March 23, 202617 min read

Average Position in AI: Why Being First in the Response Matters More Than Frequent Mentions

Avg Position — the average position of a brand in a neural network response. Wildberries 1.31, Timeweb 1.27 at Gemini, Tochka 2.75 with 21% mention rate. GEO Scout data on 716 brands in 5 niches: position and mention frequency are different metrics.

Vladislav Puchkov

Founder of GEO Scout, GEO optimization expert

When a marketer sees a 97% mention rate, it seems like mission accomplished. The brand is mentioned in nearly every neural network response. But there's a metric most people ignore: where in the response the brand appears.

If AI lists ten marketplaces and yours is eighth, the user won't read that far. If yours is first, that's the one they'll remember. Average position in an AI response (avg position) determines whether the brand captures the user's attention or gets lost in the list.

We analyzed GEO Scout data on 716 brands across 5 niches and found: brands with better positions often trail in mention frequency, but they win at what truly matters — user attention.

What Is Avg Position and Why It's a Critically Important Metric

Avg position (average position) shows where in the list a brand appears in a neural network response. The mechanics are simple: when a user asks AI "what are the best marketplaces," the neural network generates a list response. Each brand gets an ordinal number.

If AI responds: "Best marketplaces in Russia: Ozon, Wildberries, Yandex.Market, Megamarket..." — Ozon is at position 1, Wildberries at 2, Yandex.Market at 3. The average across all responses gives the avg position.

Why position matters more than frequency:

• Primacy effect. Users read AI responses as text — from top to bottom. The first 2-3 brands get maximum attention. A brand at position 8 gets lost among the listings.
• Limited attention. Research on user behavior in search engines shows: the first result gets 30-40% of clicks, the second — 15-20%, the third — 10%. In AI responses, the pattern is similar.
• Anchoring effect. The first mentioned brand becomes the "anchor" — the reference point against which the user evaluates all other options.

Position 1-2 = the brand the user will remember. Position 8-10 = the brand the user will scroll past.

Position Records: Best Brands Across All Niches

Before diving into individual niches — the big picture. Absolute record holders by average position among 716 brands:

And here are the absolute records by individual provider:

Position 1.0 is the absolute: every time the provider mentions the brand, it places it first. Wildberries achieves this with two providers simultaneously.

E-commerce: Wildberries 1.31 — Best Position Among 716 Brands

E-commerce is the niche with the most striking divergence between position and mention frequency.

Wildberries: First When Mentioned

Wildberries is the absolute record holder by position among all 716 brands. Avg position 1.31 means: when a neural network mentions Wildberries, it places it first or second. Virtually every time.

Meanwhile, Wildberries' mention rate — 87.76% — isn't even the highest in e-commerce. Ozon is mentioned in 92.41% of responses, Yandex.Market in 97.05%. But when it comes to listing order, Wildberries is invariably first.

By provider, Wildberries shows outstanding results:

• Perplexity: position 1.0 — always first
• YandexGPT: position 1.0 — always first
• Other providers — position 1.2-1.8

Yandex.Market: Mention Leader, 4th by Position

Yandex.Market is a paradoxical case. Mention rate of 97.05% — the best score not just in e-commerce, but across all five niches. AI knows about Yandex.Market and mentions it in almost every response.

But avg position is 5.66. This means Yandex.Market is mentioned fifth-sixth in the list. The user has already read about Ozon, Wildberries, Megamarket, and a couple more marketplaces before reaching Yandex.Market.

Takeaway for marketers: a 97% mention rate can create an illusion of dominance. In reality, the user doesn't see the brand first. Position 5.66 with 97% mentions converts worse than position 1.31 with 87.76% mentions.

Ozon: The Golden Middle

Ozon balances between position and frequency: position 2.15 (second), mention 92.41%. This is a solid combination — Ozon is almost always mentioned and almost always in the top 3.

At Gemini, Ozon gets position 1.73, at Google AI Mode — 1.97. The Google ecosystem is particularly favorable to Ozon in terms of position.

FinTech: Tochka — a Small Bank with Better Position Than Sberbank

FinTech demonstrates the most interesting correlation between business size and AI position.

T-Bank: Position Leader in Finance

T-Bank holds the best position in FinTech — 2.44. When AI lists banks, T-Bank consistently ends up in the top three. Combined with a mention rate of 75.52%, this is a strong combination: three out of four responses contain T-Bank, and in most of them, it's in position 2-3.

Tochka: 21% Mention, But Position 2.75

Tochka is a small business bank that appears in only 21.58% of AI responses. By mention rate, Tochka trails Alfa-Bank by 3.5x and Sberbank by 3.1x.

