How the Numbers Are Measured: Ranges, Data Sources, Platform Changes and Evidence
The 95% ranges, each answer’s data source and model, platform-wide change and model-update markers, repeated sampling, Frozen comparison, the AI searches tab, the three evidence tabs and corrections, and the rank badge on each engine icon.
Why this matters
Ask AI the same question twice and the answers can differ, and AI platforms change models and citation habits on their own. These features show how many answers each number rests on, where they were captured, and whether a change came from your brand or from the platform.
95% ranges
Rates show the answer count and a 95% range. On the Workspace card From mention to recommendation, “95% range 41–63% · 23/45” means 23 of 45 answers matched; with that many answers, the true rate lies between 41% and 63% with 95% probability. More answers give a narrower range.
- Under 10 answers only “x/n” is shown, without a percentage.
- Retests use the ranges too: a result counts as Improved only when the before and after ranges don’t overlap.
Data source and model
Open a prompt in Prompt Tracking. The answer tab says how that answer was captured:
- “Source: captured from the AI app itself (what users see)”
- “Source: model API (a benchmark; may differ from the app)”
followed by the Model name. Answers scanned before this was recorded say so, and get it from the next scan. The From mention to recommendation card sums up the sources of all answers in its bottom line.
Platform-wide changes and model updates
Citadex sees data across all projects. When an AI engine changes for every project on the same day, the Workspace shows a Platform-wide changes card (hidden when there is none), for example:
- “Cited links per answer across all projects down 31% (4.2 → 2.9)”
- “Brands named per answer across all projects up 18% (…)”
- “New model xxx in use (62% of that day’s answers)”, the model-update marker.
How to use it: if your numbers dropped on the same day on that engine, the engine is the likely cause, not your brand. The same events appear as Platform-wide change markers on the Coverage over time and actions chart (Achievements → View evidence), and in This week’s tasks such drops count half and say so.
Repeated sampling
In a prompt’s panel, tick Ask 3× per scan. On every scan each engine answers the prompt 3 times, and the result shows as “Latest sampling, 3 answers: mentioned x/3 · recommended y/3”, so you see how often your brand comes up.
- Available on Business / Agency, for a limited number of prompts.
- It uses about 3× the credits for that prompt on each scan. Ticking it opens a confirmation (“Turn on "3 runs per scan"?”); nothing changes until you click Turn on. You can turn it off at any time.
- The credit check before each scan includes the extra runs; if the balance doesn't cover them, the scan doesn't run.
Frozen comparison
Adding or removing prompts moves the average coverage by itself. Frozen comparison locks a group of prompts and compares only those, week by week.
- 1
Freeze
At the top of Prompt Tracking, click Frozen comparison → Freeze current prompts, or Freeze this market’s prompts.
- 2
Follow the weeks
Each set shows its size and weekly coverage, e.g. “Same 100 prompts: week of 9/1 32% → week of 9/29 41%”. Each week uses every prompt’s last check that week; brackets show how many prompts were checked.
- 3
Delete
Delete removes only the set. Scan data is not affected.
AI searches
Many AI engines search the web before answering and cite pages from what they find.
- Per answer: Searches the AI ran before answering in the answer tab lists them; engines that don’t expose their searches say so.
- Across prompts: Prompt Tracking → AI searches tab pools the searches AI ran for your prompts and the sites it cited after each. The four figures at the top are AI searches, Name your brand, Cited you after and Needs action. Filter Needs action to see searches after which you are never cited; select them and use Generate strategy article or Find citation chances. This tab costs nothing extra.
The evidence panel: answer, Sources, Earlier answers
Click a prompt in Tracked to see its results per engine. The panel has three tabs:
| Tab | What it holds |
|---|---|
| answer | Recommendation label and reason, data source and model, AI searches, the full answer (translated or original), and Judged wrong? below |
| Sources | Every source this answer cited, with the count on the tab |
| Earlier answers | Older answers for this prompt on this engine, newest first, each openable; corrected ones are tagged Corrected |
Every raw answer is archived. When a judgement is wrong, use Judged wrong?; the correction is kept beside the answer and the answer itself is never changed.
The rank badge on engine icons
In the Tracked list, each prompt has a row of engine icons:
- A number on the icon’s top-right corner is your position in that engine’s list: green for the top 3, grey after that.
- A coloured icon without a number: you were mentioned, but not in a numbered list.
- A grey icon: not mentioned.
- 📎 under the icon: your site was cited without your brand being named.
- An amber “!”: this check returned no answer.
Hover an icon for the text version. Sort the list with the Order menu: Custom order, Newest added, Oldest added, Latest checked, Coverage (high to low), Coverage (low to high).
FAQ
Two scans gave different results. Is that normal? Yes. AI answers vary from run to run. Look at the trend over several scans, or turn on repeated sampling for key prompts.
My coverage dropped and I didn’t change anything. Check Platform-wide changes on the Workspace first. A change on the same engine on the same day points to the platform.
How is Frozen comparison different from the normal trend? The normal trend follows every prompt you track now; a frozen set counts only the prompts frozen together, so when its number moves, those prompts really moved.
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