01What Is Share of Model?
Defining Share of Model (SoM) for B2B Directors
The Short Version
Share of Model (SoM) is a metric that measures the percentage of times an LLM cites your company over your competitors when answering queries relevant to your industry. It moves visibility from a search result page to the "knowledge" layer of AI.
For B2B leaders, SoM is no longer a vanity metric; it is a critical indicator of whether your company is considered a reliable, authoritative source by the most advanced decision-support tools available today. If the AI doesn't know who you are, the buyer won't either.
The goal is not just to be mentioned once, but to dominate the answer space. By focusing on clear, structured text (AEO), you teach the AI to repeat your data and name. We detail the framework in Industrial AEO.
02Why Measure AI Presence?
The Strategic Value of SoM in Modern Procurement
Modern industrial buyers are starting their research not on Google, but inside LLM interfaces. If your competitor is consistently named by ChatGPT, it means they have already successfully captured the AI's "attention" and established their relevance in the buyer's initial discovery phase.
The SoM Advantage
Traditional SEO
Measures link authority and keyword placement on SERPs.
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Share of Model (SoM)
Measures data availability and structured narrative consumption by AI.
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B2B Impact
Directly impacts early-stage decision-making, influencing the first 2-3 vendors a buyer considers.
If your competitor is winning the SoM race, they are winning the conversation. To compete, you must move beyond simply ranking higher and begin structuring your content for AI ingestion. The roadmap for this measurement is in How to analyze competitor visibility.
03Methodology: How to Measure Share of Model
The 12-Question Audit Methodology
Step 1
Define 12 Industry-Specific Queries
Identify 12 highly technical, open-ended buying questions a B2B director would use (e.g., "How to reduce energy consumption in high-temperature industrial kilns?"). These must be precise and reflect real industry pain.
Input
Step 2
Execute on Multiple LLMs (Blind Test)
Run all 12 queries on ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity in a logged-out/incognito session. This ensures the results reflect general training data, not your personalized history.
Measurement
Step 3
Quantify and Report
Track the frequency (N) and the source of citation. If the competitor is consistently named, your SoM is lower. The report must be presented as a percentage of market coverage in AI answers.
Analysis
This audit moves the conversation from qualitative observation to quantitative measurement. It provides the data needed to justify content investment to the board. The full audit framework is available at The share of model audit.
04The Key Cluster Queries
Related Queries for AI Visibility
These pages explore the specific pain points related to visibility gaps, both in search and AI, offering solutions to related problems.
05FAQ
FAQ
How do I measure my company's presence in AI answers? +
You measure Share of Model (SoM) by systematically running 12 technical buying queries through major LLMs and recording the frequency of your company's name compared to competitors. This quantitative audit provides the SoM percentage.
What is Share of Model (SoM) in simple terms? +
SoM is the proportion of times an AI assistant mentions your business when a user asks a question related to your industry. It measures AI-driven brand recognition, moving beyond simple keyword ranking.
Can a company have good SEO but low SoM? +
Yes, very likely. SEO focuses on crawler-friendly structure (keywords, links); SoM focuses on LLM-friendly content (declarative sentences, verifiable facts). A company can be highly crawlable but lack the clear narrative the AI needs to confidently quote.
How does AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) relate to SoM? +
AEO is the practical application to achieve a high SoM. It means structuring your content to provide direct, factual answers to buyer queries. By doing this, you train the AI to extract and repeat your information.
What is the best way to correct incorrect AI citations about my brand? +
The only solution is to correct the source material, not the AI. Publish the definitive, correct data on your website in structured HTML, ensuring the error is eliminated from the primary web presence.
Does being mentioned by an AI guarantee sales? +
No. SoM is a measure of discovery and relevance, not conversion. However, by being the AI's recommended source, you drastically increase the likelihood that the buyer will reach out to you first.
Which B2B queries are most relevant for measuring SoM? +
Queries must be high-intent and technical, reflecting actual procurement needs (e.g., "suppliers of heavy duty industrial pumps"). General or informational queries will yield less valuable data for SoM.
How long does it take to see an increase in my SoM score? +
If you optimize your content (AEO), initial changes may be reflected in LLMs browsing the live web within weeks. However, consistent, high-confidence citation typically takes 3 to 6 months for full integration into model knowledge.
Stop Leaving Your Market Share to Chance
We will run a comprehensive 12-question Share of Model audit against your top competitors and deliver a strategic roadmap for transforming your data into AI-ready, high-authority content. Get a quantified understanding of your AI visibility gap.
