Chapter 5 Service Tiers (How Far to Go): AEO Exposure — Get Read First; AEO+ Word of Mouth — Get Mentioned; IDA Brand PR — Accurate Answers, Visits, and Returns · IDAEO: Marketing in the Age of AI
Service Tiers (How Far to Go): AEO Exposure — Get Read First; AEO+ Word of Mouth — Get Mentioned; IDA Brand PR — Accurate Answers, Visits, and Returns
This chapter answersWhich journey steps does each service tier cover, and how do you choose Performance Metrics?
Why it comes hereUnderstand the journey and verification first, then choose the service scope by marketing goal.
Figure 5-1 Service Tier Ladder: AEO Exposure, AEO+ Word of Mouth, IDA Brand PR
AEO Exposure — Get read first (S1–S4). AEO+ Word of Mouth — Get mentioned (S5–S6). IDA Brand PR — Accurate answers, visits, returns (S7–S10, including the first two tiers). Each higher service tier includes the previous tier, because later results build on the earlier foundation. For the steps it covers, each tier lists the number of Journey Diagnostics and IDAEO Solutions items. The Ten Diagnostic Gates are one per step; diagnostic items are the checks under each gate. IDA Brand PR covers the full journey (S1–S10). The bottom row shows, in order, First-Party Source + Official Source, IDA verification, and IDAEO verification. AEO+ Word of Mouth corresponds to AI mentioning you in its answers. Check the answer itself to see whether it recommends you. IDA Brand PR includes regularly published AI Visibility results. The AEO optimization in Figure 1-1, “Panorama of the Five Marketing Audiences,” is divided by function. The service tiers in this figure are divided by journey scope.
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Start with the step ranges of AEO Exposure, AEO+ Word of Mouth, and IDA Brand PR; IDA Brand PR fully covers S1–S10. Then read down to the results and verification names for each segment.
④ Service Tiers To which tier Journey Steps See Figure 2-1 Service Tiers Numbers to watch AEO Exposure AEO+ Word of Mouth IDA Brand PR Verification Links to Figure 4-1 Service tiers: deepening tier by tier along the journey steps S1 Prepare S2 Crawl S3 Train S4 Index S5 Ask AI S6 AI Mention S7 AI Answer S8 Act S9 Visit S10 Return AEO Exposure | Read first AI Readiness Score | AI Crawl Volume AEO+ Word of Mouth AI Real-Time Retrievals | AI Mention Rate IDA Brand PR | Right, visit, return AI Answer Accuracy Rate | AI Citations | AI Agent Visits | Search & AI Referral Visits | AI Return Visits Covers every step Full-Journey Coverage · S1–S10 First-Party Source + Official Source IDA Verification IDAEO Verification Original framework © 2026 ID EO From Figure 0-3 Diagnostics 13 items Diagnostics 4 items Diagnostics 1 item Diagnostics 1 item Solutions 7 items Solutions 2 items Solutions 4 items Diagnostics 6 items Diagnostics 6 items Diagnostics 1 item Diagnostics 2 items Diagnostics 1 item Diagnostics 3 items Diagnostics 4 items Solutions 3 items Solutions 2 items Solutions 1 item
How to readStart with the step ranges of AEO Exposure, AEO+ Word of Mouth, and IDA Brand PR; IDA Brand PR fully covers S1–S10. Then read down to the results and verification names for each segment.
Figure 5-2 Performance Metrics Mapping Matrix
Each of the nine Performance Metrics lists its journey steps, diagnostic question, IDAEO Solutions, and data. AEO Exposure — Get read first (S1–S4). It builds an information base AI can use. AEO+ Word of Mouth — Get mentioned (S5–S6). It helps AI mention you in its answers. IDA Brand PR — Accurate answers, visits, returns (S7–S10, including the first two tiers). It supports credible answers, acting for customers, customer visits, and returns. Five metrics already have published all-platform figures, and the AI Readiness Score is scored merchant by merchant; the measurement methods for AI Mention Rate, AI Answer Accuracy Rate, and AI Return Visits are set, and the data will be published later.
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One metric per column; read down for the step, question, IDAEO Solutions, and data. Read each result according to its publication status.
Strategy Links to Figure 5-1 Metric Which step Links to journey step Journey Diagnostics What to ask IDAEO Solutions Verification data As of 2026/10/8 AEO Exposure AEO+ Word of Mouth IDA Brand PR AI ReadinessScore AI CrawlVolume AI Real-Time Retrievals AI MentionRate AI AnswerAccuracy AI Citations AI Agent Visits Search & AIReferrals AI ReturnVisits S1 S2–S4 S5 S6 S7 S7 S8 S9 S10 Is the datacomplete? Accessible? Indexed? Came toread? Were youmentioned? Did it getit right? Is it cited? Can it getit done? Did theyshow up? Did theycome back? Readinesscheck Engine Repair plan AI Access Rules Visit Trail Indexing Radar Live Retrieval Detection Mention Probe Answer Seat Tracking Fact Baseline DiscrepancyAlert CitationTracing Agent Interface Fulfillment Integration SourceAttribution Return-visit ID One scoreper merchant 0–100 points 97.46 million Training + Index 0.65M visits AI pre-answer site visits Crawls Scheduledlive tests Same questions Ask multiple AIs Mention rank Tracking Line-by-linecheck Cross-checked Verified facts Share correct Tracking 31,711times Copilot Sourced answers 18.09M visits Site visits Completions Trackingin Progress 309,826visits from search or AI Click-throughs Returningcustomers Same customer asks again, return visits Tracking Original framework © 2026 ID EO S1–S4 Read first S5–S6 Named in the answer S7–S10 Answered right, visit, return
How to readOne metric per column; read down for the step, question, IDAEO Solutions, and data. Read each result according to its publication status.
