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Core concept · Citation & Visibility Measurement

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Definition

A citation signal is any web-based reference — linked or unlinked — that AI systems interpret as evidence of a brand’s authority or relevance on a topic. Citation signals accumulate across independent sources and contribute to the corroboration patterns AI systems use to build entity knowledge. Citation signals are the currency of AI search authority. Every time an independent source references a brand in context — a review, a press mention, a directory listing, a forum post — it adds a citation signal to the brand’s entity record. The aggregate of these signals, weighted by source authority and independence, determines how confidently AI systems cite the brand for relevant queries.

Co-citation

Unlinked brand mention

Brand mention

Source diversity score

Attributed citation

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