Why does the distinction matter?
Because the work that earns each is different. A page gets cited when it’s the clearest, most directly usable source for the question. A brand gets named when it’s strongly associated with the topic across many sources. A team that only counts “mentions” can’t tell which kind of work is paying off.
What about answers that run without you?
That’s the fourth verdict, and often the most useful. When an answer exists and you’re nowhere in it, the question becomes: who is in it? A list of the domains the engines put forward instead of you is a competitor list built from evidence rather than opinion.
Leave out the sources that fill a slot without competing with anyone: directories, forums, video sites, review round-ups. Counting them just flatters the numbers.
How should the verdicts be recorded?
With the answer itself. An engine’s answer changes from one day to the next; a verdict that can’t be read back against the text that produced it can’t be defended in a meeting.