Citations

Citations automatically discovers and analyzes online mentions of your brand using AI-powered research techniques. Unlike basic brand monitoring tools that rely on simple keyword searches, Citations uses intelligent research questions to uncover authentic discussions, reviews, comparisons, and user experiences across diverse online platforms.

The system generates realistic customer research questions about your brand, then searches the web to find genuine citations where your brand is discussed, mentioned, or referenced in real user contexts.

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How Citations Work

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AI-Powered Discovery Process

Citations uses advanced AI to simulate how real customers research brands online. The system automatically generates diverse research questions tailored to your brand, such as:

User Experience Questions

• “Is [Brand] worth the money?”
• “Real user experience with [Brand]”
• “[Brand] customer service experience”

Comparison Questions

• “[Brand] vs [Competitor] which is better”
• “Best alternatives to [Brand]”
• “Should I choose [Brand] or [Competitor]”

Problem-Solving Questions

• “[Brand] common problems and solutions”
• “[Brand] customer complaints”
• “Issues with [Brand] and how to fix”

Use Case Questions

• “[Brand] for small business review”
• “[Brand] pricing for [specific scenario]”
• “How [Brand] works for [target audience]“

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Daily Automated Research

Citations runs automatically each day, generating fresh research questions and conducting comprehensive web searches to discover new mentions of your brand. This ensures you maintain current awareness of how your brand is being discussed across the internet.

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Comprehensive Analysis

Each discovered citation receives detailed analysis including sentiment scoring, topic extraction, authority assessment, and contextual classification to help you understand not just where you’re mentioned, but how and why.

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Understanding Your Citations Dashboard

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Citations Overview Table

The main interface displays all discovered citations with key metrics at a glance.

What you’re seeing: A comprehensive table showing:

• DR (Domain Rating): The authority score of the website hosting the citation
• PA (Page Authority): The specific page’s authority score
• URL: The web address where your brand is mentioned
• Sentiment: How positively or negatively your brand is discussed (0-100 scale)
• Visibility: How prominently your brand appears in that specific content
• First Seen: When the citation was first discovered

What it means: This provides your complete brand mention landscape with quality indicators. Higher DR/PA scores indicate citations from more authoritative sources, while sentiment and visibility scores show the nature and prominence of each mention.

Why it matters: Understanding where and how your brand is mentioned helps you:

• Monitor reputation across diverse online platforms
• Identify high-authority mentions that carry more weight for your brand perception
• Track sentiment trends to understand changing brand perception
• Discover content opportunities based on how others discuss your brand

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Citation Details Analysis

Click any citation to view comprehensive analysis including research context and detailed insights.

What you’re seeing: Detailed breakdown showing:

• Model: Which AI system discovered the citation
• Sentiment: Numerical sentiment score with context
• Visibility: Brand prominence score for this specific mention
• Topic Type: Whether the discussion is brand-specific, competitor-focused, or organic
• Topic Intent: Whether the content is informational or commercial in nature
• Topic Tags: Key themes and subjects discussed in the citation
• Page Title: The specific title of the content mentioning your brand
• Page Snippet: Excerpt showing the context of your brand mention

What it means: This analysis reveals the deeper context of how and why your brand is being discussed. Topic tags show what subjects people associate with your brand, while intent classification helps understand whether mentions drive consideration or just awareness.

Why it matters: Detailed citation analysis helps you:

• Understand brand associations through topic analysis
• Identify content themes that resonate in your market
• Assess mention quality beyond just sentiment scores
• Guide content strategy based on actual online discussions

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Domain and Authority Metrics

Domain Rating and Page Authority provide third-party validation of citation quality and potential impact.

Domain Rating (DR): Measures the overall authority and trustworthiness of the website hosting your brand mention. Higher scores indicate more established, credible sources.

Page Authority (PA): Assesses the specific page’s authority and ranking potential. Shows how much SEO value and credibility the individual mention carries.

