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Citation Share

How strongly your brand is supported by cited sources in AI responses.

Overview​

The Citation Share measures how much of the cited evidence in AI-generated responses supports or references your brand.

It answers a simple question: How much of the cited evidence supports our brand?

While Visibility shows whether your brand appears, Citation Share shows whether that presence is backed by sources.

How the Citation Share is calculated​

The metric is calculated by taking the number of citations referencing your brand and dividing it by the total number of citations provided in the AI-generated answers:

Citation Share=(Citations from your domainTotal Citations)×100\text{Citation Share} = \left( \frac{\text{Citations from your domain}}{\text{Total Citations}} \right) \times 100

Why Citation Share matters​

1. Source Ownership​

  • A high score indicates "Source Ownership".
  • It shows that AI can support mentions of your brand using both your own content and third-party sources that reference you.

2. Trust and Authority in AI Search Position​

  • Citations serve as the evidence models use to build their responses. Earning a strong Citation Share means the AI views your brand as a verifiable and trusted entity within that specific context.

How to Interpret Citation Share​

  • Higher is better
  • A higher score means more of the cited sources support or reference your brand
  • A lower score means your brand may be mentioned, but with weaker source support

Example​

If there are 6 total citations across the tracked AI responses and 3 of them support your brand, your Citation Share is 50%.

That means your brand is supported by half of the cited sources in those responses.

Edge Case​

Why is Citation Share sometimes 0% and sometimes “-”?

Citation Share only applies when the response contains at least one citation source.

When Citation Share is 0%​

A Citation Share of 0% means the response includes citations, but none of them are attributed to your brand or sources mentioning your brand.

So if citations exist, but none are related to your brand:

Your Citations+Citations Mentioning Your BrandTotal Citations=0\frac{\text{Your Citations} + \text{Citations Mentioning Your Brand}}{\text{Total Citations}} = 0

When Citation Share is “-”​

A “-” means Citation Share is not applicable for that response.

This happens when the response contains no citations at all. Since there are no sources in the denominator, the metric cannot be calculated.

Example​

  • Response 1: The answer includes citations, but none refer to your brand
    → Citation Share = 0%

  • Response 2: The answer includes no citations
    → Citation Share = “-”

Why this distinction matters​

This helps you clearly differentiate between:

  • 0% = your brand is not part of the cited sources (missed authority/opportunity)
  • “-” = there were no citations to compete for in the first place

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)​

Does the Citation Share only track direct links to my website?

No, it measures the share of citations that either come from your own domain or from third-party domains that mention your brand.

Can a response mention my brand without citing it?

Yes. An AI model can mention your brand in the text (which counts toward your AI search position and Share of Voice) without explicitly listing a link to your domain or a third-party review in its source citations.

Why is tracking citations important for AI-generated answers?

AI models increasingly rely on retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to pull real-time facts. A higher Citation Share proves that your digital footprint provides the grounding evidence the AI needs to generate accurate answers about your industry.

What should I do if my Citation Share is low?

Review which sources AI models are citing in your category, then improve the content and external references that make your brand easier to cite and validate.