Citations

Citations show the source ecosystem behind AI answers. If you are missing from the sources AI relies on, you will often struggle to rank consistently—especially on “best X” prompts where trust and evidence matter.

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Left vs. right panels (what each one means)

The Citations page is split into two panels because there are really two different questions you need to answer:

• “What sources does AI use when it talks about us?” (left)
• “What sources does AI use when it answers the prompts we care about?” (right)

Understanding the difference is important because the actions are different. The left panel tells you how well your own content is serving as “the source of truth” about your brand. The right panel tells you which parts of the internet you need to influence to win more visibility on the queries you track.

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Left: Sources used to talk about your brand

What it is: The citations AI uses in responses where your brand is discussed or referenced. Think of this as the “source ecosystem behind your brand’s narrative.” How to use it: Use this panel to understand whether AI is learning about you from:

• Your own website (best case)
• Third-party editorial coverage
• Competitor pages
• Or social/community sources

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What it means if your website is the top source (high Owned share)

If the left panel is dominated by Owned citations (your domain), it usually means:

• Your site contains clear, citeable information about your product and brand,
• AI can reliably use your content as evidence,
• your narrative is more controllable (you can update your pages and AI will pick it up).

Typical next step: Keep strengthening a small set of “source pages” (pricing, security/trust, comparisons, FAQs) because these pages often drive both better rankings and more accurate sentiment.

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What it means if your website is not the top source

If the left panel is dominated by Off-page, Social, or Competitor citations, it usually means:

• AI is learning about your brand primarily from outside sources,
• your owned pages may be missing key information or not structured to be cited,
• narratives (including negatives) may be shaped by third parties.

Typical next steps:

• Upgrade your owned “source pages” (Website → Pages) so they’re citeable (clear headings, direct answers, FAQs + schema).
• Earn more high-quality mentions on trusted editorial domains (Off-page → Outreach).
• If Social dominates, engage where those narratives form (Off-page → Engage).

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Right: Sources used to answer your prompts

The citations AI uses across answers to the prompts you track (whether or not you are mentioned). Think of this as the “source corpus” AI is pulling from to answer the exact questions you want to win. This panel is often the most important for improving visibility because it shows the sources that define the answers in your category.

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How to use it

Use the right panel to answer:

• Which websites dominate the category conversation for our prompts?
• Are the driver sources mostly editorial, social, or owned brand pages?
• Which specific URLs are being cited repeatedly for our key prompt themes?

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What to do with this information (the practical takeaway)

If you want to show up more often, you typically need to do one (or more) of these:

• Get included in the driver sources (Off-page Outreach to the domains that keep appearing).
• Publish content aligned to those sources and formats (Opportunities / Content) so your pages compete with what AI already trusts.
• Create or upgrade “source pages” on your site that directly answer the prompt intent (Website → Pages), then build authority so AI starts citing them.

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Why your site may be absent on the right panel (and why that’s normal)

It is very common for the right panel to be dominated by:

• Major editorial sites
• Wikipedia-style references
• Community sources like Reddit
• Or niche review sites.

That is not “bad” by itself. It simply tells you what the model is currently using as evidence for your prompt set. Your goal is to earn a place in that evidence set over time.

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Domains vs URLs

Citations typically have two levels:

• Domains tell you which sites matter most (strategy view).
• URLs tell you which exact pages are being cited (execution view).

If you are deciding where to invest off-page effort, start with Domains. If you are creating a specific “source page,” start with URLs.

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Citation types

Meridian groups citations into:

• Owned (your domain),
• Off-page (third-party editorial),
• Competitor (competitor domains),
• Social (forums and social platforms).

This breakdown helps you understand what the ecosystem is rewarding.

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How to use Citations to plan work

A practical approach is:

1. Identify top driver domains and URLs.
2. Find where competitor domains are heavily cited.
3. Decide how you can realistically influence the ecosystem:
   • Earn inclusion on third-party pages (Off-page Outreach).
   • Participate in communities where social sources drive answers (Off-page Engage).
   • Improve your own “source pages” so they are citeable (Website → Pages fixes).

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Example use cases

• If Reddit is a major driver in your category, it is often worth engaging in a small number of high-impact threads consistently.
• If a specific editorial domain drives many answers, outreach for inclusion on those pages can materially change rank stability.
• If competitor domains dominate, it is a signal that your “official” pages are not being relied on as sources yet.