Ads + Organic / Ads Only

Paid and organic visibility can play different roles within the same AI response. An advertiser may appear through an ad while already benefiting from organic visibility, or advertising may be its only source of presence. Ads + Organic and Ads Only distinguish between these two situations, helping you understand how paid visibility contributes to an advertiser’s broader AI presence.

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How these KPIs are calculated

The calculation considers results where the advertiser appears through an ad.

Ads + Organic = Results where the advertiser appears in both paid and organic visibility ÷ Results where the advertiser appears through an ad

Ads Only = Results where the advertiser appears through an ad but is absent organically ÷ Results where the advertiser appears through an ad

Both metrics are expressed as percentages (%). Organic presence is detected when the advertiser’s domain or brand is present organically in the corresponding result. Ads + Organic and Ads Only represent the two possible situations and are therefore complementary: Ads + Organic + Ads Only = 100%

Example If an advertiser appears through ads in 20 results, appears organically in 12 of those results and is absent organically in 8: Ads + Organic = 60%
Ads Only = 40%

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How to read this KPI

A higher Ads + Organic means paid visibility frequently coexists with visibility already obtained organically. A higher Ads Only means advertising more frequently provides visibility where the advertiser would otherwise be absent. These signals do not measure how much advertising an advertiser captures. They qualify the relationship between its paid and organic visibility. Neither situation is inherently positive or negative: the value lies in identifying where advertising reinforces existing visibility and where it creates additional presence.

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How this KPI fits with other signals

Ads + Organic / Ads Only complement:

• Ad Presence Rate — measures how broadly the advertiser participates across ad-supported prompts.
• Share of Ad Voice — measures how much of the observed paid visibility the advertiser captures.
• Ad Coverage — shows how prevalent advertising is within the analysed landscape.

Together, these signals help distinguish between the scale of paid visibility and the role it plays alongside organic presence.

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What’s next