{
  "kind": "fact",
  "studySlug": "citation-sources",
  "slug": "the-long-tail-still-holds-most-citations",
  "title": "The long tail still holds most citations",
  "description": "Most citation volume sits outside the obvious named categories.",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-04-17",
  "lastTested": "2026-04-17",
  "sourceStudyUrl": "/trakkr-research/citation-sources",
  "sourceStudyTitle": "Where AI Gets Its Answers",
  "claimIds": [
    "citation-sources:other-share",
    "citation-sources:unique-domains"
  ],
  "relatedSlugs": [
    "answer:why-does-wikipedia-still-win-so-often",
    "answer:how-big-is-the-competitive-set-for-ai-citations",
    "tracker:source-category-share-tracker"
  ],
  "methodologySummary": "Built from the live citation index backing Trakkr Research, using 8,777,687 citations across 208,567 unique domains observed between October 3, 2025 and April 17, 2026.",
  "limitations": [
    "The live citation index is broader than the original December 2025 launch study, so percentages here should be read as the current benchmark.",
    "Domain share does not mean causal influence. It measures what models cited, not the full retrieval set.",
    "Category totals are domain-level rollups and may hide differences by model or query intent."
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "AI citations",
    "citation sources",
    "AI source preferences",
    "domain authority in AI"
  ],
  "schemaHints": {
    "pageType": "Article",
    "includeDataset": true
  },
  "claim": "The long tail accounts for 84.51% of citations across 208,567 unique domains in the current index.",
  "supportingMetrics": [
    {
      "label": "Long-tail share",
      "value": "84.51%",
      "detail": "Most citations are spread across a very large long tail of domains."
    },
    {
      "label": "Unique domains",
      "value": "208,567",
      "detail": "The citation surface is broad even though a small set dominates."
    }
  ],
  "whyItMatters": "Strategists and operators must prioritize category-specific opportunity mapping over generic high-authority targeting, as the broad distribution of citations indicates that niche and specialized domains drive the majority of AI responses.",
  "citationBlock": {
    "quote": "The long tail accounts for 84.51% of citations in the current index.",
    "attribution": "Where AI Gets Its Answers - Trakkr Research",
    "url": "https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/facts/the-long-tail-still-holds-most-citations"
  }
}