Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about CiteMetrix, AI visibility monitoring, and how to improve how AI platforms represent your brand.

About CiteMetrix

What is CiteMetrix?

CiteMetrix is an AI visibility analytics platform that monitors how your brand appears across 10+ AI platforms including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google Gemini, Grok, and Google AI Overviews. It detects when AI gets your brand facts wrong, provides remediation recommendations, and automatically re-verifies until issues are resolved.

Who is CiteMetrix for?

CiteMetrix is designed for businesses, marketing agencies, and consultants who need to understand and improve how AI platforms represent their brand. It is especially valuable for regulated industries like pharmaceutical, financial, and healthcare where AI misinformation has compliance implications.

How much does CiteMetrix cost?

CiteMetrix offers three pricing tiers: Starter at $79/month (1 domain, 1 seat), Professional at $199/month (5 domains, 3 seats), and Agency at $499/month (15 domains, 10 seats). Enterprise plans with custom pricing are available. Annual billing saves two months. A free AI visibility check is available at citemetrix.com with no account required.

Is there a free version of CiteMetrix?

CiteMetrix offers a free AI visibility score check at citemetrix.com. Enter your domain and email to receive your visibility score across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI in 15 seconds. No account or credit card required. Full platform access starts at $79/month.

How is CiteMetrix different from SEO tools?

Traditional SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz track Google rankings. CiteMetrix tracks something entirely different: how AI chatbots represent your brand when people ask questions. A brand can rank #1 on Google and still be completely invisible to ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms. CiteMetrix is the only platform that combines monitoring with built-in remediation tools and automated verification.

AI Visibility Monitoring

What is AI visibility?

AI visibility refers to whether and how AI platforms mention your brand when users ask questions about your industry, products, or services. When someone asks ChatGPT “what are the best marketing tools?” — whether your brand appears in the response is your AI visibility. Over 50% of B2B buyers now start their research in AI chatbots instead of Google.

What AI platforms does CiteMetrix monitor?

CiteMetrix monitors 10 AI platforms: ChatGPT (OpenAI), Perplexity, Claude (Anthropic), Google Gemini, Grok (xAI), Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Mistral AI, and Meta AI. Additional custom platforms can be added through the Platform Registry at no extra cost.

What is ModelScore?

ModelScore is CiteMetrix’s proprietary composite metric that rates your AI visibility from 0 to 100. It combines four components: brand knowledge (does AI know you exist?), positioning (how does it describe you?), sentiment (is the tone positive, neutral, or negative?), and citations (does AI cite your website as a source?). Think of it as Domain Authority for the AI era.

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing your brand’s presence in AI-generated answers. Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on ranking in search engine results pages, AEO focuses on being mentioned, recommended, and accurately represented by AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. CiteMetrix is an AEO platform.

How often should I scan my AI visibility?

AI responses change frequently — research shows that up to 90% of cited sources in AI answers change over time. CiteMetrix recommends scanning at least weekly to track changes. The platform supports automated scan scheduling on all plans.

Hallucination Detection

What is an AI hallucination?

An AI hallucination occurs when an AI platform states something factually incorrect about your brand. Examples include wrong pricing, incorrect founding date, fabricated product features, or outdated information. CiteMetrix detects five types of hallucinations: incorrect facts, outdated information, fabricated claims, misleading context, and critical omissions.

How does CiteMetrix detect hallucinations?

CiteMetrix compares what AI platforms say about your brand against your verified Brand Facts — a database of accurate information you maintain in the platform. When AI contradicts a Brand Fact, CiteMetrix flags it with the severity level (critical, moderate, or minor), the type of inaccuracy, and what the AI said versus what is actually true.

What is the Hallucination Watch system?

Hallucination Watch is CiteMetrix’s automated re-verification system. When you track an issue, CiteMetrix re-runs the exact query on the same AI platform daily and checks whether the inaccuracy has been corrected. When the AI fixes itself, the issue auto-resolves. Watches expire after 30 days. No other AI visibility platform offers this closed-loop detection-to-verification workflow.

How do I fix AI hallucinations?

CiteMetrix provides type-specific remediation recommendations for each hallucination. For example, an incorrect fact might recommend updating your website content via the Content Optimizer, adding the correct information as a Brand Fact, and creating an FAQ page using the FAQ Generator. Each recommendation links directly to the relevant CiteMetrix tool so you can take action immediately.

Technical

What is BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)?

BYOK stands for Bring Your Own Key. CiteMetrix uses your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Perplexity, and other AI platforms to run scans. This means your queries and results stay completely private — CiteMetrix never sees your data. You pay AI providers directly at their standard rates (typically $0.01–$0.05 per scan).

Is CiteMetrix secure?

CiteMetrix includes enterprise-grade security: two-factor authentication with TOTP and backup codes, role-based access control with four team roles (Owner, Admin, Analyst, Viewer), comprehensive audit logging of all user actions, and complete SOC 2 compliance documentation. A formal SOC 2 Type I audit is planned.

Does CiteMetrix integrate with Google Search Console and Analytics?

Yes. CiteMetrix offers OAuth-based integration with both Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This allows you to cross-reference your organic search performance with your AI visibility data to identify gaps and opportunities.

What reports does CiteMetrix generate?

CiteMetrix generates four report types: AI Visibility Reports (comprehensive visibility overview), Monthly Progress Reports (trend analysis), Competitive Intelligence Reports (benchmarking against competitors), and Content Opportunity Reports (actionable content recommendations). Agency plans include white-label report customization.

Getting Started

How do I get started with CiteMetrix?

Start with a free AI visibility check at citemetrix.com — enter your domain and email to get your score in 15 seconds. To access the full platform, choose a plan starting at $79/month. The setup wizard walks you through adding your domain, configuring API keys, and running your first scan in under five minutes.

Can I try CiteMetrix before paying?

Yes. The free AI visibility score check gives you a preview of how AI platforms see your brand. All paid plans include a 14-day money-back guarantee. You can also book a demo for a guided walkthrough.

How long does setup take?

Most users complete setup in under five minutes. The setup wizard guides you through three steps: add your domain, configure your AI platform API keys, and add tracking queries. CiteMetrix’s AI Suggest feature can automatically generate relevant queries based on your website content.