Definition

Citation

A source an AI engine references or links to in its answer.

What it means

In AI search, a citation is a source that an answer engine explicitly references, quotes, or links to when producing a response. Citations are the AEO equivalent of a ranking: being cited means your brand is part of the answer the user actually reads. Tracking which queries cite you, and which cite competitors instead, is a core metric for measuring AI visibility.

Related terms

Share of VoiceYour brand's share of citations or mentions relative to competitors.Answer EngineA system that returns a synthesized answer instead of a list of links.Brand MentionAny reference to your brand in an AI answer or across the web.GroundingTying an AI response to verifiable external sources or data.

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