Sources & domains
The Sources & domains view
When an AI platform answers a question about your category, it does not make things up in a vacuum. It draws on content it has learned from: publications, review sites, comparison pages, and other authoritative sources. The Sources and domains view surfaces exactly which domains are shaping those answers, and gives you a concrete, evidence-backed list of where to focus your content and PR efforts.
What “sources” are
Section titled “What “sources” are”A source is any domain that an AI platform cited in a response that Visbee captured. Not every AI platform explicitly displays citations, but Visbee extracts and records them where they are present. Each source in this view is a real URL or domain that appeared in an AI answer in your category.
These are not just the most popular sites on the internet. They are specifically the domains that carry weight in AI answers about your industry. A niche trade publication that regularly covers your category might appear here even though it has a fraction of the traffic of a general-purpose site.
Why sources matter
Section titled “Why sources matter”If a publication is cited often in answers about your category, it is influencing how AI platforms discuss your space. That influence flows in both directions: being covered by those publications increases the chance that AI platforms will pick up and repeat positive descriptions of your brand. Being absent from them is one of the most common reasons a brand has low AI visibility despite strong organic search presence.
Understanding which domains have the most weight in AI answers gives you something concrete to work with. It turns “we need to improve AI visibility” into a list of specific publications worth targeting for earned media, guest contributions, product reviews, or analyst outreach.
What the sources view shows
Section titled “What the sources view shows”The view is divided into three sections that each answer a different question:
Top cited domains overall. The domains cited most often across all AI responses in your category, regardless of which brand was mentioned. This is your overall landscape: the publications and sites that matter most to AI platforms when discussing your space.
Top sources in your brand mentions. The domains cited specifically in responses where your brand appeared. These are the publications already working in your favour. A source appearing here means the AI drew on it in a context where your brand was recommended or discussed.
Top sources in competitor-only mentions. The domains cited in responses where a competitor was mentioned but your brand was not. This is typically the most actionable list. It shows exactly which publications are contributing to a competitor’s visibility that you have not yet reached. If you can earn coverage on these domains, you directly address a concrete gap.
How to use it
Section titled “How to use it”The most straightforward workflow is to open the “competitor sources where you’re absent” list and treat it as a PR and content targeting backlog. Each domain on that list is a place where your brand could earn a mention, review, comparison, or expert quote. Prioritise by how often the domain appears in competitor mentions: a domain cited in dozens of AI responses is worth more effort than one cited once.
For each mention that cited a source you want to dig into, you can click through to the Mentions and sentiment view to read the actual AI responses that referenced that domain. This helps you understand the context: is the domain being cited as the source of a product review, a how-to guide, or an industry ranking? That context shapes how you approach outreach.
A note on your own domain
Section titled “A note on your own domain”Your brand’s official website domain is excluded from third-party source counts. This keeps the data focused on external coverage rather than self-referential citations, so the list reflects the independent authority you have built, not just your own content.