Top Cited AI Conversations
Top Cited Conversations shows which questions generate the most source citations for your brand across AI platforms. Citations indicate AI platforms are confident enough to back their brand recommendations with references—a stronger trust signal than mentions alone.
Quick start
1. Select 30 Days and the target Project
2. Review the top 10 conversations ranked by total brand citations
3. Compare citation share across platforms
4. Use Citation Position to focus on primary citations
Understanding the display
Each row represents a conversation (question) where AI platforms cited sources when mentioning your brand. The display shows the conversation text, total citation count, and how citations are distributed across platforms.
Row structure
| Element | Description |
| Conversation text | The question or prompt that generated brand citations |
| Persona tag | The buyer persona/configuration used for this query |
| Phase tag | Customer journey phase (Awareness, Consideration, Decision) |
| Citations tag | Total brand citations across all platforms for this conversation |
| Platform bars | Citation share percentage per platform (platform citations ÷ total citations) |
| Winner highlight | The platform with highest citation share is highlighted |
Row structure
| Element | Description |
| Conversation text | The question or prompt that generated brand citations |
| Persona tag | The buyer persona/configuration used for this query |
| Phase tag | Customer journey phase (Awareness, Consideration, Decision) |
| Citations tag | Total brand citations across all platforms for this conversation |
| Platform bars | Citation share percentage per platform (platform citations ÷ total citations) |
| Winner highlight | The platform with highest citation share is highlighted |
Citation share explained
The percentage shown for each platform represents that platform's share of total citations for the conversation. If a conversation has 10 brand citations total and Perplexity provided 6 of them, Perplexity shows 60%.
This reveals which platforms are most likely to back up brand mentions with sources for specific topics.
Why citations matter
Citations represent a higher level of AI confidence than simple mentions. When an AI platform cites sources for your brand, it indicates authoritative content that AI systems trust enough to reference. High citation counts correlate with stronger trust signals.
What should I do next?
Top cited conversations reveal content authority patterns:
| Pattern | Action |
| High citation count | This topic drives authoritative brand presence. Expand related content. |
| Perplexity dominates citations | Expected—Perplexity is designed to cite sources. Focus on other metrics for ChatGPT/Claude. |
| Decision-phase conversations | Citations at purchase intent are highly valuable—AI backing recommendations with proof. |
| Specific topics recurring | These topics generate authoritative brand mentions. Create more content around them. |
| Technical questions cited | Your technical content is authoritative. Expand documentation and guides. |
| Low citations despite visibility | Brand mentioned but not backed with sources. Strengthen authoritative content. |
Using the filters
Focus on a single customer journey phase:
Provider Position
Filter by where your brand appeared in AI responses:
| Option | Shows citations where |
| Mentioned Anywhere (default) | Your brand appeared anywhere in the response |
| Top 3 Recommendations | Your brand was in the top 3 recommendations |
| #1 Recommendation | Your brand was the top recommendation |
Citation Position
Filter by citation prominence:
| Option | Counts |
| Any Citation (default) | All citations for your brand |
| Top 3 Citations | Only citations ranked 1–3 in the response |
| Primary Citation | Only the first/primary citation |
Primary citations indicate the most prominent source links. Filtering to primary citations shows conversations where your brand's sources are the first thing AI links to.
Date range
Select the time period for citation data:
| Option | Best for |
| Yesterday | Latest citation performance |
| 7 Days | Recent citation patterns |
| 30 Days | Trend analysis (default) |
| 90 Days | Quarterly citation review |
| 180 Days | Long-term content authority analysis |
Platform
Filter to citations from a specific AI platform. Note that Perplexity typically generates far more citations than ChatGPT or Claude due to platform architecture.
Phase filter
Focus on a single customer journey phase:
| Phase | Citation significance |
| Awareness | Citations help establish brand as authoritative source |
| Consideration | Citations provide proof points during evaluation |
| Decision | Citations back purchase recommendations—highest value |
Reading the results
Ranking logic
Conversations are ranked by total brand citations (highest first). The top 10 most-cited conversations appear in the table. These represent topics where AI platforms most frequently back up brand mentions with source links.
Platform citation behaviour
Citation rates vary by platform architecture and query type. Compare citation trends within the same platform over time rather than across different platforms.
Troubleshooting
No citations found
The "No Citations Found" message indicates no brand citations match the current filters.
• Expand the date range to capture more data
• Set Citation Position to "Any Citation"
• Set Provider Position to "Mentioned Anywhere"
• Verify brands are configured in AI Visibility Settings
FAQ
What determines the top 10 ranking?
Conversations are ranked by total brand citations (highest first).
What's the difference between citation share and citation rate?
Citation share (shown here) is the percentage of this conversation's citations from each platform. Citation rate (in Citation Rate Analysis) is the percentage of mentions that include any citation.
Why do citation counts vary across platforms?
Each platform has different citation behaviour based on its architecture and the type of query. Compare trends within the same platform over time rather than across platforms.
How often does data update?
Data updates daily. Exact timing depends on account configuration.
What's the difference between this and Top Conversations by Visibility?
Top Conversations shows where your brand is mentioned most. Top Cited Conversations shows where those mentions are backed with source links—a stronger trust signal.
Should I focus on primary citations only?
Primary citations are most prominent, but all citations contribute to authority. Use "Any Citation" for overall analysis, then filter to "Primary Citation" to see where your sources appear first.
Getting help
Contact support for data issues or unexpected patterns