Sources
Explore exactly what websites and publications say about your brand - and how that shapes AI responses.
- Find which publications and websites cite your brand
- Read exactly what they say - the actual quotes AI models use
- Compare coverage between you and competitors on the same source
- Identify high-priority gaps worth pursuing
Sources is where citation analysis gets concrete. Instead of aggregate numbers, you see individual websites, actual quotes, and specific coverage. This is where you understand exactly what AI draws from when it talks about you.
The split-pane layout
Sources uses a split-pane explorer: source list on the left, detail drawer on the right.
Left panel: Every website and publication that cites you, competitors, or both. Sortable, filterable, scannable.
Right panel: Deep detail on the selected source. Quotes, sentiment, competitor coverage, context.
Most users scan the list, then dive deep into sources that matter.
Reading the source list
Each row shows a website at a glance:
| What you see | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Favicon + name | The publication |
| Authority badge | Domain strength (DA 85 = very influential, DA 25 = niche) |
| Your status | ✓ if cited, gap indicator if competitors are cited but you're not |
| Competitor coverage | Which competitors appear on this source |
| Sentiment | Green/yellow/red tone indicator for your mentions |
The combination of authority + your status is the key signal. A high-authority source where you're a gap is a priority. A low-authority source where you're cited positively is nice, but less impactful.
Finding what matters
The filter bar lets you focus:
Filter by status
Citing you - See everywhere you're mentioned. Good for understanding your current footprint.
Gaps - Sources where competitors appear and you don't. This is your opportunity list. Most users spend 70% of their time here.
New this week - Recently discovered citations. Stay on top of emerging coverage.
Filter by authority
High (DA 70+) - The sources that matter most. A citation here influences more AI responses than dozens of small blog mentions combined.
Medium (DA 40-70) - Solid sources worth pursuing. The bulk of most citation profiles.
All - Everything, including small blogs and niche sites.
Filter by type
Narrow to specific source categories:
- News publications (TechCrunch, NYT, industry news)
- Review sites (G2, Capterra, Wirecutter)
- Blogs and content sites
- Forums and communities (Reddit, Quora)
- Reference sites (Wikipedia, industry databases)
The Source Profile drawer
Click any source to open the detail drawer. This is where you see what's actually being said.
At a glance
The header shows:
- Domain Authority - How influential this source is
- Your coverage - How many times you're mentioned, overall sentiment
- Competitor coverage - Side-by-side comparison
The Mentions tab
This is the heart of Sources. You see every quote where your brand appears:
"The Nike Vaporfly remains our top pick for marathon racing, though the $250 price tag puts it out of reach for casual runners."
"For value-conscious marathoners, the Nike Pegasus offers 80% of the performance at half the price."
Each mention shows:
- The exact quote with context
- Sentiment tag (positive / neutral / negative)
- Which AI models referenced this
- Which of your prompts triggered it
Why this matters: Being cited isn't enough. How you're cited determines AI positioning. Nike might be mentioned on Runner's World, but if every mention includes "expensive" or "overpriced," that framing carries into AI responses.
The Competitors tab
See how the same source covers your competitors:
| Brand | Mentions | Sentiment | Key framing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nike | 12 | Positive | "top pick," "best performance" |
| Adidas | 8 | Positive | "great value," "reliable" |
| New Balance | 5 | Neutral | "solid option," "traditional" |
This reveals relative positioning. On this source, Nike is framed as premium/performance, Adidas as value. That framing propagates into AI responses.
A practical example
Let's say you're Nike and you're investigating why Adidas is winning on the prompt "best running shoes for beginners."
Step 1: Go to Sources. Filter to "Gaps" - sources where Adidas is cited but you're not.
Step 2: Sort by authority. You see Runner's World (DA 85) has a "Best Running Shoes for New Runners" article. Adidas is mentioned. Nike isn't.
Step 3: Click the source. Read the article context. Turns out it recommends "affordable, forgiving shoes" - and Nike's entry-level options aren't included.
Step 4: Action: You now know exactly what content to create or which publication to approach. Pitch Nike Pegasus as a beginner shoe to Runner's World's gear editor.
This is the Sources workflow. Find the gap → understand why → take action.
Taking action on sources
For each source, you can:
Mark as priority - Flag it for follow-up. Priority sources appear in your Outreach queue.
Add notes - Track outreach status, contact info, or strategy internally.
Dismiss - Remove irrelevant sources from gap counts. Use sparingly - negative coverage often contains useful signal.
Open source - View the actual page. Always verify context before reaching out.
What to look for
When reviewing sources, ask these questions:
Is the framing what you want? Being mentioned as "the premium option" is great if that's your positioning. Not great if you're trying to compete on value.
Are comparisons favorable? If a source says "Nike is great, but Adidas offers better value," that comparison propagates into AI responses.
Is coverage recent or stale? A 2021 article still influences training-based models, but updating it could shift both the article and AI perception.
Which AI models use this source? The Mentions tab shows which models cite this source. If it's Perplexity (real-time search), recent updates matter more.
Next steps
Sources gives you depth on individual publications. For the big picture of competitive coverage:
View the Heatmap
See your entire competitive landscape in one visual grid.
To understand which user questions trigger these citations:
Explore Queries
See the search queries that lead to citations about your brand.
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