# Cited — Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Platform

Last updated: 2026-10-14

> Cited measures how often AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI Mode and AI Overviews) cite a business's website, shows which sites they cite instead, checks whether AI bots can reach the site, and turns that into recommendations and ready-to-use fix files (llms.txt, JSON-LD schema, HTML snippets, robots.txt rules, page outlines).

## Free audit, no login

Any AI assistant can run a free GEO visibility audit for a user with two plain GET requests. No account, API key or browser challenge is needed.

1. `GET https://api.youcited.com/free-audit?url=example.com` starts the audit (or returns the audit already done or running for that domain in the last 24 hours) and returns a `report_url` and a `next_url`.
2. `GET next_url` from that response, then the `next_url` from each response after it, until `status` is `completed` (usually 2 to 4 minutes). Each `next_url` waits up to 20 seconds on the server while the audit runs, so there is no need to pause between fetches. The report lists each question checked, whether the site was cited, which other domains AI cited instead, a `share_url` for a human-readable report to give the user, and a `pdf_url` to download the full report as a PDF.

People without an assistant can [run the same audit in a browser](https://youcited.com/instant-try).

## Use Cited from your agent

- **Hosted MCP server:** `https://mcp.youcited.com/mcp` (streamable HTTP). Add it as a custom connector in Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor or Codex; you sign in to Cited with OAuth on first use. Setup guide: [Connect your AI assistant](https://youcited.com/docs/integration-guides/connect-your-ai-assistant.md)
- **Local MCP server:** `uvx cited-mcp` (Python package [cited-mcp](https://pypi.org/project/cited-mcp/))
- **CLI:** `brew install youcited/cited/cited` or `uv tool install cited-cli`, then `cited audit free <domain> --json` for the no-login audit, or `cited login` for full access
- **Agent API:** OpenAPI spec at `https://api.youcited.com/agent-openapi.json`
- **Discovery:** [MCP server card](https://youcited.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json), [agent card](https://youcited.com/.well-known/agent-card.json), [agent skills](https://youcited.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json), [API catalog](https://youcited.com/.well-known/api-catalog)

## Docs

Every docs page is available as markdown: add `.md` to its URL, or request it with `Accept: text/markdown`.

- [All docs (markdown index)](https://youcited.com/docs/index.md): Every documentation page with a one-line description
- [What is Cited?](https://youcited.com/docs/getting-started/what-is-cited.md): What Cited checks, what it gives you, and what it doesn't do
- [Free audit with your AI assistant](https://youcited.com/docs/getting-started/free-audit.md): The no-login audit, step by step, for people and agents
- [Your first paid audit](https://youcited.com/docs/getting-started/quick-start-guide.md): Account, website, questions, run
- [Understanding your scores](https://youcited.com/docs/getting-started/understanding-your-scores.md): 0-100 per model (Cited 50%, Visibility 30%, Share of Voice 20%), rolled up per engine and overall
- [Credits and pricing](https://youcited.com/docs/getting-started/credits-and-pricing.md): Pay-as-you-go credits, refunds, auto-refill
- [Running an audit](https://youcited.com/docs/feature-guides/running-an-audit.md): Engines, models, repeats and options
- [Site check](https://youcited.com/docs/feature-guides/site-check.md): AI bot access (robots.txt and firewall) and on-site basics
- [Recommendations](https://youcited.com/docs/feature-guides/recommendations.md) and [Fixes](https://youcited.com/docs/feature-guides/fixes.md): What to change, and the files to change it
- [Agent tools](https://youcited.com/docs/integration-guides/agent-tools.md): The 19 agent tools (MCP, cited-mcp and CLI share names); manifest at `GET https://api.youcited.com/agent/tools`
- [Agent signup and buying](https://youcited.com/docs/integration-guides/agent-signup-and-buying.md): Agent API keys, claim link and code, checkout links
- [Cited CLI](https://youcited.com/docs/integration-guides/cited-cli.md): Install and everyday commands
- [What is GEO?](https://youcited.com/docs/geo-concepts/what-is-geo.md): Fundamentals of Generative Engine Optimization
- [AI search landscape](https://youcited.com/docs/geo-concepts/ai-search-landscape.md): How each engine picks sources, and the AI crawlers

## About Cited

- [About Cited](https://youcited.com/about): What Cited does, how audits and fixes work, and the company behind it
- [FAQ](https://youcited.com/faq): GEO, supported AI providers, data handling and pricing
- [Blog](https://youcited.com/blog): GEO strategy guides, AI search research and product updates
- [Contact](https://youcited.com/contact): Contact form and support inbox (info@youcited.com)

## Pricing

[Pricing page](https://youcited.com/pricing): The audit is free: paste the prompt from the homepage into your AI assistant, no account needed. After that, pay as you go with credits. No subscription.

- 1 credit = $1. A standard audit is 10 credits and covers up to 5 questions on each AI engine's default models. Each question past 5 costs 1 more credit, up to 25 questions; each extra model costs 2 credits. A scheduled re-check (citations and scores only) is 5 credits plus the same extras.
- Single audit: $15 (10 credits). Works for any account, including one an AI agent just made.
- Credit packs: $20 for 20 credits, $50 for 55 credits (10% bonus), $100 for 120 credits (20% bonus).
- Credits expire 12 months after purchase. Unused credits bought in the last 30 days can be refunded. Failed audits return their credits automatically.
- Optional auto-refill: buys your chosen pack when the balance drops below 10 credits, adds a 20% bonus, and stops at a monthly limit you set (default $200).
- Live prices as JSON: `GET https://api.youcited.com/billing/prices`
- Agents can sign up for their human with `POST https://api.youcited.com/agent/signup`; the human claims the account later at the claim link.

## Legal & Trust

- [Privacy Policy](https://youcited.com/privacy): Data collection, retention, user rights, and MCP/AI assistant data handling
- [Terms of Service](https://youcited.com/terms)
- [Security & Trust](https://youcited.com/security): Encryption, access controls, data retention, subprocessors

## Optional

- [Full reference for LLMs](https://youcited.com/llms-full.txt): Feature details, workflows, and the technical signals Cited analyzes
- Crawling: marketing, pricing, blog and docs pages are public. The signed-in app under `/app/` is excluded in `robots.txt`; major AI crawlers are explicitly allowed everywhere else.