Solutions by need 4 of 8

AI citation and source analysis: see which pages AI trusts

AI answers lean on sources: review sites, guides, forums and vendor pages. MentionX stores every URL engines cite on your buyer prompts, so you see which sources shape the answer and which leave you out.

Start free See how it's calculated

Citations stored this scan1,627

Citation share9%

Kestrel's citation share30%

Open sources28%

Example: Vela CRM is an invented brand, scanned on Nova (200 prompts × 4 engines).

The definition

What is AI citation analysis?

AI citation analysis looks at the web pages AI engines cite when they answer buyer questions, and which brands those pages support. MentionX stores every cited URL, so you can see which sources shape recommendations in your category and where you are missing.

Every cited URL stored: Kept with the answer, the engine and the date, whenever an engine returns citations.
Tied to a brand: Each citation is tied to the tracked brands it names, so you see whose case a source makes.
Citation share, in code: Citations tied to you ÷ all citations, counted from stored evidence.

What's the best CRM for a 20-person B2B sales team?

Most guides recommend Kestrel^#1 for its integrations[1] and Pipewise^#2 for forecasting[2]. A sales-ops forum thread also mentions Halyard[3].

[1]crm-review-hub.example/best-crm[2]forecasting-guide.example[3]sales-ops-forum.example/thread

Recorded for Vela CRM0 of 3 citationsEvery source in this answer makes a rival's case.

Tied to youTied to rivalsNo tracked brand

Example answers and .example domains. Kestrel, Pipewise, Halyard and Vela CRM are invented brands.

Four kinds of source

Every citation supports someone's case

MentionX ties each cited page to the tracked brands it names. Citation share is the slice tied to you.

No tracked brand

A guide or thread that names none of the tracked brands. Open to pitch.

How to choose a CRM: a checklist for sales leaders.

Tied to other rivals

Names Pipewise or Halyard, not you.

…Pipewise's forecasting was the strongest we tested.

Tied to Kestrel

Names the leading rival, not you.

…Kestrel tops our list of CRMs for small teams.

Tied to Vela CRM

Your own page, or a page that names you.

…Vela CRM had us live in a day.

All citations: the denominator4 kinds

Your citation sharetied to you

The calculation

How citation share is calculated

Each square below is two citations from stored answers, coloured by whose case the page makes. Engines that cite more sources get bigger blocks.

Tied to Vela CRMTied to KestrelTied to other rivalsNo tracked brand

ChatGPT

Gemini

Google AI Overviews

Google AI Mode

Each square is 2 citations. Engines that produce more get bigger blocks.1,627 citations this scan

Citation share = citations tied to youall citations

144 ÷ 1,627 = 9%1,627 citations across 4 engines

1,032 citations name a rival but not Vela CRM: that's your outreach and content list.

Example data for an invented brand. Counts are calculated in code from stored answers; formulas are published on the methodology page.

Kestrel's citation shareYour citation shareGap between them

Week over week

Sources move, then answers move

A new source can change an answer. Weekly re-runs show which sources moved and what changed with them.

Your citation shareWeek 1 to week 8+4 pts

Kestrel's citation shareWeek 1 to week 8−3 pts

Gap to Kestrel28 pts to 21 pts−7 pts

Example data for an invented brand.

The method

How to analyse AI citations, step by step

Day 0
Set the prompts
MentionX builds buyer prompts from your URL and market. You edit the list.
Day 1
Store every source
Each answer is saved with every URL the engine cited, whenever it cites any.
Week 1
Rank the domains
Group citations by domain and find the ones that support rivals but not you.
Weeks 2–4
Earn or publish
Pitch the guides and review sites engines trust, and publish pages that answer what they cite.
Monthly
Track citation share
Your share of citations by engine and domain, next to each rival.

Reading the results

Five patterns worth acting on

Citations tell you where to spend outreach and content time. These patterns tell you which sources first.

Every chart here uses one colour code

Coral: absent, or a rival aheadBlue: mentioned, not pickedMint: recommendedSilver: first choice, or you

One domain dominates the citations

Engines lean on a single review site or guide in your category.

First move: Make sure that page covers you accurately, then check again next week.

Citation & Source Intelligence

One engine cites you, another never does

Engines draw on different pools of sources.

First move: Compare cited domains engine by engine.

Cross-Engine Monitoring

Mentioned often, cited rarely

AI knows your name but doesn't cite pages that make your case.

First move: Publish pages engines can cite: comparisons, docs and customer proof.

GEO Content Agent

Your citations fall after a site update

A page that named you was changed or replaced.

First move: Find the URL in last week's evidence and contact the publisher.

Answers & Evidence

Open sources keep appearing

Guides that name no tracked brand are being cited.

First move: Pitch them first: there's no rival to displace.

Action Board

The tools behind it

The MentionX features that do the work

Plans

How much each plan tracks

Answers per scan is prompts × engines, re-run 4 times a month. Spark and above include unlimited seats and competitors; Starter includes 3 of each.

SparkSelf-serve

$149 /mo

100 prompts × 3 engines = 300 answers a scan

Each square is 10 answers1,200 a month

ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Choose Spark

NovaSelf-serve

$249 /mo

200 prompts × 4 engines = 800 answers a scan

Each square is 10 answers3,200 a month

Adds Google AI Mode

Choose Nova

GalaxySelf-serve

$599 /mo

300 prompts × 5 engines = 1,500 answers a scan

Each square is 10 answers6,000 a month

Adds Perplexity

Choose Galaxy

Core citation views on Spark and Nova; full source monitoring on Galaxy.

Questions

Citation & source analysis, answered

The questions buyers ask before they start. Your first scan answers the rest with your own data.

Read the methodology

Which sources does ChatGPT use to recommend brands?

It varies by category and prompt. Review sites, comparison articles, forums and vendor pages are common. MentionX shows the exact URLs cited in your answers.

What is citation share?

Citations tied to your brand divided by all citations in the stored answers, on the same prompts and engines.

Do all AI engines cite sources?

Citations are stored whenever an engine returns them. Some engines cite more than others, which is why their blocks are bigger.

How do citations help me get recommended?

Engines recommend what their sources support. Appearing accurately in the pages they cite is one of the most direct ways to change an answer.

What is an open source?

A cited page that names none of your tracked brands, such as a general buying guide. It's often the easiest place to earn a mention.

Which plans include citation analysis?

Core citation views are on Spark and Nova; full source monitoring is on Galaxy.

Other needs

Start from a different question

Free forever, no card needed. Free is a plan ($0, no card, ChatGPT): 20 prompts the first week, then 10 a week. There is no 7-day trial

See the sources behind every AI answer

Prefer to talk first?

Talk to the founder· 20 min

Your first scan stores every URL engines cite on your prompts and shows which ones make a rival's case.