Answers.

Direct answers to the buyer questions we get asked most. Written to be quoted. Every claim traces to a Hint Co. audit or public source.

• How to measure AI visibility

  AI visibility is not one number. It is at least six: retrieval, citation, appearance, pick share, recommendation-when-mentioned, and unfavorable count. Most tools measure the first three and stop.

• Cited vs chosen

  A brand can appear in an AI answer as a source, a comparison, a footnote, a warning, or the actual recommendation. Only the last one maps to sales. Snowflake is cited in 71.7% of data-warehousing answers and picked in 3.7%.

• The empty inventory pattern

  Across every audited category, roughly 65% of problem-first responses name no vendor at all. That is where challenger brands and paid AI advertising have real leverage.

• What is an AI visibility audit

  An AI visibility audit measures where a brand appears in AI-assistant answers across engines and intent categories, and produces a diagnosis of what to fix. Not a dashboard.

• AEO agency vs AEO tool

  Tools measure. Agencies diagnose and fix. Companies that buy a tool first often spend six months watching a number that does not move.