> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getcited.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Citation

> A clickable link to a source URL in an AI-generated answer — distinct from a mention, which is a brand name without a link.

**Citation** is a clickable link to a source URL provided by an AI platform in its generated response. When [Perplexity](/concepts/platforms/how-perplexity-ranks-sources) answers a question and includes numbered source links in a sidebar, each of those links is a citation. A citation is distinct from a [mention](/glossary/brand-mention) — a mention is the appearance of a brand name in the response text, while a citation is a link to that brand's domain.

## Why it matters

Citations drive traffic. A mention creates brand awareness — the customer sees the name. A citation creates a click-through pathway — the customer can visit the domain directly from the AI's response. For brands optimizing for AI visibility, the gap between [mention rate](/glossary/mention-rate) and [citation rate](/glossary/citation-rate) is diagnostic: it tells you whether the AI considers your own domain a trustworthy source or relies on third-party sources about you.

## How Cited uses it

Cited tracks citations by parsing source URLs from AI responses, primarily from Perplexity where citations are explicit and structured. Citation data feeds the [citation rate](/concepts/metrics/citation-rate) metric. See [Citations vs mentions](/concepts/foundations/citations-vs-mentions) for the full distinction between the two signals.

## Related concepts

* [Citation rate](/glossary/citation-rate) — the metric built on citation counting
* [Citations vs mentions](/concepts/foundations/citations-vs-mentions) — the vocabulary distinction
* [Brand mention](/glossary/brand-mention) — the broader signal that includes but is not limited to citations