MKEO definition

MKEO / Metrics

How MKEO is measured

Three monitored quantities plus audit gates. Each is defined so an independent party can reproduce the number from the open-source reference implementation.

1. AI recognition

Does the model know the entity exists? Ask engines unaided questions of the form "What is <brand>?" (neutral phrasing, no leading hints). Record per engine whether the answer mentions the entity at all, and whether the description is materially correct.

Unit: mentioned / correct, per engine, per probe date

Interpretation: recognition precedes everything — an engine that cannot name you cannot recommend you

2. AI recommendation

Does the model recommend it when a buyer asks a category question? Ask category-intent questions ("best / how to choose / alternatives for <category>") without naming the brand. Record whether the brand appears among the answers, and at what rank.

Unit: present / rank, per engine, per question, per probe date

Interpretation: the commercial metric — this is where AI visibility turns into demand

3. Search visibility

Where do the target keywords stand in classic search? For each monitored keyword: top-100 presence per engine and region (e.g., Google US desktop, Bing US, Baidu CN). Engines that return no result for a keyword at all are marked as an anomaly, not as "not found".

Unit: best rank per keyword × engine × region, per probe date

4. Audit gates (binary, per site)

GateMeaningTarget
Orphan pagespages with fewer than two internal inbound links0
sameAs linksentity links from the site's schema to its platform profiles≥ 4
Profiles liveplatform profiles that exist and are discoverable≥ 4
FAQ coveragekey pages carrying answerable question contentsite-specific
Measurement discipline: probes run on a schedule, never ad hoc; baselines are taken before work starts; "0 results" is recorded as an engine anomaly, distinct from "present but not ranked". All criteria are implemented in the open-source mkeo toolkit, so any number on the timeline can be independently reproduced.