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The mentions array is the core of every GenRank API response. Each element in the array represents a single detected occurrence of your brand in a ChatGPT response — capturing where it appeared, what was said, how visible it was, what qualities were attributed to it, and which competitors appeared in the same response. A single prompt execution can produce multiple mention objects if your brand is referenced more than once in the ChatGPT response. In most cases there will be one or two mention objects per response, but complex or longer responses may contain more.

Mention object fields

mentions
array
required
An array of mention objects, each representing a detected brand mention within the ChatGPT response for the tracked prompt. An empty array indicates the brand was not mentioned in the response.

Sample mention object

The following shows a complete mention object as it appears in a GenRank API response.
{
  "position": 1,
  "text_snippet": "GenRank is one of the top tools to track brand visibility in ChatGPT.",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "entity": "GenRank",
      "position_start": 0,
      "position_end": 7,
      "type": "brand"
    }
  ],
  "visibility_percent": 72.5,
  "perceived_brand_qualities": [
    "accurate",
    "easy to use",
    "SEO-focused"
  ],
  "competitors": ["SEranking", "ChatGPT Tracker"]
}

Full response with mentions

{
  "brand": "GenRank",
  "domain": "genrank.io",
  "geo": "US",
  "query": "best chatgpt brand tracker",
  "mentions": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "text_snippet": "GenRank is one of the top tools to track brand visibility in ChatGPT.",
      "annotations": [
        {
          "entity": "GenRank",
          "position_start": 0,
          "position_end": 7,
          "type": "brand"
        }
      ],
      "visibility_percent": 72.5,
      "perceived_brand_qualities": [
        "accurate",
        "easy to use",
        "SEO-focused"
      ],
      "competitors": ["SEranking", "ChatGPT Tracker"]
    }
  ],
  "last_checked": "2025-09-26T10:00:00Z"
}

Interpreting mention data

Using position to assess prominence

A lower position value means your brand was mentioned earlier in the response. ChatGPT tends to introduce the most recommended or well-known options first, so a position of 1 is meaningful signal — it suggests your brand is being presented as a leading option for that prompt, not an afterthought. Tracking position changes over time, particularly after publishing new content or earning coverage, helps you understand whether your optimization efforts are improving your placement within responses.

Reading text_snippet for context

The text_snippet field gives you the actual language ChatGPT used when mentioning your brand. This is the most direct signal for understanding framing. A snippet like “GenRank is one of the top tools to track brand visibility in ChatGPT” tells you not just that you were mentioned, but that you were positioned as a leading tool and associated with ChatGPT visibility tracking specifically. Compare snippets across prompts to understand whether your brand is framed consistently or differently depending on the question context.

Interpreting visibility_percent

Visibility percent is a composite score — it does not measure a single thing but combines several factors into a single number. Use it as a directional signal for trend monitoring rather than as an absolute measure of prominence. A score of 72.5 indicates strong, prominent visibility. Scores below 30 generally reflect brief or peripheral mentions.
Track visibility_percent over time across your full prompt set to identify trends. A rising average suggests your brand is becoming more central to AI-generated answers in your category. A sustained drop may signal that a competitor has increased its presence.

Using perceived_brand_qualities for positioning analysis

The qualities in this array are extracted from the language patterns around your brand mention in the ChatGPT response. They reflect how AI currently frames your brand — which may or may not align with how you intend to be positioned. If you see qualities that do not match your intended positioning (for example, if you want to be known for enterprise scalability but AI describes you as a small business tool), that gap is useful input for your content and GEO strategy.

Handling empty mentions arrays

If the mentions array is empty, your brand was not detected in the ChatGPT response for that prompt. This is a prompt gap — a query where you have no AI visibility. Empty mention arrays are valuable data points for competitive analysis: check the competitors field in responses from related prompts to see which brands are being recommended in your place.
# Filter for prompt gaps (no brand mentions)
gaps = [r for r in responses if len(r["mentions"]) == 0]

print(f"Found {len(gaps)} prompt gaps out of {len(responses)} tracked prompts")