The short answer
Retrieval is the step where a search or AI system finds candidate documents or passages that might answer a question, before it ranks them and writes a reply. If your page is not retrieved, it cannot be cited.
Updated Oct 18 2026
Why Retrieval matters
Many assistants search before they answer. A page that cannot be crawled, rendered or matched to the question never enters the candidate set.
How to measure or use it
Check that key pages are indexed in Google and Bing, render their content without depending on scripts, and match the phrasing of real questions.
How I handle it
When a page is not being cited, I check retrieval first: indexed, crawlable, rendered and worded like the question. Only then do I touch the writing.
Related terms
- Passage RankingJudging individual passages of a page for relevance, not only the page as a whole.Read
- Vector RelevanceHow close the meaning of a passage is to the meaning of a question, measured with embeddings.Read
- AI Crawl PathwayThe route AI bots can follow to discover, render, understand and revisit your important pages.Read
Retrieval questions
Is retrieval the same as ranking?
No. Retrieval gathers candidates. Ranking orders them. A page has to pass the first step to be considered in the second.
Why is my indexed page not retrieved?
Often it has no clear passage that matches the question, or the question is worded very differently from the page.
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