Citation Building
Build authoritative citations for AI answers.
Citation building is the process of getting your brand mentioned on the sources that AI models trust. It is the off-page equivalent of link building in SEO.
How AI decides what to cite
When an AI model generates an answer, it retrieves sources from the web (for retrieval-augmented generation) or draws on training data. The sources it uses are biased toward:
- High-authority domains (major publications, directories, review sites)
- Sources that have discussed the topic in depth
- Sources that are freshly indexed
Source Quality Tiers
| Tier | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A | High-authority — cited by 3+ AI models across multiple prompts | TechCrunch, G2, Wikipedia, major trade publications |
| B | Mid-authority — cited by 1–2 models consistently | Niche industry blogs, smaller review sites |
| C | Low-authority — single-prompt or infrequent citations | Personal blogs, low-traffic directories |
Focus outreach on Tier A and B sources. Tier C citations have minimal impact on Visibility Score.
Finding citation gaps
The Sources page shows all domains cited in your tracked prompts that do not mention your brand. These are your citation gaps — the highest-leverage outreach targets.
Sort citation gaps by impact score (highest first). High-impact gaps affect multiple prompts and multiple AI models.
Outreach strategy
- Export the citation gap list from the Sources page
- Research each domain — find the right contact (editor, contributor relations)
- Send a pitch relevant to the domain's content (contribute an article, request a listing, offer a quote)
- After coverage goes live, rescan to measure impact
A Citation Gap action in the Optimize queue includes an off-page placement tag and can generate an outreach email draft via the Generate Fix button.
Sample outreach email
Subject: [Your brand] for [domain's] readers — GEO tool recommendation
Hi [Name],
I noticed [domain] covers [category] tools extensively. [Your brand] helps [value prop] — we've seen [specific result].
We'd love to be included in your [article title or listing] if relevant. Happy to provide a quote, case study, or demo.
[Name]
[Title] at [Brand]
Citation drift
AI models regularly change which sources they cite. Industry data shows 40–60% of cited sources change month over month. Check the Citation Drift tab in the Sources page monthly to:
- Identify sources you were cited on that you no longer appear on
- Prioritize re-engagement with domains where you've lost presence
Next steps
- Sources page — find your citation gaps
- Citation Gap action — automated outreach draft generation