How to find the pages AI cites for your category
By the Why Won't AI team · Published · Last updated
As of November 2026, most AI assistants show the pages they draw on as links or source cards in the answer. Collect the answers to your buyer questions, list every cited address, and group the addresses by domain and by the job each page does. That list shows where you must be present to be recommended.
Save the full answer first
Save the answer, its links and the date before you open any source. Answers change from day to day, and a link you did not save cannot be checked later.
Group the sources by the job they do
| Kind of source | What it does in the answer | Examples from our category |
|---|---|---|
| Platform docs | Explains how something works | developers.openai.com, developers.google.com, docs.lovable.dev |
| Competitor sites | Describes their own product | otterly.ai, peec.ai, ahrefs.com |
| Lists and reviews | Compares several products | Best-of articles on SEO tool blogs |
| Community | Gives first-hand experience | reddit.com, youtube.com, dev.to |
| Small specialist sites | Answers one narrow question well | Guides about one app builder |
What we found in our own category
On November 3, 2026 we collected 74 answers to 15 buyer questions on five assistants. They cited 362 different domains. The domains cited most were developers.openai.com and otterly.ai (10 answers each), help.openai.com (9), developers.google.com and reddit.com (8 each), and ahrefs.com and semrush.com (7 each). YouTube was cited 6 times, all in Google AI Overviews. For questions about Lovable and Base44, small sites that cover one app builder were cited next to the builders' own docs.
The lesson for us: on narrow questions, small sites get cited. On category questions, the same few vendors and their own pages fill the answers.
Check what each page really supports
- Open each cited page and follow any redirect to the final address.
- Find the claim in the answer that the page is meant to support.
- Mark it: the page supports the claim, contradicts it, or does not address it.
- If a page does not load, mark it as not checked. Do not assume the answer made it up.
Turn the list into work
- Competitor pages are cited: you need a page that answers the same question, at least as well.
- Best-of lists are cited: ask to be reviewed, honestly. Do not pay for placement you would have to hide.
- Community threads are cited: take part where you have real experience to share.
- Platform docs are cited: write the clear, specific page that those docs do not cover.
Know the limits
The cited list does not show everything a model read. An answer can name a product and cite nothing, and a cited page can fail to mention the product it is cited for.
Questions people ask
Do all AI assistants show their sources?
Most show links or source cards, but how many and which kind differ by assistant.
Is a cited page always about the cited product?
No. A cited page can fail to mention the product, and an answer can name a product without citing it.
How often do cited sources change?
Often. Collect them on a schedule and compare over weeks, not from one answer.
What this does not tell you
Which of these sources matter most for your buyers, and which page or listing to work on first.