Glossary

Affiliate site: A site that links to a competitor with an affiliate link (?ref=, ?affid=, /go/…, Awin, Impact…): it earns a commission on the sales it sends them.; Offer it your own affiliate program rather than asking for a free link: it responds far more often to a paid offer.
AI Mode: Google's “AI Mode” tab: a conversational answer written by the AI, with its sources, instead of the list of results.; Google doesn't show it for every search: a question without an AI Mode answer isn't counted as a miss.
AI Overview and AI Mode: Answers written by Google's AI: the summary shown above the results (AI Overview) and the conversational mode (AI Mode), with their sources.; Not every search gets an AI Overview: a question without one isn't counted as a miss.
AI visibility level: The share of AI answers to unbranded questions that cite or name your site.; Invisible below 5%, Emerging from 5%, Visible from 20%, Leader from 40%.
Anchor text: The clickable text of a link (“SEO agency in Austin”, “mysite.com”, “click here”): it tells Google what the target page is about.; Mix it up: mostly your brand and your URL, with some keywords. The same optimized anchor every time looks artificial.
Authority: How powerful a site is, on a 0–1,000 scale (different from DR): it reflects how many sites link to it, and how good they are.; Above 300: a well-established site. Close to 0: a site with almost no backlinks, usually worthless.
Brand visibility: The share of AI answers that name your brand as an option for the reader (recommended or in a list), with or without a link to your site.; It makes people remember your name. Named only as an example, or advised against, the brand doesn't count.
Branded question: A question that names your brand (“Is mysite.com any good?”): the AI is bound to cite you, so it says nothing about your visibility.; It stays tracked but is left out of the metrics (level, share of voice), which only count unbranded questions.
Citation: An AI engine cites your site when it links to one of your pages as a source for its answer.; It's the strongest signal: it drives visits and shows the AI considers your page trustworthy.
Competitor links (link gap): Sites that link to one or more of your competitors but not to you: they already cover your industry.; The more competitors a site links to, the more likely it is to link to you too.
Credits: The currency for paid actions (searches, AI scans, contacts): 1 credit = €0.01 incl. VAT, and the price is always shown before you start.; Monthly credits renew at each billing date; credits bought in packs never expire.
Daily tracking: A question asked again every day to ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overview and AI Mode, instead of once a week.; Keep it for the questions that matter most: AI answers change from one day to the next.
Dofollow / nofollow: A dofollow link passes authority to your site in Google's eyes; a nofollow, sponsored or ugc link passes little or none.; Aim for dofollow links. A few nofollow links still look natural in a backlink profile.
DR (Domain Rating): The strength of a site's backlink profile on a 0–100 scale, measured by Ahrefs: the higher it is, the more a link from that site counts for Google.; Above 40: a strong site. Below 10: a link carries little weight, so keep it for sites very close to your niche.
Footprint: A search pattern that surfaces pages open to links, such as “write for us” or “submit a guest post”.; Used by Find sites: finding sites that don't link to any of your competitors yet.
GEO (AI visibility): Generative Engine Optimization: getting your site cited and recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google's AI answers.; AI engines mostly repeat sites that other sources cite: the links you earn help with both Google and AI.
Intent: What the person asking is looking for: the best option, a comparison, an alternative, a price, reassurance or plain information.; The first four come right before a purchase: that's where an AI recommendation carries the most weight.
Mention: Your brand is named in the text of an AI answer, even without a link to your site, as an option for the reader (recommended or in a list of options). Named only as an example, or advised against, it doesn't count.; A good start: the next step is earning the source link. A negative, discouraging or inaccurate mention needs fixing at the source.
Noindex page: A page its site asks search engines not to index: it doesn't show up in Google, and a link on it barely counts.; Ask the site to remove the directive, or to move the link to an indexed page.
Referring domains: The number of different sites with at least one link to yours (ten links from the same site count as one).; This is the number that matters most: aim for new sites rather than several links from the same one.
Score: How much an opportunity is worth pursuing, out of 100: links already given to your tracked competitors (40 points, maxed out at 3), AI citations (35, fewer for large platforms), authority (25, based on authority or DR), minus a spam penalty above 30, then adjusted for the site's relevance.; 35 and above: handle these first. Below 15: keep them for later.
Self-placed link: A link you create yourself (forum, comment, profile, shared document), without going through a publisher.; Quick to get, but often nofollow and low-value: use them as a complement, never in bulk.
Share of voice: The share of AI answers where your brand appears (cited or named), compared with your competitors; it can also be read for brand mentions alone and for cited sources alone.; The higher it is, the more AI engines recommend you. A competitor ahead of you shows how much ground there is to gain.
Source visibility: The share of AI answers that cite one of your pages as a source, even when your brand isn't named in the text.; It's what drives visits: a page cited without your brand being named is still a good starting point.
Spam score: The likelihood, from 0 to 100, that a site is artificial (blog network, link farm).; Below 30: normal. 30 to 59: check the site before asking for a link. 60 and above: excluded automatically.
Visible in an AI answer: The AI cites your site as a source, or names your brand in the text of its answer.; Only unbranded questions count, and only searches where the AI actually answered: Google doesn't always show an AI answer.