Mention vs. citation: why the distinction matters

An AI answer can name a business by name without linking a source — and conversely, a domain can appear as a source without the business name being mentioned explicitly.

GEO Pilot stores both facts independently of each other: "Mentioned" and "Cited with link" are tracked separately and never automatically derived from one another.

This separation is a prerequisite for reliable metrics: a citation rate silently estimated from the mention rate would not be traceable.