AI Citations explained
An AI citation is a link displayed with an AI answer to show where information came from: Perplexity’s numbered references, supporting links in Google AI Overviews, source links in ChatGPT search, references in Copilot.
Citations depend mainly on your own pages: they must be retrievable by the platform and contain clear, specific information relevant to the question. Not every source used is shown, and answers from a model’s training alone usually have no citations.
Being cited is different from being mentioned: an answer can cite your page without naming your brand in the text, or name your brand while citing someone else’s page.
AI Citations: an example
Perplexity answers a question about GST filing deadlines with four numbered sources; one of them is your guide — that is an AI citation.
Why it matters for search and AI visibility
A citation means your page was retrieved and judged useful. It can drive visits and builds recognition even when users don't click.
Last reviewed by the Prisol team.