Earning frequent mentions is a primary goal of AEO because it indicates the brand has achieved a level of authority and trustworthiness that the AI model relies on for its generated answers. By itself mentions does not give insights into why the brand is selected, but it's a great metric to track the progression.
Contextual mention
A brand mention that occurs in the direct context of the user's intent (e.g., recommending your running shoes for a marathon query). This confirms that your content strategy is working and aligning with the user's underlying Search Intent. Winning relevant, contextual mentions drives high-quality visibility.
Non contextual mention
A brand mention that occurs outside the direct context of the user's intended query. This often highlights incidental brand reputation or background mentions. While useful for brand awareness, it doesn't represent a win for a specific purchase intent.
