Anyone using domain-level analytics to understand their AI visibility? Here's what I learned

This is exactly what I’ve been obsessing over for the past 6 months. Let me share what I’ve found.

The domain authority game has completely shifted. Traditional metrics like Moz DA or Ahrefs DR don’t translate 1:1 to AI citation rates. I’ve seen DR 40 sites get cited more than DR 80 sites because their content is structured better for AI consumption.

What actually makes a domain citation-worthy:

1. Comprehensive, expert-level content - AI prefers depth over breadth
2. Clear Q&A formatting - especially FAQ pages with schema markup
3. Freshness - particularly for Perplexity which uses real-time data
4. Topic authority - being known for specific subjects vs. generic content

For tracking: I use Am I Cited for domain intelligence. It shows exactly which prompts trigger your domain as a citation, how often you’re cited vs. competitors, and tracks changes over time. The domain relationship mapping feature was an eye-opener - I discovered we were being co-cited with outdated sources, which wasn’t helping us.

Been doing enterprise SEO for 12 years. This domain intelligence angle is the biggest shift I’ve seen since mobile-first indexing.

Here’s the framework I use:

1. Baseline Your Domain Citations Track how often your domain appears in AI responses for your core topics. Don’t guess - measure. Tools exist for this now.

2. Identify Your “Citation Gap” Compare your citation frequency to competitors. If they’re cited 5x more for the same queries, you have work to do.

3. Analyze Top-Cited Domains Look at which domains consistently get cited in your space. What do they have in common? Usually it’s:

• Clear expertise signals (author bios, credentials)
• Structured data throughout the site
• Regular content updates
• Being referenced by other authoritative sources

4. Track Domain Presence Over Time This isn’t a set-and-forget thing. Monitor weekly. AI platforms evolve their source preferences.

The companies doing this systematically are pulling ahead. Those ignoring it will wake up in 2 years wondering why AI never recommends them.

We’ve been offering domain intelligence as a service for about 8 months. Here’s real data from our clients:

Average results after 90 days of optimization:

• 65% increase in domain citation frequency
• 3x improvement in prompt coverage (number of different queries that cite the domain)
• Moved from Page 2-3 domains to top-cited status for 40% of clients

What we focus on:

Quick wins (Week 1-2):

• Audit and restructure FAQ pages
• Add comprehensive schema markup
• Fix any technical issues affecting crawlability

Authority building (Month 1-3):

• Create definitive guides for core topics
• Secure mentions from domains AI already trusts
• Engage authentically in Reddit communities where topics are discussed

Monitoring (Ongoing):

• Track domain presence across different AI platforms
• Monitor competitor domain movements
• Adjust strategy based on what’s working

We use Am I Cited for all our client tracking. The domain relationship mapping and historical trends are essential for proving ROI.

As a technical founder, I was skeptical about this “domain intelligence” concept at first. Felt like marketing fluff.

Then I dug into the data.

What I learned building our own tracking:

• Perplexity cites roughly 5-8 sources per response
• The same domains keep appearing for similar topics (it’s not random)
• There’s clear “tiering” - some domains are cited 10x more than others for identical queries

The technical reality: AI platforms are essentially running their own authority algorithms. They’re deciding which sources to trust based on:

• Historical accuracy of information from that domain
• How often other sources reference that domain
• Content structure and clarity
• Topic specialization

This is “Domain Authority 2.0” - but it’s happening inside AI systems, not search engines.

I’m in a niche B2B space (supply chain software) and domain intelligence completely changed our strategy.

Our before state:

• We ranked well in Google for our keywords
• But AI tools cited our 3 main competitors consistently
• We were essentially invisible in AI-generated recommendations

What we discovered: Using domain tracking, we found that AI was citing domains that had:

• Detailed comparison pages mentioning multiple solutions
• Regularly updated industry reports
• Active participation in supply chain subreddits

Our response:

1. Created comprehensive comparison content (honestly comparing us to alternatives)
2. Started publishing quarterly industry benchmarks
3. Became active helpful participants in r/supplychain

Results after 4 months:

• Our domain now appears in 40% of relevant AI queries (up from 5%)
• We’re regularly co-cited with the market leaders
• Inbound leads mentioning “AI recommended you” have increased 3x

The domain relationship mapping was crucial - we could see exactly which other domains we were being grouped with and strategically positioned ourselves to be in better company.

Something nobody’s mentioned yet: the prompts that trigger your domain matter as much as how often you’re cited.

I’ve seen domains that get cited frequently but only for low-intent informational queries. Great for awareness, but not converting.

With good domain intelligence tools, you can see exactly which prompts result in your domain being cited. Then you can:

• Double down on content that attracts high-intent citations
• Identify gaps where you should be cited but aren’t
• See what content you need to create for specific query types

This “prompt presence analysis” approach has been gold for our clients. One B2B client discovered they were only being cited for beginner-level queries. They created more advanced content, and within 6 weeks started appearing for “best enterprise solution for X” type queries that actually drive demos.

Let me add some quantitative perspective here.

Domain citation patterns we’ve observed across 500+ tracked domains:

1. Top 10% of domains get 70% of citations for any given topic - the distribution is very unequal

2. Domain “stickiness” is real - once AI starts citing a domain, it tends to continue (momentum matters)

3. New domains can break in but it takes consistent effort over 60-90 days minimum

4. Co-citation effects are significant - being mentioned alongside authoritative domains lifts your perceived authority

Practical implications:

• Getting that first consistent citation is the hardest part
• Once you’re in the “trusted source” pool, citations compound
• Monitor competitors’ domain performance to spot opportunities
• Track changes weekly - this space moves fast

The tools exist now to measure all of this. A year ago we were guessing. Now we have real data.

This thread exceeded my expectations. Lots of actionable insights here.

My key takeaways:

1. Domain authority in AI is a separate game from traditional SEO - need to track it independently

2. Co-citation patterns matter - we need to pay attention to which domains we’re appearing alongside

3. Prompt analysis is crucial - not just HOW often we’re cited, but FOR WHAT

4. This is measurable - tools like Am I Cited make this data accessible

Our next steps:

1. Set up proper domain tracking across Perplexity, ChatGPT, and AI Overviews
2. Establish baseline metrics for our domain and top 5 competitors
3. Audit our content for AI-friendly structure
4. Start monitoring weekly and iterate

The CMO meeting is next week. I have what I need now. Thanks everyone!

Will update this thread in 60 days with real results.