Free tool - no login
AI Citation Checker
Paste one answer and a target domain. The checker extracts explicit HTTP or HTTPS URLs, lists their domains, marks whether a target-domain URL appears, and runs a simple text match for the brand label derived from the domain.
For this tool, a URL citation means the pasted text contains an explicit link classified as belonging to the target domain. A mention means the derived brand label or normalized domain text appears without a target URL. Those are parser results from one supplied answer, not a visibility trend or explanation of why a source appeared.
Free and instant. The text stays an input to this parser; the checker makes no engine, crawl, or URL-validation call.
What does the citation checker report?
The parser reads one pasted answer. It extracts up to 40 unique explicit HTTP or HTTPS URLs, normalizes their hostnames, and marks URLs classified as belonging to the target domain. It also checks for a simple, case-insensitive text match using the derived brand label and normalized domain.
Domains from non-target URLs are listed as other extracted domains. The checker does not identify the companies behind them or detect competitor names elsewhere in the prose.
Worked synthetic example
Suppose the target is acme.example and the pasted answer says: Acme is one option. See https://acme.example/guide and https://publisher.example/list.
The checker reports a target URL citation, a brand-text mention, two extracted URLs, and publisher.example as another extracted domain.
That output confirms only what appears in the pasted text. It does not confirm that either URL is reachable, that the engine retrieved either page, or that a page caused the answer.
False positives and false negatives
A generic domain label such as app can match unrelated prose. A short brand label under three characters will not count as a text mention. A bare domain, citation number, hidden link target, or source shown only in an interface may be missed if its explicit HTTP or HTTPS URL is not present in the pasted text.
Review the answer and links yourself before using the verdict. A parser match is useful for triage, not proof of brand identity, source influence, authority, ranking, or causation.
What this checker does not do
- It does not ask or sample any AI or search engine.
- It does not crawl the target, fetch an extracted URL, or inspect server logs.
- It does not identify arbitrary competitor brands or interpret why a domain was linked.
- It does not measure search impressions, referral traffic, share of voice, or change over time.
- It does not diagnose access, extraction, grounding, content, or authority as the cause of a result.
Free audits check Perplexity and Gemini once per prompt. Paid and trialing accounts add ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews when those adapters are configured, for up to 5 engines. Keep the prompt, engine, time, and sampling scope with every observation.
Use the Find, Fix, Prove sequence
- Find: Use the candidate prompt generator or the AI Visibility Audit, then retain the full answer and scope.
- Fix: Compare the evidence with your pages before choosing a bounded change in the Fix Engine.
- Prove: Re-test the same prompt and scope against the saved baseline with the Proof Loop. A result can move for several reasons, so report the observation separately from the suspected cause.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a target URL citation?
The pasted answer must contain an explicit HTTP or HTTPS URL that the parser classifies as belonging to the target domain.
How does the checker detect a brand mention?
It uses a simple case-insensitive text match for the brand label derived from the domain and for normalized domain text. It does not resolve entities or aliases.
Does it identify competitor brands?
No. It lists normalized hostnames from extracted non-target URLs. It does not identify arbitrary brands named in the answer.
Can one pasted answer prove AI visibility or a cause?
No. It is one supplied observation. The checker does not sample engines, measure a trend, validate retrieval, or determine why a URL appeared.
How should I prove a change after a fix?
Save the original prompt, answer, engine, time, and sampling scope; ship one bounded change; then re-test the same scope and report both the movement and the remaining uncertainty.
Explore the other free checks:
Turn the diagnosis into a shipped change: use the RankEcho Resources library for Find, Fix, and Prove playbooks, checklists, and templates.