Measurement
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.
In more detail
Which sources dominate varies sharply by category. Software questions tend to pull from review sites, documentation and community threads; health and finance questions pull from established publishers.
How Allswap measures this
Related terms
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.
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.
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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