> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.haloxlabs.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Citation Tracking: find AI answer sources and gaps
> Citation Tracking shows which owned and external sources AI answers use as evidence, helping teams improve citation rate and source visibility.
## What is this feature?
**Citation Tracking** is the feature that shows which owned and external sources AI answers use as evidence. It is a decision point in the HaloX `diagnose → measure → prioritize → execute → report` loop. Teams use it to read the current signal, split the cause, and decide the next content, source, technical, or reporting action.
## HaloX app location
Citation tracking is read inside Pro mode Prompt Analysis. The `Citation Sources` tab shows which domains repeatedly appear as AI answer sources, and the `Citation Matrix` tab compares citation strength by question type and domain.
*This is the actual HaloX app after selecting Pro mode and opening Prompt Analysis. Start with the `Citation Sources` and `Citation Matrix` tabs, the source and citation KPIs, and the banner that separates source references from actual citations.*
The Citation Sources tab turns repeated AI-answer domains into a table. Compare brand and competitor domains by citation share before deciding whether the next action is an official-page update, external evidence work, or content production.
*The top cited domains table shows which domains repeatedly appear in AI answers. It keeps rank, classification and citation share in one view.*
The Citation Matrix tab compares citation strength by question type and domain. Use the `mention`, `source`, and `citation` criteria plus `count` and `share` views to separate where owned sources are missing and where competitor sources are stronger.
*Use the Citation Matrix tab to choose source-reinforcement work, then route it to Evidence Library, Site Audit, Strategy Map or Content Factory.*
## Inputs and outputs
| Area | What it includes | Example |
| ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Inputs | Site
brand
strategic prompts
clusters
source candidates | Brand name
non-branded prompts
competitors
owned URLs |
| Signals | Scores
answers
sources
citations
web health
gap types | AVI
citation rate
source visibility
urgency
GEO opportunity |
| Outputs | Next priority and reporting sentence | Technical fix
content brief
source work
weekly report note |
## What should you look at first?
Replace “the score is low” with a cause-based sentence such as “official citations are weak for non-branded comparison prompts.”
Move technical blockers to Site Audit. Send question gaps to Prompt Analysis, source gaps to Citation Tracking, and content gaps to Content Factory.
Turn the signal into one next action: a cluster update, page edit, FAQ, source task or weekly report note.
## Main cards, tabs, or metrics
| Area | What to inspect | Decision standard |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Current signal | Score
card
answer
source
or page issue | Baseline and week-over-week movement |
| Gap | Weak prompt
source
content
or competitor advantage | Why the team should act |
| Priority | Urgency
GEO opportunity
AIO fit
SEO foundation | What should happen this week |
| Next action | Content
technical
source
or report work | Whether it can have an owner and deadline |
## Practical use cases
| Situation | What to do with this feature | Output |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| Before a customer meeting | Find weak prompt sets and source gaps. | One-page diagnostic summary |
| Internal execution meeting | Choose this week’s content, technical, or source tasks. | Ticket or content brief |
| Executive/customer reporting | Explain cause and next action, with the score. | Weekly report or export |
| SEO/GEO strategy | Read SEO foundation and AI answer signals together. | Strategy Map and keyword clusters |
## How to explain it in meetings
“This feature shows how far the brand travels inside AI search answers and what content, source, or technical action should happen next.” Avoid customer names, real URLs, and internal KPIs in public documentation.
## FAQ
### Does this feature complete the decision by itself?
No. HaloX features are connected. A signal in Citation Tracking should move into Site Audit, Strategy Map, Content Factory, Citation Tracking, or weekly reporting.
### Do scores map directly to business results?
Most GEO metrics are leading indicators. Mentions and citations usually move first; traffic, branded search and conversion prompts are checked later.
## Related guides and concepts
Start the first 30-minute workflow.
Translate metrics into meeting language.
Understand GEO, AVI, citation rate, and source visibility.
Turn movement into reporting language.
## Difference between Source and Citation
| Term | What it means | Basis | Example reading |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Appearance | A domain or page appears in an answer or source candidate | Domain or URL is detected in engine results | Appearance does not mean final citation. |
| Source | AI uses the page as supporting evidence | Domain or URL is detected as a source candidate | Source volume can reveal citation-conversion opportunities. |
| Citation | AI answer displays the URL/domain as a final source | URL or domain appears in the answer citation area | This is the strongest source-visibility signal. |
| Unique Domain | Number of distinct cited domains | Duplicate URLs are grouped by domain | Check whether competitor domains dominate the source pool. |
| Unique Page | Number of distinct cited pages | URLs are deduplicated | Check whether visibility depends on one page or several evidence pages. |
## Citation Sources KPI definitions
| KPI | What it means | Next action |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Total Citations | Total citation events | Read citation volume with brand and competitor share. |
| Unique Domains | Diversity of cited domains | Check whether a few competitor domains dominate. |
| Unique Pages | Number of actual cited pages | Expand evidence pages if the brand relies on too few URLs. |
| Avg Citations per Page | Average citations per cited page | Detect over-reliance on one page. |
| Classification | Brand, competitor, partner, or other source class | Interpret using Brand Tracking and domain matching. |
## How to read the Citation Matrix
| View | Meaning | Best question |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Count | Compares raw counts | Which engine or question produces the most citations? |
| Share | Compares relative share | How does ownership compare when engines have different run counts? |
| Appearance | Focuses on whether the source appears | Is the brand entering the candidate set at all? |
| Source | Focuses on supporting evidence | Where are hidden opportunities before final citation? |
| Citation | Focuses on final cited sources | What can be used as report evidence? |
## If you need the service metric definitions
Terms such as `rank`, `search volume`, `trend`, `AI`, `PAA`, `Citation Rate`, `Share of Voice`, and `gap type` are explained in the [screen metrics glossary](/en/glossary/screen-metrics). Use it when a KPI on this page needs a plain-language definition and a link back to the screen where it appears.