# Do review sites still matter to AI models? | Trakkr Research

Canonical URL: https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/answers/do-review-sites-still-matter-to-ai-models
Published: 2026-04-17
Last updated: 2026-04-17
Author: Mack Grenfell

Yes, especially for commercial and comparative prompts. Reviews make up only 0.89% of the full citation index, but they are highly relevant on buying-intent queries where models need ranking, pros and cons, and category

## Methodology

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.

## Direct Answer

Yes, especially for commercial and comparative prompts. Reviews make up only 0.89% of the full citation index, but they are highly relevant on buying-intent queries where models need ranking, pros and cons, and category framing.

## What this means

Operators must prioritize review platforms for commercial queries rather than dismissing them based on their low overall index share, ensuring resources are allocated to the surfaces driving buying recommendations.

## Evidence table

| Metric | Value | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Review category share | 0.89% | Reviews are smaller in raw share but disproportionately commercial. |
| Citations analyzed | 8.78M | Current live citation index as of April 17, 2026. |

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What percentage of AI citations come from review sites?

Review sites account for 0.89% of the 8.78M citations analyzed as of April 17, 2026.

### Why should we focus on review sites if their citation share is so low?

Review domains disproportionately surface on commercial and comparative prompts where buying decisions occur.

## What to do next

- [Audit the domains that already dominate your category and decide which ones are realistic citation targets.](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/answers/do-review-sites-still-matter-to-ai-models#next-step-1)
- [Build source-worthy pages for the query shapes where AI is already citing third parties.](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/answers/do-review-sites-still-matter-to-ai-models#next-step-2)
- [Treat reference, review, and social sources as part of your AI visibility surface, not as noise.](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/answers/do-review-sites-still-matter-to-ai-models#next-step-3)

## Related pages

Continue through the same study cluster.

- [how often do docs get cited by ai](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/answers/how-often-do-docs-get-cited-by-ai) - Related answer page
- [why does wikipedia still win so often](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/answers/why-does-wikipedia-still-win-so-often) - Related answer page
- [review sites are small in share but high in intent](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/facts/review-sites-are-small-in-share-but-high-in-intent) - Related fact page
- [source category share tracker](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources/trackers/source-category-share-tracker) - Related tracker page

## Data And Sources

- [Where AI Gets Its Answers](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/citation-sources) - Flagship study behind this page
- [Page JSON](https://trakkr.ai/data/research-answers/citation-sources/answers/do-review-sites-still-matter-to-ai-models.json) - Machine-readable companion file