Mentioned vs cited: the two ways AI can name your brand
AI can name your brand without linking to you, or link to you without naming the brand. These are different problems with different fixes, so track both.
Two different results
When an AI answer touches your market, one of four things happens:
| Cited | Not cited | |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Best case: named and linked | Mentioned only |
| Not named | Cited only | Absent |
Most people track one number and miss which cell they’re in.
Mentioned but not cited
The model knows your brand, probably from elsewhere, such as reviews, communities or other sites. But none of your own pages is the source it reached for. The fix is usually content: a page that answers the question directly, so there is something to cite.
Cited but not named
Your page is useful enough to be a source, but the answer doesn’t connect your brand to the category. The fix is usually association: consistent naming and description of the product across your site and elsewhere, and being present in comparison and “best of” contexts.
Absent
Neither. Start with the questions where you should plainly appear, and publish pages for them.
How to track it
Keep a fixed bank of questions in three groups: brand, user intent, and competitor comparison. Send them to the major models on a schedule, and for each answer record whether you were named, whether you were cited, and who was named instead. Report the two rates separately. We use this on our own product; the case has the numbers.
FAQ
Which is more valuable, a mention or a citation?
It depends on the goal. A mention puts your name in front of the reader. A citation sends traffic and signals your page was useful. You usually want both, and they need different fixes.