What it means
Citations show which pages an answer engine relied on. They can point to the brand's own site, to competitors, to review platforms, to media or to community forums. Engines display them differently, and some answers carry none at all.
RecoProof counts only citations displayed with the retained answer. Sources an engine retrieved but did not show are not citations, and a citation is recorded separately from whether the answer recommends the brand.
Why it matters
Citations are the most inspectable part of an AI answer. They show which evidence shapes recommendations in your category and whether your own pages are part of it, which is what Citation Share measures.
Example
An answer recommending three HR platforms cites a review site, one vendor's comparison page and a community forum thread. The vendor whose page is cited has a citation; the other two are recommended on the strength of third-party pages.
Common misunderstandings
- A citation is not a recommendation: an answer can cite your page and recommend a competitor.
- More citations do not mean a better answer; some engines simply list more sources.
- A citation does not prove that the answer represents the cited page accurately.