Nearly three quarters of citations appear once and vanish | Trakkr Research
An analysis of 108,650 distinct citation URLs tracked longitudinally in The Half-Life of AI Citations study reveals the volatility of AI generated references.
Methodology: Built from 857,138 reports, 108,650 citations, 10,991 brands, and 8 tracked models across a 10-month observation window.
Claim
Exactly 72.8 percent of the 108,650 analyzed citations appeared in a single query response before vanishing entirely.
Why it matters
Strategists must differentiate between transient mentions and stable visibility. Relying on single occurrence tracking overestimates actual brand presence in AI outputs, requiring operators to measure longitudinal retention rather than absolute citation counts.
Supporting metrics
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| One-and-done citations | 72.8% | Citations that appear once and vanish. |
| Citations analyzed | 108,650 | Distinct citation URLs tracked longitudinally. |
Related pages
Continue through the same study cluster.
- how long do ai citations last - Related answer page
- what does a thirty one day brand half life actually mean - Related answer page
- citation persistence tracker - Related tracker page
Data & Sources
- The Half-Life of AI Citations - Flagship study behind this page
- Page JSON - Machine-readable companion file