Video summary
The video explains that mentions are becoming as important as traditional search rankings because modern AI engines like ChatGPT and Gemini do not generate answers from nothing but instead rely on real, cited sources. To leverage this shift, users should navigate to the AI Visibility section within Moz and select the Citations tool to filter results by specific AI engine. This process provides an instant summary of a brand's digital footprint, displaying key metrics such as the total number of citations, unique cited pages and domains across tracked prompts, and the frequency with which a domain is mentioned. Additionally, the interface reveals the brand visibility percentage and offers ready-made priority lists through recommendations, allowing teams to quickly assess their current standing without guesswork.
To identify specific opportunities for growth, the guide suggests examining the domain authority landscape to gauge the strength of sources that AI engines are currently reading, alongside checking the spam score landscape to spot quality gaps in the market. If higher spam scores are detected among certain domains, this signals a strategic opportunity for businesses to step in with superior content, effectively "stealing" those citations and taking credit for the information. By sorting the cited domains table, teams can build a targeted list of outreach prospects, while clicking on view details reveals the exact pages and prompts driving specific mentions. This granular data allows users to see precisely where AI is citing competitors or weak content, highlighting areas where their brand can intervene with optimized material.
The tool further empowers content teams by enabling them to filter cited pages based on page views and identify instances where their brand is not yet mentioned. By selecting these rows, users can read the actual AI answers that cite other pages, presenting a clear opportunity to create content featuring their own name before others do. Exporting this data provides the content team with a curated list of high-value topics to address, ensuring that efforts are focused on areas that will move the needle rather than wasting time pitching sites that offer little return. This targeted approach ensures that public relations teams stop chasing ineffective leads while content creators focus on optimizing and claiming valuable AI real estate.
Ultimately, utilizing the Citations feature eliminates uncertainty in marketing strategies by providing a data-backed roadmap that earns trust from leadership. It transforms the way organizations approach digital presence by allowing PR teams to stop wasting resources on low-impact sites and instead focus on high-potential areas identified through AI analysis. When combined with optimized content creation, this strategy enables businesses to present a robust plan that capitalizes on the fact that AI engines rely on real sources, ensuring their brand is represented accurately and authoritatively in AI-generated answers across the industry.
Read the full video transcript
Mentions are the new rankings, and AI
engines like ChatGPT and Gemini don't
make answers up out of thin air. They
rely on real sources.
>> [music]
>> Citations shows you the exact websites
that AI engines trust to answer
questions in your industry.
Under AI visibility, click on citations
and filter by AI engine.
Check your total citations. This is an
instant summary of your brand's
footprint.
>> [music]
>> You'll get a clear baseline of your
total citations, unique cited pages and
domains across your tracked prompts, and
the number of times your domain is
cited. You can drop this directly into
your team update.
You'll see the brand visibility
percentage, and then you can hit view
recommendation. This gives you a
ready-made priority list.
Glance at the domain authority landscape
to [music] quickly gauge the authority
behind the sources that AI engines are
reading. Then check out the spam score
landscape [music] to spot quality gaps.
If you see higher spam scores here, this
is your opportunity.
>> [music]
>> It means AI is relying on weak content,
making it easy for you to step in with
better content, [music]
steal the citation, and take the credit.
In the cited domains table, sort it to
build a list of your best outreach
targets. Click view detail on any site
to see the exact pages and prompts
driving those mentions.
Click cited pages [music] and filter by
page view. Now, if you select pages
where your brand is not mentioned, you
can click on any row to read the AI
answers citing those pages. And this is
a content opportunity with your name on
it. Well, not quite yet, but soon.
Export this and hand your content team a
list of high-value topics.
Citations [music] eliminates the
guesswork. Your PR team stops wasting
time pitching sites [music] that don't
move the needle. Your content team gets
to swoop in, optimize, and claim AI real
estate, and you get to present a
data-backed [music] strategy that earns
trust from leadership. Check out
Citations.