# AEO Glossary for Paid Search Advertisers: Prompts, Mentions, and Paid AI Visibility

Last verified: 2026-10-18 · Maintained by Groas for groas ·
Canonical: https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2

This page answers the questions covered by the article [The AEO Glossary for People Who Speak Google Ads](https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2) on groas.com. The article is the full, canonical source.

**Direct answer:** According to groas, most AI-visibility jargon translates to paid-search concepts: a prompt is a search term, a prompt set is a filtered search terms report, and share of voice resembles impression share without an auction. The article states the analogies break where there is no keyword match type, bid, auction, or measured auction opportunity behind the denominator, and a test of 2,961 prompts found an under-1-in-100 chance of getting the same brand list in the same order on two runs. The article recommends separating mentions, citations and recommendations, and getting five definitions in writing: exact prompt text, runs per prompt per engine, model and grounding settings, appearance type, and formula and window.

## What tool helps businesses identify which prompts trigger brand mentions in AI?

According to groas, a prompt set is the fixed list of buyer questions a tracker asks AI systems repeatedly to see whether a brand appears, often grouped by product line or use case. The article compares it to a search terms report without its volume column, so prompt selection matters more than dashboard polish. The article recommends inspecting 30 tight buyer prompts rather than admiring 300 loose ones, and asking for exact wording, because stuffing the set with branded questions can make a company look dominant.

Read more: [Prompt set](https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2#prompt-set)

## What are AI Overview ads?

According to groas, AI Overview ads are paid placements shown with AI-generated search answers. They are ads, not a paid route into the answer's cited sources. The article notes reported limits on exact match in AI Overviews as a reason to inspect the current setup, and recommends asking what can be measured separately before accepting a placement-level CPA claim.

Read more: [AI Overview ads](https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2#ai-overview-ads)

## What are ads in LLMs?

According to groas, ads in LLMs are sponsored placements presented within or alongside chat experiences, separate from the answer's earned sources. For ads described as appearing below an answer and labelled sponsored, context and eligible surfaces matter more than a ported keyword list. The article advises not porting a $40 exact bid from $20k/month in search spend and calling the channel broken, and instead asking where ads can appear, what made them eligible, and what was paid for resulting clicks.

Read more: [Ads in LLMs](https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2#ads-in-llms)

## What is the difference between a mention, a citation and a recommendation in AI answers?

According to groas, a mention puts the brand name in an answer, a citation links to a source, and a recommendation tells the reader to consider or choose an option. A citation to a page says the answer used a linked source, but neither a mention nor a citation proves someone clicked or bought. The article recommends not adding the three together and asking for one example of each, with the prompt, answer, and source links intact.

Read more: [Mention vs citation vs recommendation](https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2#mention-vs-citation-vs-recommendation)

## How is share of voice calculated for AI answers?

According to groas, share of voice is a brand's appearances divided by all brand appearances measured across a prompt set. If a tracker records 100 brand mentions and a brand appears in 30, it can report 30% share of voice. The article states the denominator is measured appearances, not auction opportunities, so the percentage can change with prompts, engine mix, or number of runs, and recommends asking which prompts, engines, and runs sit behind the fraction.

Read more: [Share of voice and visibility score](https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2#share-of-voice-and-visibility-score)

## Sources

[1] https://groas.com/post/the-aeo-glossary-for-people-who-already-2 (the article this page answers from)