WebMEM™

The Protocol for Structuring, Delivering, and Conditioning Trust-Scored AI Memory on the Open Web

Retrieval Share

Retrieval Share is the percentage of relevant queries in which your authoritative content is selected, retrieved, and surfaced by AI systems compared to all possible competing sources. It measures your share of “answer space” in AI-generated outputs and is a key performance indicator for AI Visibility and competitive retrieval strength.

Unlike Retrieval Fidelity, which measures the accuracy and alignment of retrieved content, Retrieval Share measures the frequency of being chosen as the source in competitive retrieval scenarios.

🧠 Full Definition

Retrieval Share is calculated by:

  • Identifying a defined query set relevant to your domain
  • Running those queries against target AI systems
  • Measuring the proportion of results where your content is retrieved and/or cited
  • Comparing against the total number of relevant retrieval opportunities

It is often tracked alongside Trust Drift and Visibility Drift to understand both absolute and relative retrieval performance over time.

📌 Key Characteristics of Retrieval Share

  • Represents competitive positioning in AI retrieval environments
  • Can be tracked for individual fragments or entire domains
  • Is influenced by trust weighting, semantic proximity, and signal reinforcement
  • Acts as a lead indicator for visibility losses or gains

💡 Why It Matters

High Retrieval Share means your content is not only trusted but consistently chosen over other possible sources. Maintaining or growing this share is essential for sustaining Resilient Memory and preventing loss of influence in AI outputs.

🌐 WebMEM Perspective

In WebMEM, Retrieval Share is tracked within the Semantic Visibility Console and used as a control metric for Conditioning Strategies. Drops in Retrieval Share often trigger targeted Reflection Loops or Cross-Surface Reinforcement campaigns.

🗣️ Example Use

“Our Retrieval Share for the Medicare Advantage glossary term increased from 42% to 68% after syndicating on three new Trust Surfaces.”

🔗 Related Terms