Measurement
Citation gap
A citation gap is a source that answer engines trust in your category, that already cites your competitors, and that has not yet cited you. Closing one is among the most direct ways to improve AI visibility.
In more detail
Gaps are worth ranking by weight — a source cited sixty times in your category is worth far more attention than one cited twice.
The route in depends on the source. Review sites reward a complete profile, listicles respond to outreach, and documentation sites mostly need accurate information they can find.
How Allswap measures this
Guides that cover this
Related terms
Cited source
A cited source is a page or domain that an answer engine links to when answering a question. In most categories a small group of sources accounts for the majority of citations, and that group decides which brands get recommended.
Citation
A citation is a link an answer engine attaches to its response to show where information came from. Citations reveal which sources shaped the answer, which makes them the clearest signal of what to work on.
Source authority
Source authority is how much weight answer engines give a particular website when answering questions in a category. High-authority sources are cited repeatedly, and the brands they name benefit accordingly.
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