{"id":200818,"date":"2026-07-09T03:56:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=200818"},"modified":"2026-07-09T05:12:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T10:12:51","slug":"retrieval-augmented-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/retrieval-augmented-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Explained: How AI Decides Which Pages to Search & Cite"},"content":{"rendered":"
Retrieval augmented generation is a framework that determines which content AI tools retrieve and cite before generating an answer.<\/div>\n

You need to understand RAG because it\u2019s one of the ways ChatGPT, AI Mode and other AI search engines choose which pages get included in its answer.<\/p>\n

This guide explains how RAG works (in plain English), what makes content more likely to be retrieved, and how to measure your visibility in AI systems that use RAG with Ahrefs Brand Radar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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