How to read the card
The number is for the current period. The change next to it is the difference from the previous period. The change is usually the more useful part, because a score has meaning only when you see how it moves. The card shows an average across each topic and each answer engine that you monitor. Use this number on a board slide. Do not use it to decide your next actions, because it hides the location of the problem.When the number changes and nothing changed
Answer engines are not deterministic. When you ask the same question two times, the wording is different. Sometimes the brands are also different. A change of some points between runs is the normal noise of the medium. Use a single reading as an estimate. A direction that continues over several runs is a finding.Before you act on the score
Divide the score before you spend money or time:- By topic. You are rarely weak on all topics. For more information, see Topic performance.
- By answer engine. Possibly a brand is strong on one answer engine and absent on a different one. Then the brand has a source problem that is specific to that answer engine.
- Against competitors. A score of 40% has no meaning until you know the score of the leader. The leader can be at 45% or at 90%.