Metric Definitions
Every term you'll see in a Cited report, in plain words. For how they fit together, see Understanding your scores.
Scores
Model score (0-100)
One score per AI model: Cited counts for 50%, Visibility for 30% and Share of Voice for 20%.
Engine score (0-100)
The average of the model scores inside one engine (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Google AI). Where an engine has as-seen results, only those count.
Overall score (0-100)
The average of the engine scores, with every engine weighted the same unless you change the weights.
Site-check score (0-100)
How well your site gives AI what it needs, from the site check. Separate from the AI scores.
Bands
Not showing up (0-19), Weak (20-39), Fair (40-59), Strong (60-79), Leading (80-100).
The three parts
Cited
The share of answered questions where the model links to your site as a source.
Visibility
The share of answered questions where you show up at all: linked, named, or among the pages the model read. Always at least as high as Cited.
Share of Voice
Your site's share of all the sites the model cited across your questions. If the model cited 40 sources in total and 4 were yours, your Share of Voice is 10%.
Per-question labels
Cited in this answer
The answer links to your site.
Seen, not cited
The answer names you or read your page, but doesn't link to you.
Cited instead
The sites the answer cited when it didn't cite you, or alongside you.
Runs
In a paid audit each question is asked three times per model. "2 of 3" means two of the three answers cited you. The row shows the majority result.
How much of the answer draws on your site
A rough measure of how much of an answer's text comes from your pages: Low, Some or High. A second version counts early mentions more, since readers see those first.
Methods
API
The model asked through its developer API with web search on.
As seen
What a real person sees in the ChatGPT or Gemini app, collected through a browser. Where we have it, it counts instead of the API result.
Recommendations and fixes
Proven
Cited's citation research shows this kind of change wins AI citations. A strength word says how strong the evidence is.
Best practice
A widely accepted GEO practice we can't yet back with our own data.
Fix stages
Ready (files and guide made), Done (you added it), Verified (Cited found it on your live site), Working (a later audit shows it helped).
Money
Credit
1 credit = $1. See Credits and pricing.