Updated July 2026

AI Citation Data & Benchmarks

12,430 prompts. 45,415 links. One citation map.

We track which sources AI platforms cite, then stock 45,415 buyable links to match in our marketplace.

  • 12,430prompts analysed
  • 45,415links gathered
  • 4AI platforms
  • 132sources per prompt avg
  • Monthlyrefresh cadence

The link database behind the data

Live inventory · 2026-07-22

Every citation pattern above is matched against this database to find the links worth buying for your prompt.

Links gathered

45,415

Guest posts

45,136

Link inserts

16,087

Prices from

$131

Browse the Marketplace

Data studies from this database

Authority spread of the database

DR 60+
9%
DR 40–60
29%
DR 20–40
37%
DR under 20
25%

Share of 45,415 links by ahrefs domain rating · 162 countries · 37 categories

Source types AI cites most

CiteMP source analysis, July 2026 · n = 12,430 prompts

Top source type

Comparison articles — 31% of citations

01
Comparison articles
31%
02
Industry publishers
24%
03
Listicles
18%
04
Review platforms
13%
05
Original research
9%
06
Other
5%

Share of all cited URLs by format, averaged across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Claude.

Citation mix by platform

Every platform weights formats differently. We stock the match in our AI link building marketplace.

ChatGPT

Leans listicles
Listicles
34%
Comparison articles
29%
Review platforms
14%

Share of platform citations · July 2026

Google AI Overviews

Leans comparisons
Listicles
22%
Comparison articles
33%
Review platforms
18%

Share of platform citations · July 2026

Perplexity

Leans listicles
Listicles
27%
Comparison articles
26%
Review platforms
21%

Share of platform citations · July 2026

Claude

Leans listicles
Listicles
30%
Comparison articles
28%
Review platforms
15%

Share of platform citations · July 2026

Source format benchmarks

Latest benchmark values · CiteMP source analysis, July 2026

Source formatAvg citation shareMedian DR of cited pagesAvg content ageRefresh frequency
Comparison articles31%724.2 moMonthly
Industry publishers24%687.5 moQuarterly
Listicles18%643.1 moMonthly
Review platforms13%815.8 moWeekly
Original research9%7611.2 moAnnually
Other5%5214+ moRarely

Formats map one-to-one to the placement types in our campaign pricing.

What the data means for your campaign

Comparison + listicle share

49%

Two formats carry half of all citations, so we buy them first in GEO link building.

Median authority of cited pages

DR 64+

Cited pages clear DR 64 in every format, so filter publisher placements by authority before price.

Avg age of cited comparisons

4.2 mo

AI platforms favor fresh pages, so our citation building runs as a refresh cycle.

Charts you can use

Free to embed in your own articles with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit and link to CiteMP.

Bar chart of which source types AI search engines cite most: comparison articles lead at 31% of citations, followed by industry publishers at 24%, listicles 18%, review platforms 13% and original research 9%, based on 12,430 prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Claude
Source types AI cites mostSVG
Bar chart of median guest post price by ahrefs domain rating tier from 45,415 live marketplace listings, showing DR 60+ publishers command the highest prices, roughly 2.5 times sites under DR 20
Guest post price by domain ratingSVG
Chart comparing median link building costs by country: Japan is the most expensive market and Bangladesh the cheapest, a 3.4x global spread across countries with at least 100 live listings
Link building costs by countrySVG
Stat card summarizing the CiteMP GEO link database: 45,415 buyable links across 162 countries and 31 categories with live median pricing
The CiteMP link database at a glanceSVG

Methodology

  • Sample. 12,430 commercial-intent prompts across 41 industries, collected January–July 2026.
  • Collection. Each prompt run on four platforms, 132 cited sources classified per prompt.
  • Matching. Patterns matched against our 45,415-link database for buyable equivalents.
  • Cadence. Refreshes monthly; these are July 2026 benchmarks.
  • License. Benchmarks are free to cite with attribution to CiteMP (CC BY 4.0).

Get the citation map for your prompt.

We run your prompt through the same pipeline behind these benchmarks and return the exact sources — and placements — to target.