Cited Sources
Which domains models pull from when they answer your buyers' questions, and what to do when you are not one of them.
A scan records which domains the models cited when they answered.
What the List Tells You
The list is a set of domains. Sorting them into groups is our habit, not a field in the product, but what you can do about a domain depends on which group it is in:
| Kind | Example | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Your own domain | withsurface.com/platform/... | Good. Note which pages, and write more like them. |
| Review and directory sites | G2, Capterra, category roundups | Get listed, get reviews, get the description right. Usually the part you can edit yourself. |
| Editorial and community | Blogs, newsletters, Reddit, Hacker News | Earned. Slow, and durable. |
| Competitor domains | A competitor's own comparison page | They wrote the comparison and the model used it. Write yours. |
The High-coverage, Low-visibility Case
You wrote the page and the model still does not cite you. The cited sources usually explain it: the answer came from a roundup, a review site or a competitor's comparison page, none of which mention you. The page is fine. The model was reading other domains.
List the sources for the profile
list_cited_sources takes a profileId and returns the domains the models
cited.
Get the evidence per prompt and model
get_tracked_prompt_history filters by prompt, category, model and date, so
you can see which answer pulled from where, and when.
Separate the fixable from the earned
You can correct a directory listing this week. You cannot manufacture a community thread, and should not try.
Fix the fixable, then re-scan
Directory descriptions, category placement and review counts are the parts you control directly, so start there.
Reading It as a Content Brief
The cited sources show what the model treated as a good answer. Two things transfer into a brief:
- The claims they make. If three of four sources frame the category around per-seat pricing, address that head-on.
- The shape. Comparison tables, "best for X" statements and plain claims near the top tend to survive being quoted. Long preambles do not.
Hand the gap and the sources to the content agent together.
What This Is Not
Cited sources are not a backlink report. They show what a model reached for on one question on one day. Domains move in and out, and absence from one prompt says nothing about another.