Why these matter: Citations from high-authority sources carry more weight for:

• Brand credibility when potential customers research you
• SEO benefits if the citations include links to your website
• Reputation impact since authoritative sources influence opinion more strongly
• Competitive intelligence by showing where competitors are also mentioned

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Sentiment and Visibility Scoring

Sentiment Score (0-100): Measures how positively or negatively your brand is discussed

• 80-100: Very positive discussion and recommendations
• 60-79: Generally positive with some balanced perspective
• 40-59: Neutral or mixed sentiment
• 20-39: Generally negative with criticism or concerns
• 0-19: Very negative discussion or strong criticism

Visibility Score (0-100): Measures how prominently your brand appears in the content

• High visibility: Brand mentioned in titles, headers, or as main focus
• Medium visibility: Brand discussed significantly within content
• Low visibility: Brand mentioned briefly or in passing

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Strategic Applications

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Reputation Management and Monitoring

Citations provides comprehensive reputation oversight by discovering discussions across platforms you might never find through manual monitoring. Track sentiment trends over time to identify reputation issues early, and monitor how brand perception changes following product launches, marketing campaigns, or competitive developments.

Use citation analysis to understand the full context of brand discussions rather than just tracking mention volume. Negative sentiment citations help identify specific customer concerns or competitive vulnerabilities, while positive citations reveal your strongest brand associations and customer advocates.

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Competitive Intelligence and Market Positioning

Discover how your brand is positioned relative to competitors in authentic customer discussions. Citations often reveal comparative mentions where customers evaluate your brand against alternatives, providing insights into your competitive strengths and weaknesses from real user perspectives.

Analyze the types of content and platforms where your brand appears compared to competitors. If competitors dominate certain high-authority sources or discussion contexts, this reveals opportunities to increase your presence in those channels.

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Content Strategy and Brand Messaging

Use citation topic analysis to understand what themes and subjects people naturally associate with your brand. High-frequency topic tags reveal the strongest brand associations in actual customer discussions, helping guide messaging strategy and content creation.

Identify content gaps by analyzing what questions and concerns appear in citations but aren’t addressed in your marketing materials. Customer discussions often reveal pain points, use cases, or comparison criteria that you can address through targeted content.

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Customer Research and Market Intelligence

Citations provide authentic customer sentiment and feedback that supplements traditional market research. Real discussions about your brand reveal unfiltered opinions about product features, customer service experiences, pricing perceptions, and user satisfaction.

Track emerging trends in how customers discuss your industry or product category. Changes in citation patterns, topics, or sentiment can indicate shifting market dynamics, emerging customer needs, or competitive threats before they appear in traditional market research.

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Best Practices

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Interpreting Citation Data

Focus on patterns rather than individual citations when analyzing your brand’s online presence. Look for consistent themes in sentiment, topics, and source types rather than reacting to isolated mentions. Sustained patterns provide more reliable insights into genuine brand perception trends.

Consider the authority and context of citations when prioritizing response or analysis efforts. High-authority negative citations deserve immediate attention, while low-authority positive mentions, though valuable for sentiment tracking, may require less strategic focus.

Cross-reference citation sentiment with the actual content context shown in detailed analysis. Automated sentiment scoring provides useful trends, but human review of significant citations ensures accurate interpretation of complex or nuanced discussions.

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Reputation Response Strategy

Use citation analysis to prioritize which mentions warrant direct engagement or response. High-authority sources with negative sentiment or factual inaccuracies may justify proactive outreach, while positive citations from authoritative sources might warrant relationship building.

Monitor citation patterns for early warning signs of reputation issues. Increases in negative sentiment, emerging critical topics, or changes in discussion context can indicate developing challenges that require strategic response before they escalate.

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Content and SEO Strategy Development

Leverage citation insights to optimize your content strategy around topics that generate natural discussion about your brand. If citations frequently mention specific use cases, comparisons, or questions, create authoritative content addressing these themes to capture related search traffic.

Identify high-authority sources that mention your brand for potential relationship building and content partnership opportunities. Websites that naturally cite your brand may be receptive to deeper collaboration or guest content opportunities.

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Competitive Benchmarking

Compare your citation patterns with competitive intelligence to understand relative brand presence and sentiment in online discussions. Analyze where competitors receive mentions that you don’t, and vice versa, to identify market positioning opportunities.

Track how competitive mentions change over time relative to your own citation trends. Shifts in comparative sentiment, authority of citing sources, or discussion topics can indicate changing competitive dynamics that inform strategic planning.

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