Source gap
A cited page or domain that supports competitors but omits the tracked brand.
What is Source gap?
Source gaps reveal the external pages shaping an answer. They help teams choose between outreach, partnership, digital PR, or creating a stronger competing resource. The most valuable gaps recur across several prompts and models.
In practiceWhat does this look like in a real AI answer?
An industry roundup is cited in nine answers and mentions four competitors but not the tracked company.
Why it matters for AI visibility
AI answers can shape awareness and buying decisions before a person visits a website. Understanding source gap helps teams connect what a model says with the prompts, sources, and technical signals that influenced the result. The useful next step is to observe the evidence, compare it over time, and act on the specific gap.
How to measure or use it
- Define the scope. Choose the relevant market, prompts, models, locations, and time window.
- Keep the evidence. Save the complete answer, its citations, and the page or claim being evaluated.
- Compare patterns. Look for repeated movement across prompts and models instead of reacting to one response.
- Take a specific action. Improve the owned page, correct a claim, earn third-party inclusion, or create better evidence.