Citation

DefinitionA citation is a link or source reference an AI engine attaches to its answer, showing which page it took information from.

A citation is different from a mention: an answer can name your brand without linking your site, or link your page without recommending you. Most citations in answers about your category will point at other sites, such as review platforms, publishers and competitors. Those pages show you what engines trust for that question.

AI Rank Lab stores every cited URL from each prompt run. The Citations page shows which domains and URLs are cited, and Brand Citation Share is the part that points at your own domain. See Mentions, citations and share of voice.

Learn it step by step

• Mentions, citations and share of voice (AEO and GEO fundamentals)
• Find who gets cited: the Citations page (Brand visibility in AI answers)

Related terms

• Mention: A mention is your brand's name appearing in the text of an AI answer, whether or not the answer links to your site.
• Share of voice: Share of voice is your brand's mentions as a percentage of all brand mentions (yours plus your competitors') across the same set of questions and engines.
• Prompt: In AI Rank Lab, a prompt is a question you track, phrased the way a buyer would ask an AI assistant, such as "best CRM for small agencies".