AI Conversation Citation Rate Analysis
The Citation Rate Chart tracks how often AI platforms mention a brand in their responses over time—showing whether AI visibility is improving, declining, or holding steady.
Quick start
1. Select a project from the project menu
2. Set the date range to 30 Days
3. Review each platform line to see citation rates
4. Compare platforms to identify gaps
5. Click AI Analysis for recommendations
Understanding the display
The chart plots citation rate as a percentage (0–100%) on the vertical axis against dates on the horizontal axis. Each line represents a different AI platform. A rate of 100% means the brand appeared in every AI response checked that day; 0% means it appeared in none.
What the lines show
| Element | Meaning |
| Each coloured line | A different AI platform |
| Higher position on chart | More frequent citations that day |
| Gap in a line | No data collected for that platform on that date |
| Upward trend | Citations improving over the period |
| Downward trend | Citations declining over the period |
Platforms tracked
| Platform | Description |
| ChatGPT | Standard ChatGPT responses |
| ChatGPT Web | ChatGPT responses using web browsing |
| Claude | Anthropic's Claude responses |
| Gemini | Standard Gemini responses |
| Gemini Web | Gemini responses using web browsing |
| Perplexity | Standard Perplexity responses |
| Perplexity Web | Perplexity responses using web browsing |
What should I do next?
Use this table to decide where to focus based on what the chart shows.
| Scenario | Action |
| Strong citation rate across all platforms | Maintain current content strategy. Monitor for drops. |
| High on one platform, low on others | Optimise content for underperforming platforms. Check phase filters. |
| Declining trend across platforms | Review recent content changes. Run AI Analysis. |
| All platforms near 0% | Audit content for AI readability. Check brand name configuration. |
| Irregular spikes or drops on a specific date | Add an annotation to mark the date. Investigate content or platform changes. |
| Lines showing frequent gaps | Check check-frequency settings. Gaps indicate days without data collection. |
Using the filters
Date range
| Option | Best for |
| 7 Days | Recent changes |
| 30 Days | Trend analysis (default) |
| 90 Days | Broader patterns |
| 180 Days | Long-term trends |
| Custom | Specific period comparison |
Configuration
A configuration represents a buyer persona or scenario used to query AI platforms. Selecting a specific configuration focuses the chart on how that persona's queries drive citations. Leave set to All to see aggregated data across all configurations.
Platform
Filter to a single AI platform to isolate its trend. Leave set to All to compare citation rates across every tracked platform simultaneously.
Phase
Phases represent stages of the buyer journey. Filtering by phase shows citation rates for queries at that specific stage.
| Phase | Query type |
| Awareness | Discovery and informational queries |
| Consideration | Comparison and evaluation queries |
| Decision | Purchase and conversion queries |
Interactive features
• Hover over any point to see the exact date, platform name, and citation rate
• Click legend items to show or hide individual platform lines—useful for isolating specific platforms
• Export via the menu icon (⋮) to download as PNG, JPEG, or SVG
Annotations
Annotations mark significant dates on the chart—useful for correlating citation changes with content updates, campaigns, or external events. They appear as dashed vertical lines with labels.
Adding an annotation
6. Click anywhere on the chart plot area
7. Enter a label in the popover that appears
8. Press Enter or click Save
Deleting an annotation
9. Click the annotation label displayed on the chart
10. Confirm deletion when prompted
Troubleshooting
No data showing
The selected filters may be too restrictive, or no AI visibility data exists for the selected project and period.
• Widen the date range
• Set Platform to All
• Verify the project has AI visibility data configured
Lines showing gaps
Gaps indicate days where no AI platform checks ran. This is normal for newer configurations or lower-frequency check schedules. The line resumes when checks restart.
Citation rate always at 0%
The brand name in the configuration may not match how AI platforms reference it. Check brand settings within the project configuration. A mismatch means citations go unrecorded.
Chart not loading
• Confirm a project is selected from the project menu
• Refresh the page and reselect the project
• If the issue persists, contact support
Annotation not saving
• Ensure the label field is not blank before saving
• Click directly on the chart area—not on a legend or axis label
FAQ
What counts as a citation?
A citation is recorded when an AI platform response includes a reference to the configured brand. Each query run is either cited or not—the citation rate shows the proportion of cited runs on a given day.
Why do rates differ between platforms?
Each AI platform has different training data, retrieval methods, and response styles. Variation across platforms is expected and reflects genuine differences in how each platform surfaces brands.
Can multiple brands be compared at once?
The chart reflects all brands configured in the project settings. Where multiple brands are configured, their data is included and each platform line represents citations across all of them.
Why does the line stop before today?
AI platform checks run on a schedule. If today's checks have not yet completed, data stops at the last completed date. The line resumes once checks for the current day finish.
How often does data update?
Data updates as AI platform checks complete. Frequency depends on project configuration. Most projects run checks daily.
Getting help
11. Check the phase and configuration filters—narrowing scope often clarifies the data
12. Add annotations to correlate changes with known events
13. Contact support for persistent data or configuration issues