# Missing sources

> Prompt by prompt, how often competitors are cited compared with you, and which of their pages answers use.

**For each prompt, "Missing sources" compares how often answers cite your site with how often they cite the site of
the most cited direct competitor.**

## Formula

```
your rate      = answers that cite your site ÷ answers to the prompt × 100
their rate     = answers that cite the competitor's site ÷ answers to the prompt × 100
gap            = their rate − your rate   (in percentage points)
```

"The competitor" is the direct competitor cited in the most answers to that prompt. An answer counts once, however
many pages it cites from the same site.

## Example

A prompt has 10 answers. Your site is cited in 2, Competitor A's in 7:

```
your rate = 20%   their rate = 70%   gap = +50 pp
```

If your rate is at least as high as theirs, **"No gap"** shows. If no competitor is cited, "—" shows.

## What counts and what doesn't

| Counts | Doesn't count |
|---|---|
| Competitors marked "Direct Competitor" that have a domain filled in | Competitors without a domain, ignored or unrelated |
| The competitor's domain and its subdomains | Failed runs |
| Empty answers from Google AI Overview (nobody is cited) | Answers outside the period |

For your site, what counts is the domain, with or without `www` (as with ["Used as source"](https://survelium.com/docs/metrics/used-as-source.md)).

## How to read it

- Sort by **gap**: at the top are the prompts where competitors are already sources and you are not.
- Open the row: you see each competitor's rate and their cited pages ("cited in X of Y answers"). That is the
  content the models prefer — what type of page, what topic.
- For getting the brand named (not just cited), see [Where you're missing](https://survelium.com/docs/metrics/answer-gaps.md).

## Where it appears

- **Missing sources** — the "Prompts and who gets cited" table; **See the comparison** in an opened row leads to the
  [comparison with cited pages](https://survelium.com/docs/optimization/page-comparison.md), when the prompt has one.