Mentions
A mention is when the AI names a brand in its response text — the prose it writes to the user.- Brand names the AI recommends, compares, or discusses in its own words
- Each occurrence counts separately — if the AI says “ING” three times, that’s three mentions
- Variations like “C24” and “C24 Bank” are normalized to avoid double-counting the same brand
- Brand names that only appear inside citation links or source references (e.g., a media outlet cited as a source)
- Brand names inside URLs
- Generic terms like “the bank” or “this provider”
Citations
A citation is when the AI explicitly links to a URL as a source in its response.sparkasse.de. It counts toward Share of Search.
What counts:
- URLs the AI includes as inline links or footnote references in its response
- Matched by domain — if the AI links to any page on
sparkasse.de, that counts for Sparkasse regardless of what the link text says - The anchor text (the clickable text) is tracked for context but doesn’t affect the metric
- Brand names in the response text without a link — those are mentions, not citations
- URLs that appear only in the AI’s search results but not in the final response — those are sources
Sources (Search Results)
A source is a URL that appeared in the AI engine’s retrieval pool — the pages it considered while generating its response. Not every source makes it into the final response. The AI retrieves many pages, then selects which ones to cite. What counts:- URLs the AI engine retrieved during its search, whether or not it cited them
- Matched by domain
- Sources are the denominator in Selection Rate
- If your domain appears in sources but not in citations, the AI is finding your content but choosing not to use it — usually a signal that your content alignment needs work
How they connect
| Signal | Where it appears | Metric it feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Mention | AI’s prose text | Share of Voice |
| Citation | Inline link in response | Share of Search |
| Source | AI’s retrieval pool | Selection Rate (denominator) |
A high number of source appearances with few citations means AI engines are finding your content but not selecting it. Focus on improving your Alignment Score to close that gap.