Getting cited: the sources AI actually trusts

Not all content earns citations equally. Across the categories we track, a consistent hierarchy of trusted source types emerges, and it rarely starts with a brand's own website.

Review platforms carry outsized weight

Category-specific review sites (G2, Capterra, TripAdvisor-style platforms depending on vertical) are cited disproportionately often because they package structured, comparative, third-party-verified opinion, exactly the shape of evidence a model needs to justify a recommendation.

User-generated content is rising fast

Reddit threads, forum discussions and community Q&As increasingly show up in citations, particularly for nuanced or skeptical questions ("is X actually worth it") where models favour unvarnished opinion over polished marketing copy.

Editorial media anchors category authority

Trade press and independent editorial coverage remain the strongest signal for category-defining claims, "best in class", "industry leader", because models treat them as neutral arbiters rather than interested parties.

Where to invest first

Run the gap analysis before the content calendar: identify which source types get cited most for your highest-intent prompts, then invest in presence there specifically, rather than producing more owned content and hoping it gets picked up.