> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.echod.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Citations

> See which domains and pages AI platforms rely on for your prompts, and find the sources worth targeting.

AI platforms build their answers from web pages. If you know which pages they use for your buyers' questions, you know where your brand needs to be present. The **Citations** page shows exactly that, for the prompts you track.

The page has two tabs: **Domains** groups everything by website, and **URLs** lists individual pages.

![Citations page, Domains tab, with Domain Movers, Domain Types and the Sources table](https://mintcdn.com/sherpas-design/qmEl5MUhXLHMeD6J/images/analyze/citations-domains.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=qmEl5MUhXLHMeD6J\&q=85\&s=209b4a89eaaf6e2299d54d0806c59398)

## What is on each tab

* **Source retrievals over time**: how often sources were used across the period.
* **Domain Movers** / **URL Movers**: four views of the period's notable sources:
  * **Top**: used the most
  * **New**: appeared for the first time
  * **Trending**: used increasingly often
  * **Losing**: used less and less
* **Domain Types** / **URL Types**: how the sources split by type (see below).
* **Sources**: the full table, sortable by any column.

### Domains table

| Column | Meaning |
| - | - |
| **Source** | The domain |
| **Domain type** | What kind of website it is |
| **Retrieved** | Share of all answers that used this domain |
| **Retrieval rate** | Average number of the domain's pages used per answer |
| **Citation rate** | How often the domain is referenced when it is used |
| **Gap score** | Competitor mentions in answers that used the domain |

### URLs table

| Column | Meaning |
| - | - |
| **URL** | The page |
| **URL type** | What kind of page it is |
| **Domain type** | What kind of website it belongs to |
| **Mentions** | Number of different brands named in answers that used the page |
| **Retrievals** | How many times the page was used |
| **Citation rate** | How often the page is referenced when it is used |
| **Gap score** | Competitor mentions in answers that used the page |

All of these are explained with formulas in [Source metrics](https://docs.echod.ai/metrics/source-metrics.md).

## Domain types

| Type | Websites that are... |
| - | - |
| **You** | Your own domain |
| **Competitor** | A tracked competitor's domain |
| **UGC** | Built from user contributions: forums, Q\&A sites, social platforms, review communities |
| **Corporate** | Company websites other than yours and your tracked competitors' |
| **Editorial** | News sites, magazines, blogs and other publications |
| **Reference** | Encyclopedias, dictionaries and documentation |
| **Institutional** | Government, education and non-profit organizations |
| **Other** | Classified, but fitting none of the above |
| **Unclassified** | Not classified yet |

## URL types

**Homepage**, **Category Page**, **Product Page**, **Article**, **Listicle** (a ranked or "top 10" list), **How-To Guide**, **Comparison**, **Alternative** (pages listing alternatives to a product), **Discussion** (threads and comments), **Profile** (a company or person profile) and **Other**.

URL types tell you what kind of content AI platforms prefer for your prompts, which is a strong hint about what to create.

## Domain and URL detail pages

Click any domain or URL to open its detail page.

**Domain detail** shows:

* Retrievals over time
* **Top Topics**: the topics this domain is used for, with citations, platforms and trend
* **Platform Breakdown**: which AI platforms use it most
* **URLs**: its individual pages, with citations, share, platforms, topics and trend

**URL detail** shows:

* The page's URL type, domain type, retrievals, citation rate and the number of prompts it is used for, with an **Open URL** link
* Retrievals over time and per AI platform
* **Brands Mentioned**: which brands appear in answers that used this page, and how often
* **Prompts**: the prompts it is used for

![URL detail page showing retrievals over time and the brands mentioned alongside it](https://mintcdn.com/sherpas-design/qmEl5MUhXLHMeD6J/images/analyze/citations-url-detail.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=qmEl5MUhXLHMeD6J\&q=85\&s=a1cae190fbd495c965583435c3eaf266)

## Put it to work

**1. Check your own site**

Find your own domain (type **You**) in the Domains table and open it. Which topics use it? Which pages? Topics where your site is never used are where to add or improve content.

**2. Find the gaps**

Sort by **Gap score** and look past competitors' own sites. Review sites, publications, directories and communities with high gap scores are where competitors get attention and you do not.

**3. Pick an approach per type**

* **Editorial**: pitch stories, offer data or expert quotes, request inclusion in round-ups.
* **UGC**: take part genuinely in the communities where your category is discussed.
* **Corporate** and directories: partnerships, integrations and listings.
* **Reference**: make sure facts about your company are accurate and up to date.
* **Listicle** and **Comparison** URLs: ask to be included, or publish an honest comparison of your own.

**4. Watch the movers**

Check **New** and **Trending** regularly. A source that suddenly gets used a lot is shaping answers right now.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.