Definition
A page an AI platform shows as a reference next to a generated answer. A citation shows where to be, it does not prove cause.
It appears when the platform searched the web before answering: ChatGPT with search, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Copilot.
It is recorded by domain and by URL, and classified: your own, a competitor’s, a third party, an institution, documentation or a community.
What it does not prove: that the page caused the brand’s mention, that the platform always uses it or that it will use it tomorrow. It is a clue about where to be, not an explanation.
When the assistant retrieves documents before answering and writes its answer from them. It is what lets an AI answer show its sources.
1 min readA reference to your brand on a website that is not yours: a publication, a directory, an association, a third-party comparison.
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