AI citation, explained
When an AI assistant answers a question, it often shows where the information came from: numbered footnotes in Perplexity, linked sources in ChatGPT search and Copilot, source cards in Google's AI Overviews. Each of these is an AI citation. A citation can point to a brand's own website, or to a third-party page that mentions the brand, such as a directory, review site, news article or industry publication.
It is useful to separate a citation from a mention. A mention is when the answer names the brand. A citation is when the answer links to a source. A brand can be mentioned without its own site being cited, because the answer drew on third-party sources, and it can be cited without being recommended. The strongest position is to be named, described accurately and backed by credible citations.
Citations also reveal which sources an assistant trusts in a category. Recording them through prompt sampling shows where effort is best spent: the review platforms, publications and reference sites that appear again and again. Earning a credible presence in those sources, and making your own pages easy to quote, is the core of generative engine optimization. Citations cannot be bought or guaranteed, and attempts to manipulate them tend to damage the trust they depend on.