Citation Share

Extended definition

Citation Share quantifies how often AI engines explicitly cite your domain or brand as a reference source when generating answers across a defined set of queries or topics. This metric goes beyond simple mentions to track formal attribution—the clickable links, source callouts, and references that direct users back to your content. Citation Share is calculated as (number of answers citing your brand / total number of answers evaluated) × 100, and can be measured overall or segmented by engine, topic, or query type.

Why this matters for AI search visibility

Citations represent the highest form of AI visibility because they provide direct attribution, traffic potential, and authority signals. A high Citation Share indicates that AI engines trust your content enough to use it as supporting evidence. Citations also create a reinforcement loop: the more an engine cites you, the more authority it associates with your domain, leading to more future citations. For B2B companies, citations can directly drive qualified traffic from high-intent prospects who are researching solutions.

Practical examples

• A cybersecurity firm achieves 23% Citation Share for security best practices queries across all major AI engines
• A marketing analytics platform sees their Citation Share increase from 8% to 31% after publishing structured data guides
• A competitor comparison shows your brand cited in 15% of answers while the market leader is cited in 42%