---
title: "An AI Search Glossary for Marketing Teams: Twelve Terms Worth Agreeing On"
slug: "ai-search-glossary-teams"
language: "en"
date: "2026-10-30T21:12:12.953Z"
updated: "2026-10-30T21:12:12.000Z"
description: "Teams starting work on AI search visibility often talk past each other because the same words mean different things to SEO specialists, content writers and exec…"
canonical: "https://pandawm.slopit.io/ai-search-glossary-teams/"
---

Teams starting work on AI search visibility often talk past each other because the same words mean different things to SEO specialists, content writers and executives. Agreeing on a shared vocabulary early saves time in planning and reporting. Here are twelve terms worth defining together.

**Generative engine optimisation (GEO).** Work that improves how a brand appears in answers produced by AI assistants and AI search features.

**AI answer.** A response generated by an assistant, as opposed to a list of links.

**Mention.** The brand name appears in an AI answer, whether positively, neutrally or negatively.

**Recommendation.** The answer suggests the brand as an option for the user's need. Stronger than a mention.

**Citation.** The answer links to or names a page on your site as a source.

**Prompt set.** A fixed list of questions used to monitor AI answers over time.

**Share of voice in AI answers.** The proportion of prompts in the set where the brand is mentioned or recommended, often compared with competitors.

**Query fan-out.** When an assistant breaks a complex question into several searches behind the scenes. Content that answers those sub-questions is more likely to be used.

**Grounding.** The process by which an assistant bases its answer on retrieved sources rather than memory alone.

**Entity.** A uniquely identifiable thing, such as a company, product or person, that search systems recognise. Consistent naming and structured data strengthen it.

**Answer accuracy.** Whether what the assistant says about the brand is correct. Tracked separately from visibility.

**AI referral traffic.** Visits that arrive from links in AI assistants, identifiable in analytics by referrer.

## Why definitions matter

Without them, a report claiming "visibility up 20%" might mean mentions to one person and citations to another. Write the definitions into your measurement plan and use them consistently.

## Keep the glossary alive

Add terms as tools and platforms evolve, and share the glossary with agencies and freelancers so everyone reports the same way. A one-page glossary pinned in the team's shared drive is often enough.

## Use it in briefs

Content briefs that reference the glossary, such as "target prompt set B, aim for citation", make goals concrete for writers and reviewers.

## Agree on what counts as success

Finally, decide which of these terms the team will report on monthly. Most teams start with share of voice, recommendation rate and answer accuracy, then add AI referral traffic once volumes are meaningful.

A longer glossary of GEO terms is available at [GEO glossary](https://www.pandawm.com/blog/overseas-advertising-glossary.html).

*Published by [PandaWM](https://www.pandawm.com/), an overseas marketing team based in Hong Kong.*