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Brand terms are the name variations DevTune monitors for brand mentions in AI search responses. When an AI platform mentions a brand by name in its response, DevTune detects this as a brand mention, contributing to your Brand Mention Rate and Share of Voice metrics.

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What are Brand Terms?

Brand terms are specific names and name variations that identify a brand in AI-generated text. They are distinct from prompts (the queries submitted to AI platforms) and from citation sources (the domains tracked in responses). Example: If your product is called “DataForge”, your brand terms might include:
  • “DataForge”
  • “Data Forge”
  • “dataforge”
When an AI platform responds to a prompt and says “You could use DataForge for this purpose”, DevTune detects the brand term match and records a brand mention.

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Brand Terms vs. Prompts

These two concepts serve different purposes:
  • Brand Terms define what to look for in AI responses. They are brand names.
  • Prompts define what to ask the AI platforms. They are search queries.
A brand term like “DataForge” is not a search query. A prompt like “What is the best data transformation tool?” is not a brand term. They work together: prompts generate AI responses, and brand terms are detected within those responses.

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Managing Brand Terms

Brand terms are managed from the Brand Terms tab on the Config page. Navigate to AI Search Tracking > Config in your project sidebar, then select the Brand Terms tab.

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Adding Brand Terms

  1. Click Add Brand Term
  2. Select the brand this term belongs to (your primary brand or a competitor)
  3. Enter the brand term
  4. Save

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Brand Classification

Each brand term belongs to a brand, which is classified as either:
  • Primary - Terms for your own brand. Mentions of these terms contribute to your Brand Mention Rate.
  • Competitor - Terms for competitor brands. Mentions of these terms are tracked for competitive analysis and Share of Voice calculations.

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Editing Brand Terms

Click on any brand term to change its text or reassign it to a different brand.

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Removing Brand Terms

Remove a brand term by clicking the delete action. Historical mention data for the removed term is preserved.

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Choosing Brand Terms

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For Your Primary Brand

Add terms that represent how users and AI platforms refer to your product:
  • Official name - The canonical product name (e.g., “DataForge”)
  • Common variations - Spacing or capitalization variations (e.g., “Data Forge”)
  • Abbreviations - If your brand is commonly abbreviated (e.g., “DF” if widely used)
  • Domain-style references - If AI platforms reference your domain name (e.g., “dataforge.io”)

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For Competitor Brands

Add terms for each competitor brand name:
  • Official competitor product name
  • Common variations and abbreviations
  • Names users commonly use when discussing the competitor

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What NOT to Use as Brand Terms

Avoid generic terms that are not specific to a brand:
  • “data validation” - Too generic, will match unrelated content
  • “API tool” - Too broad, not a brand name
  • “open source” - Describes a category, not a brand
Brand terms should be specific enough that a match unambiguously identifies the brand.

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Understanding Brand Mention Data

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Brand Mention Rate

Your Brand Mention Rate is the percentage of prompts where your primary brand terms were mentioned in AI responses. A brand mention is detected when any of your primary brand terms appears in the response text.

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Competitive Mentions

Competitor brand term mentions are tracked alongside yours to calculate:
  • Share of Voice - Your mentions relative to total mentions (yours plus competitors)
  • Competitive gaps - Prompts where competitors are mentioned but you are not
  • Defend positions - Prompts where you are mentioned but competitors are gaining

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Platform Differences

Different AI platforms may mention brands at different rates:
  • Some platforms tend to name specific products more often
  • Others may describe capabilities without naming products
  • Citation behavior and brand mention behavior vary independently

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Best Practices

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Be Precise

Use exact brand names rather than partial matches or generic terms. Precision prevents false positives and keeps your metrics accurate.

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Cover Variations

Add all common ways people refer to the brand. If users commonly write “Data Forge” (with a space) as well as “DataForge” (without), add both.

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Keep the List Focused

For each brand, 2-5 brand terms is typically sufficient. Adding too many similar variations adds noise without meaningful additional signal.

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Review Periodically

Check brand terms when:
  • Your product name or branding changes
  • A competitor rebrands
  • You notice unexpected brand mention counts (too high or too low)

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Troubleshooting

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Brand Mentions Seem Too High

If your brand mention count is unexpectedly high:
  • Check for brand terms that are too generic and match unrelated text
  • Review sample responses to see where matches are occurring
  • Consider removing overly broad terms

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Brand Mentions Seem Too Low

If your brand is rarely mentioned:
  • Verify all common name variations are added as brand terms
  • Check that AI platforms are aware of your brand (newer brands may have lower recognition)
  • Note that brand mention rates vary by prompt type and platform

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Competitor Brand Terms Missing

If competitive analysis seems incomplete:
  • Add brand terms for all tracked competitor brands
  • Ensure competitor brand names and common variations are included

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Next Steps