Reference — Citation Share Score formula
Exact formula, inputs, edge cases, and dollar interpretation for the LoudPixel Citation Share Score (0-100) — and how to read each band.
The Citation Share Score is LoudPixel's single headline metric for AI search visibility. It expresses, as a number from 0 to 100, the share of audited buyer-intent queries in which an AI engine cited your domain at least once.
Definition
Formal: Citation Share Score is the proportion of audited queries that produced at least one citation of the tracked domain across the configured set of AI engines, scaled to a 0-100 range.
Informal: Out of the questions buyers ask AI in your category, how many name-drop you.
Formula
citation_share_score = (queries_citing_you / total_queries_audited) * 100| Input | Type | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| queries_citing_you | int | per-engine answer parse | counted once per query even if cited by multiple engines |
| total_queries_audited | int | audit run config | default 20 on free tier, up to 200 on paid |
| (output) score | float | computed | rounded to 1 decimal in UI, full precision in API |
A query counts as "citing you" if your root domain appears in the answer text, the source link list, or both — see edge cases below for the precise matching rules.
Score bands
| Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0-20 | AI engines almost never mention the tracked domain; competitors hold the category in AI answers. |
| 21-50 | Intermittent presence, typically on branded or long-tail queries; most category queries miss the tracked domain. |
| 51-80 | Strong presence on category queries; the tracked domain is a frequent but non-default answer. |
| 81-100 | The tracked domain is the default answer in its category across most audited engines. |
Edge cases
- All engines time out. If every configured engine returns an error or timeout for the audit,
queries_citing_youandtotal_queries_auditedare both undefined; the score is reported asnull, not0. Do not interpretnullas zero presence — re-run the audit before acting on it. - Mixed-case domain matching. Domain matching is case-insensitive.
loudpixel.ai,LoudPixel.ai, andLOUDPIXEL.AIare counted as the same domain. - Subdomain handling. By default,
blog.acme.comrolls up toacme.comand counts as a citation of the root. Enable strict subdomain in the audit settings to count each subdomain separately. - Citation in source link only. If the domain appears only in the engine's source/citation list and not in the answer prose, it still counts toward
queries_citing_you. - Negative-sentiment citation. A citation that recommends against the tracked domain (e.g. "avoid acme.com") still counts toward
queries_citing_you. Sentiment is tracked separately by the Citation Sentiment Score and is out of scope for this metric.
Dollar interpretation
The score is a leading indicator of AI-referred pipeline. To translate a score change between two audits into recovered monthly pipeline, use:
recovered_pipeline = (score_delta / 100) * category_avg_ai_referred_session_value * monthly_query_volumeWhere score_delta is the percentage-point change between two audits (for example, 30 − 10 = 20), category_avg_ai_referred_session_value is the typical revenue per AI-referred session in your category, and monthly_query_volume is the monthly volume of cited buyer-intent queries surfacing the tracked domain.
Worked example: a score that moves from 10 to 30 (Δ20), with a category session value of $80 and 120 monthly cited buyer-intent queries, yields (20 / 100) * 80 * 120 ≈ $1,920/mo in recovered pipeline. Treat this as directional sizing, not a forecast — actual conversion depends on landing-page quality, intent match, and downstream funnel performance.
Related
- Concept — How LoudPixel measures AI citations — full methodology behind query selection, engine querying, and citation parsing.
- How-to — Get cited on a missed query — the fastest move to lift a low score.
- Tutorial — Your first AI search audit — see the score in your dashboard.
How to get cited on a query you're missing
Step-by-step playbook to earn AI-engine citations on a buyer-intent query a competitor currently owns. Fix one gap, measure the lift, repeat.
How LoudPixel measures AI citations
Methodology behind LoudPixel's AI search audits — query generation, engine querying, citation parsing, deduplication, and the Citation Share Score.