Build the panel
Choose questions by intent: discovery, comparison, decision, verification and brand. Preserve exact wording.
GUIDE / PROTOCOL
AI citation observatory
Measure answers observed in a defined context without turning a screenshot into a visibility promise.
Direct answer
How can AI citations be measured credibly?
Use a stable question panel, date, identified interface, exact answer and links actually visible. Then compare accuracy, citations and change over time.
01 / Review method
Review method
Capture context
Record date, country, language, interface, relevant settings and whether an account was used.
Qualify the answer
Separate brand mention, cited link, source actually used, answer position and factual accuracy.
Compare series
Observe differences across engines and periods; inspect source pages, corrections and possible causes.
02 / Evidence to keep
Evidence to keep
Stable question
ID, exact wording, intent and check frequency.
Dated answer
Text, capture, interface, language and context.
Verified citation
Clickable URL, accessible page and actual support for the claim.
Recorded gap
Error, absence, entity confusion or uninterpretable variation.
03 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does llms.txt guarantee citation?
No. It may offer a summary to some systems but guarantees neither retrieval nor citation.
Does a mention without a link count?
Yes as brand presence, but it must be separate from a verifiable citation.
04 / Official references