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Non-branded query is a search prompt that asks about a category or product type without naming any specific brand. “Best HR software for Indian startups” is a non-branded query. “Is Keka HR good” is a branded query. Non-branded queries are the hardest test of AI visibility because the AI must choose to mention a brand without being prompted by name.

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Why it matters

Non-branded queries represent the discovery use case — a customer who does not yet know which brands exist is asking the AI to name them. The Cited Index uses exclusively non-branded category queries for benchmarking because they measure organic brand presence in AI answers. The median Indian brand has an 8% mention rate on non-branded queries, meaning the AI mentions them in roughly 1 out of every 12 relevant category searches.

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How Cited uses it

The Cited Index uses 185 non-branded category prompts across 8 categories. Individual brand dashboards use a broader mix that includes branded and comparison prompts alongside non-branded ones. This is why dashboard mention rates are typically higher than Cited Index benchmarks — dashboards include easier prompt types.