glossary
Citation
A source reference in an answer; not necessarily an endorsement or a visit.
Scope
Editorial guidance for English-language marketing teams. Examples are illustrative, not measured results. No citation, ranking, traffic, or revenue outcome is guaranteed.
Meaning
For our observation logs, a citation is an identifiable source reference or link associated with an answer. Record the exact URL and enough surrounding context to inspect what it supports. State your counting rule when several references point to the same page.
Check the relationship
Open the destination and compare the claim with the relevant passage. A page can be cited for a narrow fact without supporting the whole answer. A link to a brand’s website is different from a third-party page that mentions the brand.
Common mistake
Counting citations as visits or recommendations. Microsoft’s citation telemetry documentation explicitly distinguishes citation frequency from answer placement and ranking. Use separate records for referral traffic.
Sources
Read the original material. A source link is not, by itself, proof of a claim.