Citations
The metrics behind the websites AI uses as evidence, from citations and Used to citation rate
When an AI engine searches the web before answering, it usually links the pages it relied on. Those links are citations. They show which websites shape what AI says about your category, and whether your own site is one of them. Four metrics describe them: Citations, Used, Citation rate and Sources per mention.
Not every answer cites something. An engine that answers from what it already knows, without searching, links nothing, so a prompt can have mentions and no citations.
Citations
The number of times a source (a domain or a single page) was cited across your answers in the current view.
If forbes.com is cited 45 times across a week of answers, its Citations count is 45.
With a brand selected in the Brand filter, Citations counts only the citations that support that brand. The Overview starts on your own brand, so pick All brands to count every citation in your answers.
Used
A source's share of all citations in the current view.
Used = citations of this source / all citations in the current view x 100
If 1,000 citations were recorded and g2.com received 50, its Used value is 5.0%. Across every cited source, Used adds up to 100%. The sources table shows the top 1,000, so on very large projects the rows you see can add up to less.
Citation rate
The share of answers that cite at least one page on your own website. It appears in the Your content cited card on the Sources tab, as "cited in X% of N answers".
Citation rate = answers citing your own site / all answers in scope x 100
It uses the same denominator as visibility, so the two read side by side: visibility is how often AI names you, citation rate is how often it uses your site as evidence. It counts every citation of your site, whichever brand the answer credited it to, so it can be above zero while the citation count beside it is 0. With a competitor selected in the Brand filter, the card reads that competitor's site.
Sources per mention
How many sources AI links to a brand each time it names it, from any website.
Sources per mention = citations supporting the brand / the brand's mentions
120 citations supporting a brand across 40 mentions is 3.0 sources per mention. A higher number means AI backs its mentions of that brand with more evidence. Compare brands in the Sources per mention card on the Sources tab, Over time or By brand. With All brands selected it pools every brand into one ratio.
Reading citation metrics
| You see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| High visibility, low citation rate | AI knows you from what others write about you. Your own pages are not the evidence. |
| Low visibility, decent citation rate | AI reads your site but recommends others. Look at what the cited pages say, and what competitors' pages say that yours do not. |
| A few domains with a large Used share | A handful of sites shape your category's answers. They are your first PR and content targets. |
| Competitors with more sources per mention | AI has more evidence for them. Find where it comes from in Where Competitors Are Cited and You Aren't. |
For how to act on all this, see Understanding sources.