> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getcited.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Non-Branded Query

> A search prompt that asks about a category or product type without naming any specific brand — the hardest test of AI visibility.

**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.

## 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](https://www.getcited.in/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](/glossary/mention-rate) on non-branded queries, meaning the AI mentions them in roughly 1 out of every 12 relevant category searches.

## 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.

## Related concepts

* [How we generate prompts](/methodology/query-generation) — the prompt generation pipeline
* [Intent taxonomy](/concepts/foundations/intent-taxonomy) — how prompts are classified by intent