How many websites pass the External Sources check?
Based on 512 audited sites · Updated 2026-07-16
95% confidence interval: 80.6%–86.9%
About This Check
Checks whether mentions come from diverse sources. Source diversity strengthens entity credibility.
Why This Matters
LLM Discoverability
Source diversity signals that an entity is broadly recognised across different domains; AI systems treat multi-source corroboration as a credibility multiplier that raises citation confidence.
SEO Impact
Backlink diversity is one of Google's strongest off-page ranking factors; links from a variety of domain types and topical categories signal broad recognition and resist algorithmic volatility.
What To Do Next
16% of audited sites need attention on external sources (82 of 512 sites are warning or failing).
- Prioritize external sources on templates that create many URLs, because one template fix can improve a large share of off-site presence & mentions.
- After changing the page, re-run the audit and compare the observed value for this check instead of relying on visual inspection alone.
- Use the 84% pass rate as a benchmark: if your site fails here, passing the check moves it closer to the visible majority of crawlable, AI-readable pages.
Status Breakdown
Compliance Trend
Daily pass, warning, and failure rates across benchmark snapshots (up to 90 days).
Industry Breakdown
How different industries perform on this check.
90.4% of audited Media & Entertainment sites pass this check (n=73), compared with 80% of Finance & Banking sites (n=30).
| Industry | Pass rate | Avg score | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media & Entertainment | 90.4% | 73.8 | 73 |
| Technology | 87.1% | 72 | 232 |
| Travel & Hospitality | 86% | 74.8 | 50 |
| Finance & Banking | 80% | 72.8 | 30 |
| Retail | 100% | 78.3 | 3limited |
| Recruitment & HR | 100% | 80 | 3limited |
| Education | 86.4% | 71.8 | 22limited |
| E-Commerce | 82.1% | 69.6 | 28limited |
| Government | 76.9% | 73.1 | 13limited |
| Healthcare | 71.4% | 76.7 | 7limited |
Related Checks
Run a free audit to see whether your site passes this check, or browse the leaderboard and the audited-sites directory.