Retrieval
Retrieval is the step in which a system finds information relevant to a question from an index, document collection or another data source. In AI search, retrieved passages can be supplied to a language model as context. Retrieval selects potential evidence; it does not itself verify the evidence or decide the final wording of an answer.
Why it matters for a business
A useful page cannot support an answer if the system never finds it. Discoverable links, accessible text and clear page topics help make information available. Availability is only one step: an assistant can read a page and still omit it from the final answer.
Example and evidence
The AI Source Map distinguishes pages or sites used during web-enabled tests from links actually shown as citations. It provides a concrete example of the gap between retrieved material and what a reader sees in the answer.
What to do next
Make important service pages accessible through normal internal links. Inspect crawler access and indexing where relevant. Answer a distinct customer question on each page, with the business and service named clearly. Avoid assuming that a successful HTTP request proves retrieval by an assistant.
Common question
Related terms
Sources and method
Sources checked on 2026-10-09. Examples marked illustrative are not measured business results.
Check your own business in AI answers
Run the free scan to see which assistants name your business and which facts need attention. A scan is a sample, not a promise of future recommendations.