Citation
The source link shown beneath or within an AI answer. Being cited is clear proof that the answer rests on your page, and it's the only kind of AI visibility that brings clicks.
A citation is the model showing the source it used while writing its answer: numbered links in Perplexity, the source list beneath the answer in ChatGPT search, the "sources" section in Gemini. It's a stronger signal than your name appearing in the answer; the model isn't just mentioning you, it's presenting you as evidence.
Why it matters
In generative engines there is usually no click; the customer reads the answer and moves on. Citation is the exception: the link is visible and clickable. A cited page also tends to be preferred for similar questions later on.
Which pages get cited
- Pages that answer the question directly and early (the answer in the first paragraph).
- Single-topic pages with clear headings.
- Pages with verifiable facts: numbers, dates, addresses, price ranges.
- Accessible pages: no crawler block, readable without JavaScript, fast to load.
- Pages carrying structured data (FAQPage, Service, LocalBusiness).
Which pages don't get cited
- Pages that open with "Welcome" and deliver the answer on the third screen.
- Sites that list every service on a single page.
- Pages made up entirely of images; the model doesn't read images.
Measurement
In a protan.ai report, citations are counted separately per engine: in how many answers your name appeared, and in how many your page was shown as a source. The gap between the two shows the state where your pages are "known but not counted as evidence".
Related term: RAG