> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.rankability.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.rankability.com/track/ai-citations-tab.md).

# Reading AI citations

Use **AI citations** to see which pages supported captured AI answers, which platforms cited each source, whether the page mentions the tracked brand, and which non-owned sources may be realistic outreach targets.

A citation means an AI platform referenced a source. It does not automatically mean the source mentions the brand, links to the client, endorses the brand, or caused the answer.

## Before you start

The project needs a completed AI scan from at least one platform that tracks citations. If every enabled AI platform is configured for mentions only, the AI citations view is unavailable because no citation bucket is being measured.

Start with [Reading AI answers](/track/ai-answers-tab.md) when you need the answer text that produced the citation set.

## Read the source table

1. Open the relevant project and choose **AI citations**.
2. Select the platforms you want to include.
3. Review each source's URL, title, platforms, best citation position, and weighted score.
4. Check whether the URL is the primary domain, another owned asset, or an external source.
5. Open citation history, changes, or volatility when you need evidence across multiple completed runs.

The source score is weighted by platform reach and citation position; it is not traffic, authority, or a guarantee that the page influenced an answer. A source cited by several platforms can rank above a one-platform source even when both appear once.

## Analyze what the cited page says

Citation analysis fetches the cited page and checks for the brand, a recognized owned link, source type, opportunity status, and available sentiment evidence.

1. Select **Analyze citations**.
2. Review the usage impact for sources that have not been analyzed.
3. After processing, use the filters to narrow the table.

Analysis is included in full-platform pooled usage. **Analyze citations** covers only sources without a result, so canonical URLs already analyzed are skipped.

**Re-analyze** is different: it re-checks the current citation sources and updates results that have gone stale, including a false opportunity for a page that is now linked. Rankability shows the source count and relative usage impact for you to confirm first, and pauses when a pooled on-demand window reaches its limit.

Re-analysis covers exactly the sources the table is showing — the selected keyword and AI location, using each platform's latest result. It does not reach URLs that appear only in older history, and confirming a later refresh starts a new on-demand attempt rather than repeating the one you already approved.

Read the resulting states as follows:

| State             | Meaning                                                                                         |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Linked**        | The page mentions the brand and links to a recognized owned domain or page.                     |
| **Unlinked**      | The page mentions the brand but no recognized owned link was detected.                          |
| **Opportunity**   | The analyzed page does not mention the brand and is classified as a realistic external target.  |
| **Gap**           | The analyzed page does not mention the brand, but it may not be a practical outreach target.    |
| **Not available** | The page could not be reached or analyzed, such as a paywall, login wall, or temporary failure. |
| **Not analyzed**  | No citation analysis exists for this source yet.                                                |
| **Owned**         | The URL matches the primary domain or the client's owned-asset registry.                        |

## Use the filters

* **All** shows every source in the selected platform scope.
* **Has mention** shows linked and unlinked brand mentions.
* **Gaps** shows analyzed pages that do not mention the brand.
* **Opportunities** narrows gaps to non-owned sources classified as realistic outreach or content targets.

An opportunity is a prioritization aid, not a promise that the publisher will add a mention or that an AI platform will continue citing the page.

## Keep owned assets accurate

Rankability automatically recognizes the primary domain and can recognize other assets registered for the client. Use the shield action to mark or unmark an off-domain page or domain as owned when the automatic classification is incomplete.

Owned classification affects how Rankability presents citation opportunities. Verify shared publishing platforms at the page level so one owned profile does not make an entire third-party domain look owned.

## Move a source into Prospector

For a non-owned source, use the bookmark action to add the URL to an existing or new Prospector list. Rankability checks canonical list membership so a URL already saved in Prospector is shown as saved instead of being silently duplicated.

Use [Prospector](/promote/prospector-guide.md) to qualify the source, assign outreach work, and keep the citation report focused on evidence rather than relationship management.

## Understand history and alerts

Citation history and volatility compare persisted completed runs. A source can be added, removed, or change position as platforms alter their retrieval results. Compare the same keyword, platform, location, and time window before labeling a change as meaningful.

Recent citation alerts are signals to investigate. Dismissing an alert changes its notification state; it does not delete the underlying citation history.

## Troubleshooting

* If the table is empty, confirm an AI scan completed and the selected platforms returned citations.
* If the tab is missing, check whether the project's enabled AI platforms are configured for mentions only.
* If a source says **Not available**, inspect the URL manually; Rankability may be blocked even when the page opens in your browser.
* If an owned source is shown as external, update the client's owned assets and rerun the free classification reconciliation.
* If a citation's own result looks stale, use **Re-analyze** to recheck the current sources. To refresh the AI answer behind the citations, run the appropriate AI scan instead; citation analysis does not refresh the answer.

## Next steps

* [Understand how citations affect SPI](/track/understanding-spi.md)
* [Compare traditional and AI evidence](/track/traditional-search-tab.md)
* [Use Page Content Auditor](/audit/page-content-auditor-guide.md)