Key takeaways
- AVJ’s methodology separates citation metrics from brand-mention metrics. [1]
- As of Oct. 29, 2026, Google documents URL annotations that connect response text to sources in grounded Gemini API output. [2]
- AVJ’s methodology warns that a citation does not prove a source influenced an answer. [1]
Definition: AVJ’s methodology defines a citation as a linked source URL attached to an AI system’s answer; a mention instead records a brand or organization named in the answer text, whether linked or not. [1]
How is the term used here?
The definition is AVJ’s measurement convention, published in its methodology. [1] It distinguishes source attribution from the separate observation that an answer names a brand. [1]
A domain can be cited without its brand being named, and a brand can be named without any of its pages receiving a citation. [1]
How do citation formats differ?
As of Oct. 29, 2026, Google’s Gemini API documentation describes inline URL citation annotations identifying the source for a segment of response text. [2]
Google Search has a different reporting convention: all links in an AI Overview receive the Overview’s single position in search results. [3] That position is therefore not the same thing as an individual link’s order within an answer. [1][3]
What does AVJ’s methodology define?
For the methodology’s set of valid answers, the Index design specifies the following metrics. [1]
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Citation share | Citation slots assigned to a domain divided by all citation slots. [1] |
| Presence rate | Valid answers citing a domain at least once divided by all valid answers. [1] |
| Average position | Mean citation-list position when a domain appears, reported only when it is cited in at least 30 answers. [1] |
The methodology defines a citation slot as a position in an answer’s citation list, and a domain can occupy multiple slots in one answer. [1] These are reporting definitions and thresholds, not published Index results. [1]
What are the limits?
AVJ’s design specifies extracting citations from structured fields while preserving their order. [1] It acknowledges that fields differ across systems and that references appearing only in answer text may be missed. [1]
The methodology also states that cited sources may not be what shaped an answer and that uncited sources may have influenced it. [1]
Related terms
Brand mention · AI visibility · Grounding
How this was made: AVJ used AI tools to help draft this definition and compare it with the cited sources. Nhi Phan reviews the published version.
Sources
[1] AI Visibility Journal. AVJ Citation Index — Methodology. Methodology v0, published Oct. 23, 2026; accessed Oct. 29, 2026. /index/methodology/
[2] Google AI for Developers. Grounding with Google Search. Gemini API documentation; updated Oct. 28, 2026; accessed Oct. 29, 2026. https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/google-search
[3] Google. What are impressions, position, and clicks? Search Console Help; accessed Oct. 29, 2026. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7042828