What are Cited Sources?
Cited sources are the domains and individual pages that AI answers link to or rely on for a given prompt or topic. Together they form the evidence behind an answer: the places an assistant turned to for facts, opinions and recommendations.
Sources mainly appear when an assistant searches the web while answering, a process closely tied to grounding. They can show up as inline links, footnotes or source cards. Each source link is an AI citation; the cited sources are the domains and pages those citations point to.
For most prompts they are a mix of five types: owned (your site and your competitors' sites), earned (news sites and trade media), reviews (review and comparison platforms), community (forums and discussion threads) and reference (encyclopedias and directories).
Why Cited Sources matter
An AI answer is only as accurate and as favorable to you as the sources behind it. If the pages cited for "best payroll software for small businesses" compare five competitors and leave you out, the answer probably will too. Cited sources show where an answer comes from, which makes them the most direct starting point for changing it.
Read the list at two levels. The cited domain shows which websites a model trusts for a topic, which helps you decide where to invest. The cited page shows the exact article, listing or thread that was used, and that is where you can act: you can ask for an update, pitch the author or reply in the thread.
How to use Cited Sources
Collect the cited URLs for your most important category prompts across several AI models over several weeks, because sources change. Rank domains and pages by how often they return; a domain's part of all citations is its citation share. Mark the pages that mention competitors but not you, then act per source type:
Owned: make your pages answer the prompt better than the competitor page cited now.
Earned: offer editors of cited articles data, product access or expert input, the core of digital PR.
Reviews: complete your profiles on cited review platforms and invite customers to review you there.
Community: answer questions in cited threads openly, as a named expert rather than a salesperson.
Reference: correct outdated facts in the directories and knowledge bases that describe you.
Our guide explains how to earn mentions on the sources AI models trust. Trackbase shows which sources AI models cite for the prompts you track, and its prioritized action list includes source-level insights.
Examples of Cited Sources
For "best accounting software for freelancers", the cited sources include two comparison blogs, a review platform, a forum thread and the pricing page of one vendor.
A Dutch bicycle webshop finds one cycling forum thread cited in answers to a dozen e-bike prompts, and its head mechanic starts answering questions there under his own name.
A B2B payroll software vendor sees that the most cited page in its category is an annual roundup of payroll tools that leaves it out, and sends the editor current product details and a demo.
A hotel group finds assistants still mentioning a spa it closed two years ago, based on an outdated tourism directory, and asks for the listing to be updated.
Frequently asked questions
What types of sources do AI assistants cite?
Most answers draw on a mix of owned sites (yours and your competitors'), earned media (news and trade publications), review platforms, community sites (forums and discussion threads) and reference sites (encyclopedias and directories). The mix depends on the question: prompts asking for the best product or vendor tend to pull in reviews and comparisons, while factual questions lean more on reference and specialist sources.
Should I focus on the cited domain or the cited page?
Both, for different reasons. The domain shows which websites a model trusts for a topic, which helps you decide where to invest in PR, reviews or community work. The page shows the exact article, listing or thread that was used, and that is what you can act on. A domain cited through one old article is a different opportunity from one cited through dozens of pages.
How do I get my brand into the sources AI assistants cite?
Start with cited pages that mention competitors but not you. Offer their editors something useful, such as fresh data, product access or expert comments. Complete your profiles on cited review platforms and take part honestly in cited communities. Also make your own pages worth citing, with direct answers and specific facts. Then track the same prompts to see whether the answers change.