Citation logic is not the same as ranking logic. Engines cite sources that are clear, current, corroborated, and easy to extract, which is why a high-authority page can be ignored while a sharper one is quoted. Position inside the page matters too: a Kevin Indig analysis published in February 2026 found 44.2% of 18,012 verified ChatGPT citations pointed to the first 30% of the content.
You track citations by querying the engines for your topics and counting how often you appear versus competitors, which rolls up into your AI share of voice.