What is an AI citation, and what is grounding?
An AI citation is a link or attribution in a generated answer pointing at the source a claim came from. Grounding is the broader practice of tying generated text to retrievable sources rather than model memory. Citation is distinct from mention.
A response can name your business without citing you, and can cite your domain without recommending you.
Why does the difference between mention, recommendation and citation matter?
Mention, recommendation and citation are three different outcomes. Collapsing them is the most common way an AI-visibility figure gets inflated, because mentions are far more frequent than recommendations.
A headline number should count recommendations, since that is what a buying question is actually asking for.
| Outcome | What it means in a generated answer |
|---|---|
| Mention | Your name appears |
| Recommendation | You are put forward as an option |
| Citation | Your domain is the source |
What earns an AI citation?
What earns a citation? Being specific and checkable. Generic advice is uncitable because it is available everywhere — there is no reason to attribute it to you rather than anyone else. A number, a date, or a method someone could re-run gives an assistant a reason to point at your page rather than anyone else's.
How can you check whether an AI answer cites you?
Ask an assistant a buying question for your category and read the answer closely. Is your business mentioned, recommended, or cited as a source? They are three different outcomes.
Do it three times. If the answer differs between runs, you have just observed why one screenshot proves nothing.
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