Key Points of This Chapter
| Claim | Why |
|---|---|
| Service tiers build on the earlier foundations: AEO Exposure — Get Read First (S1–S4), AEO+ Word of Mouth — Get Mentioned (S5–S6), and IDA Brand PR — Accurate Answers, Visits, and Returns (S7–S10, including the first two tiers), so the full journey S1–S10 is completely covered. | AI Impressions come first; the rest of the journey follows. AEO Exposure turns the crawls in S2–S4 into accumulated AI Impressions; later mentions build word of mouth, and accurate answers and actions support brand choice. |
| Each higher service tier includes the tier below it. | Word of mouth builds on exposure, brand PR builds on word of mouth, and the service extends step by step across the whole journey. |
| The nine Performance Metrics are AI Readiness Score, AI Crawl Volume, AI Real-Time Retrievals, AI Mention Rate, AI Answer Accuracy Rate, AI Citations, AI Agent Visits, Search & AI Referral Visits, and AI Return Visits. | Each metric maps to a different result, linking service goals to acceptance criteria. |
| AEO+ Word of Mouth helps merchants stay on top of AI mentions; IDA Brand PR includes the AI Visibility results IDAEO publishes periodically. | The service expands with brand goals, and everything from first contact to choice can be measured. |
Terms
- AEO Exposure — Get Read First (S1–S4)
- A service plan covering S1–S4, with the goal of getting content read first. Mentions in answers belong to AEO+ Word of Mouth (S5–S6); being listed as a source belongs to S7.
- AEO+ Word of Mouth — Get Mentioned (S5–S6)
- The service tier covering S5–S6. It builds word of mouth by having AI mention you in its answers. Whether AI recommends you requires a separate check of the answer content. Word of mouth in the AI era = AI speaking for you (AI Word of Mouth).
- IDA Brand PR — Accurate Answers, Visits, and Returns (S7–S10, Including the First Two Tiers)
- Focuses on S7–S10 and includes the first two tiers, so the full journey S1–S10 is completely covered. The service tier that supports brand choice through credible answers, acting for customers, and customer return. This is the name of the highest service tier. In the book title, IDA means Identity Data Authority. In the verification model, IDA Verification is a method. These three uses share the name IDA but differ in scope.
- AI Readiness Score
- How well prepared a merchant is at S1, scored 0–100.
- AI Mention Rate
- The share of the same set of questions in which AI mentions the merchant.
- Performance Metrics
- The nine measures that correspond to the results of each journey step.
- AI Citations
- The number of times AI answers list your content as a source.
FAQ
Q: Is AEO (the optimization domain) in Chapter 1 the same as the service tiers here?
A: “AEO” as an optimization domain is one of the Six Optimization Domains; “AEO Exposure” is the first service tier and, together with “AEO+ Word of Mouth” and “IDA Brand PR,” makes up the three tiers. Optimization Domains are divided by function; service tiers are divided by journey scope. In the market, AEO often means getting content used or cited by answer engines. That is its meaning as an optimization domain and cannot be treated directly as a result of the first service tier. AEO Exposure only covers getting read first (S1–S4). Mentions in answers belong to AEO+ Word of Mouth (S5–S6); being listed as a source belongs to S7.
Q: Do all nine metrics have data yet?
A: Five metrics already have published all-platform figures, and AI Readiness Score is scored store by store; the measurement methods for AI Mention Rate, AI Answer Accuracy Rate, and AI Return Visits are set, and their data will be published later. The statistical scopes differ, so read per-store scores and all-platform results each on their own basis.
Q: Which tier should you start planning from to cover the journey most completely?
A: Start from IDA Brand PR: it focuses on S7–S10, includes the first two tiers, and fully covers the whole journey S1–S10; later results build on the earlier foundations. When planning, link AEO Exposure, AEO+ Word of Mouth, and IDA Brand PR, and use Figure 2-2, “Journey Diagnostics Gate Map,” to confirm how each step connects.
Q: How do service tiers extend with brand goals?
A: Arrange them by the brand's current goal: build AI exposure, build word of mouth from AI mentions, or extend to credible answers, acting for customers, and customer return. The goal sets the journey scope, and service tiers and Performance Metrics must be planned together.
Q: Which of the nine metrics should you look at first?
A: Start with the metric that matches the journey step you are evaluating now. Information preparation, AI mentions, and customer visits each have their own results, so choosing the right metric is what lets you judge progress.
This Chapter in Three Sentences
- Services have three tiers: AEO Exposure covers S1–S4, AEO+ Word of Mouth covers S5–S6, and IDA Brand PR covers S1–S10.
- Each higher service tier includes the previous tier and extends journey coverage to match the brand's goals.
- Nine Performance Metrics map to the diagnostic questions at each step, linking service goals to evidence for assessing results.
Three Things You Can Do This Week
- Use the Journey Diagnostics questions to identify where your business is currently stuck.
- Based on your current Marketing goals, decide whether to focus first on exposure, mentions, or customer referrals.
- Choose the Performance Metrics that match the journey steps you want to assess.
Next ChapterThe next chapter presents measured figures for each of the Performance Metrics and explains how to interpret them.
Self-CheckA store wants AI to mention its brand in answers. Name the matching service tier, Performance Metrics, and journey step.
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Cite this book
IDAEO: Marketing in the Age of AI · 林毅祥（TK Lin） · 1st edition, 9th revision · · https://km.idaeo.ai/idaeo/textbook?lang=en · CC BY 4.0