AI Citation
An AI citation is the moment an answer engine references your site as a source for something it tells the user, usually as a named link or footnote beside the generated text. It's the AEO equivalent of a ranking: the unit of visibility you're actually competing for inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews and similar tools.
Why it matters to a lean founder: a citation puts your brand in front of a buyer at the exact moment they're forming a view, often with implied endorsement from the model. Even when it sends no click, it shapes perception and sometimes the buyer's shortlist. You earn citations by being genuinely quotable, clear factual statements, original data, definitions, and comparisons a model can lift without ambiguity, plus enough third-party corroboration that the model trusts you. Track which prompts cite you, which cite competitors, and where you're absent. Those absences are your roadmap.