Guide · Prompts and answers
Mentions and citations explained
Tell a brand mention from a source citation, check what each supports and count both without confusing them.
Read the mention in context
Look at the words around the business name. A passing reference, a warning and a recommendation are different observations even when all name the business.
Save the sentence around it. A passing reference isn't an endorsement, so don't count it as one.
Note the role your name plays. It might be the main suggestion, one option among several, a contrast with another business or an example of what to avoid.
If the answer names you only to say you don't offer something, record that too. It is still a mention, and it may be wrong.
Check the answer means your business. Similar names, old names and branches elsewhere can give a false match.
Keep the matched wording with the record. If you can't tell, mark it unresolved so a reviewer can see why you counted each mention.
Check that the claim beside your name is still true. An answer can attach an old price or a closed branch to the right name.
Follow the citation
Record the destination the answer actually links to. A directory link is not a citation of the business's own website.
The source might be your site, an independent article or another business. Record the address and don't guess who owns it.
Note what kind of source it is, such as your own site, a directory, a review site, a news article or a forum. The type tells you who could correct it.
Copy the full address, not a shortened one. A page anchor in the address can show which part of the page was linked.
How assistants attach a citation
Each assistant shows citations in its own way, so check its documentation before you count them.
OpenAI's documentation says web search replies include inline citations by default. Each citation records the address, the title and the part of the reply where the source was used.
Anthropic's documentation says citations are always on for its web search tool. Each one includes the address, the page title and a short extract of the cited text.
Google says AI Overviews give links to supporting websites. A page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet to be one of those links.
Some answers number their citations and some gather links at the end. Either way, record which sentence each link sits beside.
The common thread is that a citation belongs to a passage. So check the sentence it sits beside, not the answer as a whole.
Keep the source relationship clear
An answer that links a page hasn't necessarily used every fact on it. The visible link shows what the answer cites, and that's all.
Some tools also list the sources they consulted. Label that list separately so it isn't mixed up with visible citations.
A business can also be named with nothing visible to explain why. If no link supports the sentence, record that rather than guessing at a source.
Some answers put their sources behind a separate button or panel. Open it and record what is there, labelled as a panel list.
Cited sources and consulted sources are different lists
Some tools record more pages than they cite. OpenAI's documentation describes a sources field that lists every address the model consulted during a web search.
It says inline citations show only the most relevant references, and that sources often outnumber citations.
So keep three groups apart. Pages the answer cites, pages it consulted without citing and pages it never touched are different findings.
A page in the consulted list was looked at, but it didn't get a link in the reply. Treat it as context, not as a citation.
Where a tool gives no consulted list, don't try to rebuild one. Record only what you can see.
Work through an example
A café might be named in an answer that cites a local newspaper. That's one business mention and one newspaper citation.
It doesn't tell you the café's website was visited or that a customer came in.
Now change one detail. If the answer named the café and linked to its own menu page, that is one mention and one citation of the café's site. Neither shows a visit.
Keep a few worked examples like this from your own records, with personal details removed. They help a new reviewer apply the rule the same way.
Write your counting rule before you count
Decide whether you are counting answers, names or links before you total them. Repeated names within one answer should follow the stated rule.
Add branch names, product names that carry your brand and likely misspellings. Decide whether a staff member's name on its own counts.
Decide how to treat a web address typed into the answer text. It names your site, but it isn't a source link the assistant attached.
Count a business once per answer, however often it is named. Record repeats in a separate column if you want them.
If another business shares your name, add a detail that separates them, such as the town or the type of business. Record which detail settled each match.
Keep the rule with the results. Anyone checking your counts later should be able to apply the same rule and reach the same totals.
Check what a link supports
Open the page and find the detail being discussed. If it does not support the statement, record the mismatch rather than extending the claim.
A link to your homepage isn't the same as a link to a page explaining the service. Note whether the cited page answers the customer's question.
Don't treat every link as proof of every sentence. Record missing support, contradictions and dead pages as separate findings.
If the link redirects, record both addresses. The page a customer lands on may not be the one the answer pointed to.
If the passage supports only part of the sentence, record which part. A half-supported claim is a different finding from an unsupported one.
