alongside the ten valid observations.

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.