GEO glossaryLLM citation
Measurement
What is LLM citation?
Quick answer
An LLM citation is when the AI links to or names your website as a source inside its answer, the highest form of visibility, because it both mentions you and sends the buyer to you.
There's a real gap between being named and being cited. The AI can say "brands like yours are a good option" without pointing anywhere, nice, but no traffic and no proof. A citation is different. It attaches your name to a source: a link, a footnote, a "according to." The buyer can click through, and your credibility rides along with the answer.
Citations only show up in grounded answers, the ones where the engine actually searches the web before replying, rather than answering from memory. So the same brand can be cited in Perplexity, which searches by default, and merely mentioned in a model answering offline. Where and how the AI cites is itself a signal worth watching.
You raise your odds of being cited the same way you earn any trust: give the engine something clean and quotable to point at. Clear definitions, honest numbers with sources, structured FAQs, content that reads like a reference. A page that states a fact plainly and backs it is far easier to cite than one that talks around the point.
Frequently asked
How is being mentioned different from being cited?
A mention names you; a citation names you and links a source. Citation is presence plus proof plus a click-through.
Which engines cite links most?
Grounded engines that search the web (Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and search-enabled modes) cite far more than offline answers.
How do I raise my chances of being cited?
Give engines clean, quotable material to point at: plain definitions, sourced numbers, structured FAQs.
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