Record position and tone carefully
In an ordered list, note where your business sits. In plain prose with no order, don't invent a position.
If you are first in one list and missing from the next run, record both. Neither result alone describes your position.
Sentiment means whether the wording about a business is positive, neutral or negative. Record the exact words first, then add your label.
Be careful with mixed wording. A line that praises your prices but mentions slow replies is neither simply positive nor negative, so quote it in full.
Compare tone across the businesses in the same answer. A neutral line about you beside warm lines about others is a finding in itself.
Keep position and tone out of the mention count itself. They describe a mention, but they don't change whether it happened.
Report counts with the total beside them
State how many readable answers were reviewed and how they were selected. Keep failed attempts separate from completed replies with no mention.
Two mentions in four recorded answers describes those four answers. It tells you nothing about every customer conversation.
Count citations separately. A business can be named with no link, and a page can be cited without the business being recommended.
Report each rate with the period, the assistants and the prompt group it covers. A rate without those details can't be compared with anything.
Where you compare with competitors, use the same answers for every business. Share of voice means your share of the mentions across a set of businesses you chose, so name the set.
Common counting mistakes
Counting failed attempts as absences. An attempt that returned no answer belongs in its own column.
Mixing prompts that name you with prompts that don't. A rate built on both makes you look more prominent in open questions than you are.
Adding answers from apps and from software interfaces together. They can differ for the same question, so report them separately.
Treating a link to your directory profile as a link to your website. The directory page belongs to someone else.
Counting the same answer twice after a follow-up question. Each turn is its own record.
Counting a match on a former name without saying so. Keep old-name matches visible so a reader can judge them.
Reporting a rate from a handful of answers as if it were settled. Give the number of answers beside every rate.
Keep the original evidence when a page changes
Save the answer and the source address when you record it. If you capture a page you own, keep the date and the relevant wording.
A source can change later. Note the difference and keep your first observation as it was.
A reviewer needs both records, what was seen then and what is true now. Neither should quietly replace the other.
Keep a copy of your own page as it stood when the answer was recorded. Later edits shouldn't change how the earlier answer is judged.
If a source page disappears, keep its address and note the date it stopped loading. A missing page is still part of the evidence.
Turn a count into a next step
Choose the next task from the content of the answer. A wrong fact, an absent name and an unsupported citation need different follow-up work.
If an answer gets a fact about you wrong, that task comes before any question of counts. Deal with the source of the error first.
If you are named but never linked, check that your own pages state the facts the answers use. If you are linked but not named, read what the cited passage says.
If a competitor is named with a source that leaves you out, open that source. It may be a directory or guide with its own route for listing a business.
Write one task per finding, with an owner and the evidence. Then repeat the same prompts and compare like with like.
A worked example
Four recordings are complete and one other attempt failed.
| Detail | Observation | Review or next step |
|---|---|---|
| Mention count | Two complete answers name the business. | Report two mentions in four recorded answers. |
| Missing recording | One attempt gave no usable answer. | Report it as unavailable, separately. |
The count describes this sample. It isn't the business's share of all AI conversations.
Common questions
Does a negative mention count?
Yes, if the name and context match your definition. Keep the description beside the count. Don't turn every mention into a recommendation.
Can a source link count if the business isn't named?
Record it separately. A page can support an answer without the answer naming or recommending its owner. Keep mention and citation in separate fields.
Does a negative mention count?
Yes, if the name and context match your definition. Keep the description beside the count. Don't turn every mention into a recommendation.
Can a source link count if the business isn't named?
Record it separately. A page can support an answer without the answer naming or recommending its owner. Keep mention and citation in separate fields.
Check your understanding
An answer names a business but doesn't link to it. What have you observed?
Read the answer and explanation
- A mention.
- A citation to the business website.
- A customer visit.
Answer. A mention.
That's a mention. A citation needs a source link and a visit needs its own record.
Answer and explanation
A mention.
That's a mention. A citation needs a source link and a visit needs its own record.
Your next steps
Sources and method
A Carqo review method. Provider statements link to the relevant documentation.
- OpenAI API documentation, Web search Link checked 4 November 2026
- Claude API documentation, Web search tool Link checked 4 November 2026
- Google guidance on AI features Link checked 4 November 2026