Link citations
Link citations are the clickable links to sources in an AI answer. They show which pages the answer relied on and can send visitors to them.
Link citations are the links to sources inside an AI answer, the ones a reader can click. When an AI platform searches the web and links to the pages it used, each link is a citation. If one of those links goes to your site, you've been cited.
They matter in two ways. A link is the clearest sign of which pages shaped an answer. And it's the only part of an answer that can send someone to your site.
A mention and a link are different things
An answer can name your brand without linking to you, and it can link to your page without naming you. You want both, and it pays to track them apart.
For example, an answer to "best coffee subscription for gifts" might name Fernhill Coffee in its list but link only to a review site and to Kestrel Roasters' gift page. Fernhill is visible, but anyone who wants to buy clicks through to Kestrel. In another answer, the platform might link Fernhill's brewing guide while recommending someone else. Fernhill's page did the work and got no credit.
Used, listed and linked
Platforms show sources in different ways. Some put links in the text next to the sentence they back up. Some list sources under the answer or in a side panel. And some pages are read and shape the answer without being shown at all. Only pages that are linked can be clicked.
In AnswerOrbit
We record every page an answer used, and mark the ones it linked to as cited. Citations is the share of answers that used a page from your site. Cited, not named is the share of answers that used your site but didn't name you. Both are in What the numbers mean, and the visitors those links send you are in the AI traffic tab of Website.