Source Intelligence
Source Intelligence reveals where AI engines actually get their answers about your category. It separates citations to your own site from the third-party sources — review sites, Reddit, roundups, news, and category pages — that the engines lean on, so you can tell whether the fix is on your site or in the corroboration around it.
Why the source mix matters
Most AI citations for buying questions point to pages you do not own. If you only optimize your own site while the engine trusts third parties for your category, you will keep losing. Knowing the source mix tells you where the leverage is — on-site, off-site, or both.
How RankEcho classifies sources
Each cited source is classified so patterns are visible:
- Owned — your own domain.
- Review and roundup sites — category and comparison pages.
- Community — forums and threads like Reddit.
- News and editorial coverage.
- Reference and documentation.
Turning the mix into a plan
When your own site dominates the citations for a prompt, on-site fixes are the lever. When third-party sources dominate, the work is off-site: getting named in the reviews, roundups, and threads the engine already trusts. Source Intelligence makes that call obvious instead of leaving you guessing which kind of work to fund.
Where it fits the loop
Source Intelligence feeds the Fix Engine: an on-site gap becomes an answer-block or schema fix, while an off-site gap becomes a source play. The Proof Loop then re-tests the prompt so you can see whether shifting the source mix moved you into the answer.
Frequently asked questions
Engines treat independent corroboration as stronger evidence than your own marketing copy, so the sources they trust for your category often decide who gets recommended.
Yes, through digital PR and earning mentions on the reviews, roundups, and threads already cited for your category — the off-site half of a GEO fix.
It is about being named and described in the sources engines actually retrieve and cite, not classic link equity, though the two can overlap.