Citation Report
The Citation report page shows how often different domains are cited in AI-generated responses. It reveals the evolving landscape of domain authority, giving you critical intelligence for shaping your content strategy.
Understanding the Formula
Source Usage %
Formula: (Number of responses citing domain ÷ Total responses analyzed) × 100
Example: If wikipedia.org appears in 500 out of 1,000 responses, its usage rate is 50%.
This percentage tells you how widely a domain is used across AI responses.
Average Citations per Answer
Formula: Total citations of domain ÷ Number of responses citing it
Example: If a domain is cited 3 times each in 100 responses, the average is 3.0 citations per answer.
This shows how heavily an answer relies on a source once it is cited.
Interpreting Usage Patterns
Different usage patterns reveal different types of domain authority:
High Usage + High Average Citations
Indicates a cornerstone authority.
These domains are both frequently referenced and deeply relied upon.
High Usage + Low Average Citations
Suggests broad but shallow influence.
Often applies to general reference sites that are cited briefly but widely.
Low Usage + High Average Citations
Reflects niche expertise domains.
These aren’t mentioned often, but when they are, they provide deep, valuable information.
Understanding these patterns helps you decide what type of authority to build for your own domain.
Temporal Analysis
The time-series view of source usage shows how domain influence changes over time. It helps identify important market dynamics:
Emerging sources gaining rapid adoption → may indicate new competitors or partnership opportunities.
Declining sources losing citations → could signal algorithm changes or content freshness issues.
Seasonal patterns → often tied to industry events or buying cycles.
Sudden spikes/drops → usually linked to algorithm updates or major content changes.
You can also set alerts to track significant changes in source usage that affect your domain or key competitors.
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