# Answer states

> What recommended, mentioned, absent, open and no answer mean in GetIntel, how each answer is classified, and what to do about each state.

Source: https://getintel.ai/docs/academy/metrics/answer-states/

Every answer from every engine gets one **answer state** for your brand: recommended, mentioned, absent, open or no answer. States are the raw material for every other score in GetIntel.

## The five states

| State | What happened in the answer | How it counts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Recommended** | You are named, and named first among all the products in the answer. | Named |
| **Mentioned** | You are named, but another product comes before you. | Named |
| **Absent** | Other products are named, but not you. | Not named |
| **Open** | The answer names no product at all. | Not named |
| **No answer** | The engine returned nothing to read: a failed call, or Google showed no AI Overview. | Left out of scores |

## How an answer is classified

GetIntel finds every product the answer names and the order they first appear in. If your brand appears first, the state is recommended; if it appears later, mentioned. If products appear but you don't, absent. If no product appears, open.

**Worked example.** A buyer asks "What's the best tool to track AI visibility?"

- *"Tools like Acme, YourBrand and Beta can help…"* → **Mentioned**, position 2.
- *"YourBrand is a strong choice, as is Acme…"* → **Recommended**, position 1.
- *"Acme and Beta are popular options…"* → **Absent**.
- *"Start by listing the questions your buyers ask…"* → **Open**.

<Aside>
"Recommended" is about order, not wording. The first product named is the one a reader treats as the lead suggestion, whether or not the answer says "we recommend".
</Aside>

## States versus the neighbouring metrics

- **[Position](/docs/academy/metrics/position/)** is the number behind recommended and mentioned: 1 for recommended, 2 or more for mentioned.
- **[Visibility](/docs/academy/metrics/visibility/)** is the share of answers where you are recommended or mentioned.
- **No answer is not absent.** Absent means the engine answered and left you out; no answer means there was nothing to read.

## Where to find it

- **Prompts**: the **Where you stand** bar splits all answers into the four states, and each prompt shows every engine's state. Filter by state, including No answer.
- **A topic's Prompts tab**: each engine's latest state per question.
- **MCP**: `get_ai_answers` and `get_prompt_matrix`.

## What moves it

- **Absent → mentioned:** get onto the pages AI cites for that question. See [Sources](/docs/features/sources/) and your Off-Page tasks.
- **Mentioned → recommended:** make the comparison obvious. Pages that state your advantages plainly against named rivals help AI lead with you.
- **[Open answers](/blog/open-slot-explained/) are opportunities:** nobody holds the slot yet. A clear, citable page that answers the question directly is often enough.