But when AI does mention Tochka, it places it at position 2.75. Higher than Sberbank (4.17). This is a critical insight: AI "knows" that Tochka is a niche product and only mentions it in the context of business banking. But in that context, Tochka is among the first options.

The "rare but high" pattern: a brand with clear positioning in a narrow niche gets a high position in relevant responses, even if the overall mention rate is low. AI doesn't mention Tochka in response to "which banks are the largest" but mentions it first in response to "which bank to choose for a sole proprietorship."

Sberbank: Russia's Largest Bank — 4th Position

Sberbank, with its 30%+ market share, gets avg position 4.17. When AI lists banks, Sberbank ends up fourth or fifth. T-Bank, Alfa-Bank, and even Tochka (in niche queries) rank higher.

The reason lies in content characteristics. T-Bank and Alfa-Bank are more active in the digital space: reviews, rankings, expert materials, tech blogs. AI forms listing order from these sources, not financial reports. More on this in the article "Why Business Size Doesn't Determine AI Position".

Hosting: Timeweb and the Magical 1.27 Position at Gemini

Hosting is a niche where one brand dominates by position with a significant lead.

Timeweb: Leader in Both Position and Mentions

Timeweb is a rare case where a brand leads both in position (2.06) and mention rate (89.80%) simultaneously. This is the strongest combination in the hosting niche.

But the per-provider data is truly impressive:

Gemini places Timeweb at position 1.27 — the second-best result by specific provider after Wildberries' 1.0 at Perplexity and YandexGPT. Google AI Mode — 1.43. The Google ecosystem considers Timeweb the undisputed hosting leader and places it first.

HostingHUB: 22% Mention, Position 3.91

HostingHUB is a small hosting provider with a mention rate of 22.45%. AI knows about it in one-fifth of responses. Position — 3.91. Not first, but not last either. For a brand with such a low mention rate, this is a respectable showing: when AI does mention HostingHUB, it places it in the top four.

EdTech: Skillbox 1.57 at Google AI Mode

EdTech is a niche where positions vary greatly from one provider to another.

Skillbox: Average Overall, First at Google

Skillbox's overall avg position is 3.31, which looks modest. But behind the average lies a huge spread across providers. Google AI Mode places Skillbox at position 1.57 — in the top 2. This means Google AI Mode users see Skillbox first among EdTech platforms.

Yandex Practicum: Position 5.16 on Average, 1.5 at Gemini

Yandex Practicum is an even more contrasting case. Overall position 5.16 — fifth-sixth in the list. But Gemini places it at 1.5 — practically always first. One provider "sees" the brand as a leader, while others see it as average.

Takeaway: average position across all providers can hide leadership at a specific AI. Monitoring position per provider separately is a necessity, not an option.

Tourism: TripIt — 12% Mention, But Position 2.62

The tourism niche demonstrates the most vivid examples of the "rare but high" pattern.

TripIt: The Most "Invisible" Position Leader

TripIt is mentioned in only 12.34% of AI responses — one of the lowest mention rates among all analyzed brands. But when AI does mention TripIt, it places it at position 2.62.

This is a pure example of niche dominance. TripIt is a trip organization service, not a ticket search tool. AI mentions it only in the context of "how to organize a trip" and "trip planners" — and in those queries, TripIt is consistently in the top 3.

Yandex Travel: Perplexity Places It at 1.33

Yandex Travel has an overall position of 2.90, but Perplexity singles it out — position 1.33. Practically always first. For a Russian travel service, being in first place at Perplexity is a serious advantage, given that Perplexity is one of the most widely used AI providers.

Aviasales: The Leader's Paradox

Aviasales is the brand with the highest recommendation rate in tourism (36.6%), but its avg position is 4.18. AI recommends Aviasales more than anyone else, yet doesn't place it first in the list. This shows that position and recommendation are independent metrics. A brand can be fifth in the listing yet be the only one AI directly recommends.

Position vs Mention Rate: The Divergence Table

The main finding from data on 716 brands: mention rate and avg position are weakly correlated. A brand can be mentioned frequently but far from first. And vice versa — mentioned rarely but always in the top 3.

Four Quadrants of Position/Mention

This data forms four clear patterns:

1. High mention + high position (ideal). Wildberries (87.76%, position 1.31), Timeweb (89.80%, position 2.06). The brand is mentioned frequently and always first. Maximum AI visibility.

2. High mention + low position (the trap). Yandex.Market (97.05%, position 5.66). The brand is mentioned almost always but gets lost in the list. Mention rate creates an illusion of dominance, but the user sees the brand fifth or sixth.

3. Low mention + high position (niche leader). Tochka (21.58%, position 2.75), TripIt (12.34%, position 2.62). The brand is mentioned rarely but in relevant contexts — always in the top 3. Clear niche positioning.

