What should a brand prioritize after reading the source data?
Start by mapping which domains recur for the brand’s tracked prompts, then separate observed source gaps from assumptions. The public index is a benchmark, not proof that one source strategy causes visibility.
The key numbers.
- Reference category share
- Partial hand-maintained source classification.
- 1.48%
- Social category share
- Social is the largest named category, led by YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
- 6.11%
- Review category share
- Partial hand-maintained source classification.
- 1.11%
- Tracked brands
- Current brand-snapshot coverage.
- 1,928
Prioritize repeat observations in your own prompt set and validate any intervention against later responses.
The evidence.
Source
AI Citation Index
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Reference category share Partial hand-maintained source classification. | 1.48% |
| Social category share Social is the largest named category, led by YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn. | 6.11% |
| Review category share Partial hand-maintained source classification. | 1.11% |
| Tracked brands Current brand-snapshot coverage. | 1,928 |
Population and method
Built from 80,769,585 citation appearances across 725,777 unique domains in the latest valid snapshot for 1,928 tracked brands, observed from October 3, 2025 to October 14, 2026.
Where the evidence stops
The index is a changing panel of tracked brands and prompts, not a random sample of all AI responses.
Domain share is observational. It does not establish causal influence or reveal the full retrieval set.
The hand-maintained source taxonomy is partial: 88.40% of citation appearances remain in “other”.
Model attribution, response-level citation denominators, geography, raw prompts, and raw responses are not retained in the public aggregate.
What to do with this
- Audit the domains that already dominate your category and decide which ones are realistic citation targets.
- Build source-worthy pages for the query shapes where AI is already citing third parties.
- Treat reference, review, and social sources as part of your AI visibility surface, not as noise.
This answer matters because it turns a study finding into an operating rule teams can use when they decide what to publish, refresh, or measure next.
Questions about this answer.
Cite this answer.
Source study: Citation Sources“Start by mapping which domains recur for the brand’s tracked prompts, then separate observed source gaps from assumptions. The public index is a benchmark, not proof that one source strategy causes visibility.”
Mack Grenfell · What should a brand prioritize after reading the source data?
AI Citation Index · Trakkr Research · Updated 14 October 2026