LLM citations
The sources an AI model names or links when it answers, the AI-era equivalent of a ranking.
In depth
What it really means
LLM citations are the sources a large language model references when it generates an answer, whether it names a brand, quotes a page or links out. In AI search, being cited is the new equivalent of ranking: it is how you get seen and clicked.
Citations are how you measure AI visibility. If assistants consistently cite you for your topic, you are winning the AI surface; if they cite competitors, you have work to do.
Example
Perplexity answers a question and lists four numbered sources beneath it. Being one of those four is the AI-era equivalent of a page-one ranking: it drives the referral and signals authority.
Best practices
- Publish clear, quotable, well-sourced content.
- Structure answers so a model can lift a clean passage.
- Keep facts accurate; models drop sources they can’t trust.
- Earn third-party mentions that reinforce your authority.
- Track citations across assistants for your key queries.
- Fill the gaps where competitors get cited and you don’t.
FAQs
What are LLM citations?
The sources an AI model names or links when it answers. In AI search, being cited is the equivalent of ranking.
How do I get cited by AI models?
Publish clear, accurate, well-structured content, earn trust with third-party mentions, and make your key facts easy to lift and verify.
How do I track AI citations?
Prompt the major assistants with your important queries and record which sources they cite, then watch the trend over time.
Why do citations matter?
They drive referral traffic and signal authority. Being cited is how you get seen when the answer replaces the list of links.
Do citations replace rankings?
They add a new surface rather than replacing rankings outright, but for AI-first searchers, citations are what count.
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