4. Low mention + low position (problem). Coursera (33.61%, position 6.51), Stepik (31.51%, position 8.57). The brand is mentioned rarely and at the bottom of the list. AI doesn't consider it either popular or a niche leader.

Which Providers Give the Best Positions

Not all AI providers rank brands the same way. Some systematically place certain brands higher.

Gemini: Leader in Best Positions

Gemini stands out as the provider that gives the highest positions to top brands:

Gemini operates on Google's search index, and its ranking correlates with brands' SEO positions. Brands with strong SEO presence get better positions in Gemini.

Google AI Mode: Second-Best Position Quality

Google AI Mode uses the same index as Gemini but with a different answer generation algorithm. The result is similar but not identical positions. For brands with strong SEO, the Google ecosystem (Gemini + AI Mode) provides the best positions.

Perplexity: High Positions for Category Leaders

Perplexity works through real-time search and gives absolute first positions to undisputed category leaders. Wildberries — 1.0 (always first), Yandex Travel — 1.33 (almost always first).

YandexGPT: Russian Brands in First Place

YandexGPT (Yandex with Alice) systematically places Russian brands first. Wildberries and Citilink get absolute position 1.0. For brands targeting the Russian market, YandexGPT is a priority provider for monitoring.

How to Improve Your Brand's Position in AI Responses

Position in an AI response is not random. There are specific factors behind it that can be optimized.

1. Become the First Answer to a Specific Question

AI forms listing order based on brand relevance to the query. If a user asks "best hosting for WordPress," AI will place first the brand with the most content specifically about WordPress hosting.

Action: identify 10-20 key questions from your audience and create content that directly and comprehensively answers each one.

2. Strengthen Positions on Third-Party Platforms

A brand's position in an AI response correlates with its position in reviews and rankings. If a brand ranks first in five reviews, AI will very likely place it first too.

Action: analyze where your brand ranks in key reviews and rankings in your niche. Work with authors and platforms to move up in these listings.

3. Narrow Your Positioning

The data shows: niche brands (Tochka, TripIt, Hexlet) get better positions in relevant queries than large "everything for everyone" brands. AI values expertise in a specific area.

Action: instead of trying to be mentioned in responses to every question, focus on a narrow category where you can be first.

4. Optimize Structured Data

JSON-LD markup (Organization, Product, FAQ) helps AI understand exactly what your brand does and rank it correctly in lists. This is especially important for Gemini and Google AI Mode, which use Google's search index.

5. Monitor Position by Provider Separately

Average position across all providers can hide critical differences. Yandex Practicum is 5.16 on average but 1.5 at Gemini. Provider-level monitoring through GEO Scout reveals the real picture and helps determine where to focus efforts.

Recommendations: What to Do Right Now

For Brands with High Mentions but Low Position (like Yandex.Market)

Your brand is already "in the mind" of AI — the problem isn't awareness but ranking. Focus: work with content where the brand is mentioned first, not just present. Analyze which reviews and rankings have your brand in 1st-2nd place, and strengthen those sources.

For Niche Brands with Low Mentions but Good Position (like Tochka, TripIt)

Your positioning is working — AI places you high in relevant queries. The task: increase mention rate without losing position. Expand presence in adjacent contexts while staying within your area of expertise.

For Brands with Low Mentions and Low Position (like Stepik, Coursera)

A comprehensive GEO strategy is needed: expert content, third-party platform presence, structured data, clear positioning. Start by identifying 5-10 queries where you can realistically make it to the top 3.

For Everyone: Prioritize Providers

Not all providers are equally important for your brand. Gemini and Google AI Mode give better positions to brands with strong SEO. Perplexity places category leaders high. YandexGPT is a priority for the Russian market. Identify 2-3 providers that give you the best positions and concentrate on them.

Conclusion: Position Is the New CTR

In traditional SEO, position in search results directly determines clickability: first place — 30% of clicks, second — 15%, tenth — 2%. In AI responses, the same mechanics apply, but even more harshly: the user reads text rather than scanning links. The first 2-3 brands capture virtually all attention.

Mention rate answers the question "does AI know about the brand." Avg position answers the question "does AI place the brand first." For business, the latter matters more.

Wildberries with position 1.31 converts better than Yandex.Market with 97% mentions but position 5.66. Tochka with 21.58% mentions and position 2.75 dominates niche queries better than Sberbank with 67.63% mentions and position 4.17.

Monitoring average position for each AI provider is not an optional metric. It's the foundation of GEO strategy. Position data for all 716 brands is available in the GEO Scout rankings. And the Command Center of GEO Scout will automatically analyze your brand's positions by each provider and generate a concrete action plan — exactly what needs to be done to move higher in AI responses.