Read AI Citations and Sentiment

An AI citation is a link or reference an AI engine includes in its answer to show where information came from. When ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews cite one of your pages, it signals that the engine trusted that page enough to quote or link it for that prompt.

The citation insights in Apex® show which of your pages AI engines cite and which answers leave your brand out. Reviewing both sides helps you see which pages already earn trust and which prompts need new or stronger content.

A citation links to or credits a specific source page, while a mention only names your brand inside the answer text. A mention without a citation means the engine knows about you but is not sending readers to your site, so strengthening the relevant page is often the next step.

AI sentiment analysis measures whether AI answers describe your brand positively, neutrally or negatively. It helps you spot answers that are unflattering, outdated or inaccurate, so you can decide which pages and facts to improve first.

AI engines usually get brand details wrong when the sources they rely on are outdated, inconsistent or unclear. Conflicting hours, addresses, prices or service descriptions across your site and listings make it harder for a model to state one confident, accurate fact.

The fix usually starts on your own site. Publish clear, accurate pages with consistent facts and structured data, update any listings that disagree, then recheck the same prompts after the changes go live. You cannot edit an AI answer directly, but you can improve the sources it reads.

Pages that are almost cited usually need clearer answers and more specific facts. Put a direct answer near the top, add concrete details such as features, locations or steps, and make sure the page matches the wording buyers actually use in their prompts.

When your brand is missing from an AI answer, check whether you have a page that directly addresses that prompt. If not, create one that answers the question clearly and accurately. If a page exists, strengthen it with specific facts, structured data and consistent business details.

AI engines cross-check business facts across many sources, and local listings are among the most visible. If your name, address, phone number or hours differ between your site and your listings, answers may be inconsistent. Keeping facts aligned everywhere makes your brand easier to describe accurately.

Recheck the same prompts after you publish changes, so you compare like with like. AI answers can shift over time as engines update and read new content, so regular reviews show whether your improvements are being picked up and where new gaps appear.

Structured data helps by stating your facts in a format machines read reliably. Schema.org JSON-LD can describe your organization, products, locations and FAQs explicitly, which reduces ambiguity for AI engines. It works best alongside clear on-page content rather than as a replacement for it.