Metric definitions

Average position (within answers)

Mention position is the order in which a brand first appears in an AI answer. The average position shown in the interface averages these positions across answers that mention the brand. Closer to 1 means the brand appears earlier in the answer.

What counts as a position

Orchestor counts monitored brands in the order they first appear in the answer text. Repeated appearances of the same brand do not receive a new position.

For example, if an answer names “Competitor A, your brand, Competitor B, your brand,” your brand's mention position is 2. This applies to appearances in prose as well as numbered lists.

Mention position is not the AI's recommendation or quality ranking. A brand may appear early as an introduction to a comparison or as a caution.

Calculating the average

Average position = Sum of valid mention positions ÷ Answers with a mention position

If your brand appears in 3 of 5 answers at positions 1, 2, and 3, its average position is (1 + 2 + 3) ÷ 3 = 2.0. The two answers without a mention are not included as position 0 or last place.

If no answers have an available position, no number is displayed. This does not mean position 0.

Read it alongside visibility

SituationHow to read it
High visibility and average position close to 1The brand appears early in many answers
Low visibility and average position close to 1The brand appears early in the few answers that mention it. Check appearance frequency too
Visibility increased and the average position number grewThe brand may appear later in answers that newly mention it

A good average position can coexist with fewer answers mentioning your brand. Check Visibility and mention counts rather than making position your only improvement target.

What to check next

Review changes by model or prompt, then read the brands that appear before yours and their descriptions in Answers. Keep prompts and monitored brands consistent across comparison periods. Changing the monitored brands also changes the conditions for comparing appearance order.

  • Share of voice: your share of mentions across comparison brands
  • Sentiment: whether a brand that appears early is described positively