> ## 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.

# Source metrics

> Retrieved, retrieval rate, citation rate and gap score: how the Citations page measures domains and URLs.

The [Citations](https://docs.echod.ai/analyze/citations.md) page ranks the websites AI platforms use to build their answers. It uses its own set of metrics, described here.

## Sources and citations

Two terms come up on every source metric:

* A **source** is any web page the AI platform lists alongside its answer, for example in its sources panel or list of links.
* A **citation** is a source that is also linked to a specific part of the answer, usually as a small numbered link or chip next to a sentence.

Every citation is a source, but not every source is a citation. A page can be listed among the sources without being linked to anything the answer says.

> [!NOTE]
>
> In a [chat's](https://docs.echod.ai/analyze/chats.md) details, the **Citations** tab shows the cited pages and the **Sources** tab shows only the remaining pages that were not cited. Together they make up all of the answer's sources.

## Retrieved

The share of all answers that used at least one page from this domain.

```text theme={null}
Retrieved = answers that used the domain / all answers x 100
```

If 300 answers were collected and 45 of them used a page from `example.com`, it was retrieved in 15% of answers. This is the clearest measure of how much a domain matters for your prompts.

## Retrieval rate

The average number of different pages from this domain used per answer, across all answers.

```text theme={null}
Retrieval rate = unique pages used from the domain / all answers
```

It is shown as a plain number rather than a percentage, and it can be above 1 when answers regularly use several pages from the same domain. A high retrieval rate usually means the domain has deep coverage of your topics.

## Citation rate for a source

When this domain or URL is used, how many times on average the answer cites it.

```text theme={null}
Citation rate = citations of the source / answers that used the source
```

Also a plain number. A value near 0 means the source is read but rarely credited; a value of 1 or more means answers that use it usually reference it, sometimes more than once.

> [!NOTE]
>
> This is different from the [Citation Rate](https://docs.echod.ai/metrics/citation-rate.md) on the dashboard, which is the percentage of all answers that used your own website.

## Gap score

The total number of competitor mentions in the answers that used this source.

```text theme={null}
Gap score = competitor mentions in answers that used the source
```

A high gap score points to a source that AI platforms rely on and that comes with many competitor mentions: the places where competitors are winning attention. A **-** means no tracked competitor was named in those answers.

## Mentions (URLs only)

On the URLs tab, **Mentions** counts the different brands named in answers that used the page. It shows whether a page tends to feed answers that list many brands or just a few.

## Put it to work

* **Start with gap score.** Sort the Sources table by gap score, then ignore your own and competitors' websites. What remains (review sites, publications, directories, forums) are candidates for outreach, PR, listings or community participation.
* **Look for pages, not just domains.** On the URLs tab, a single listicle or comparison page with a high gap score can be worth more than a whole domain.
* **Check retrieved-but-not-cited.** A domain with high Retrieved and a low citation rate shapes answers quietly. Being featured there still counts, even if the answer never links to it.


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