In a Visibility Audit (formerly known as a report), the Citation Audit (formerly known as Sources) shows the domains that AI models cite when they answer questions about your brand and your competitors. It groups those domains into categories, so you can see at a glance which kinds of sites are shaping the answers.
Where do I find the citation categories?
- Open a Visibility Audit.
- In the left navigation under Monitor, open the Citation Audit (you may still see it labeled Sources).
- The page breaks the cited domains down by category.
You can also find Citation categories at the bottom of your Visibility Audit dashboard (landing page).
What does each category mean?
- Blogs/Content Sites: Sites focused primarily on article publishing and content creation.
- Business/Service Sites: Corporate sites focused on brand presence or B2B services.
- Directory/Review Sites: Sites that mainly aggregate and review other businesses or products.
- E-commerce Sites: Sites where shopping cart functionality and direct sales are the primary business.
- Educational: Sites that provide structured learning or academic content.
- Entertainment Sites: Sites where media consumption, such as video, music, or games, is the primary purpose.
- Forums/Community Sites: Sites built around Q&A, discussions, and community knowledge sharing.
- Government/Institutional: Official government or public institution sites.
- News/Media Sites: Journalism organizations whose main purpose is publishing current events and reporting.
- Social Networks: Sites whose core function is social interaction and sharing user-generated content.
- Unsure/Other: Used when a site does not clearly fit one category, or has several equally prominent purposes.
Does a site's category affect my visibility scores?
No. Categories do not change how visibility is scored or what recommendations Gumshoe surfaces. They are a way to slice the data so you can see which kinds of sources are driving awareness, and where the gaps are. Categories are assigned by Gumshoe, not by the AI models.
Can I change a site's category?
Not at this time. If a domain appears to be in the wrong category, reach out via the chat widget (ask for a human) or email support@gumshoe.ai, and the team will correct it.
What if I see a category that is not on this list?
The categories listed above are the complete set. If you see a category that is not on this list, it is a display error. Let us know through the chat widget (ask for a human) or at support@gumshoe.ai, and we will fix it.