citee-methodology/taxonomy.md
Jacek Kubas f76cf2858b v1.0.0 — initial Citee Index Methodology release
Foundational public methodology for the first open public ranking of brand
visibility in AI search results (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude).

This release establishes the framework — no rankings have been computed
or published yet. First scan cycle: late May 2026 (private validation).
First public ranking publication target: August 2026, after 3 validation
cycles.

Includes:
- methodology.json: machine-readable formulas, weights, policies
- README.md: human-readable overview + open/closed boundary
- CHANGELOG.md: versioning policy + v1.0.0 release notes
- taxonomy.md: tier system + 11 PL pilot categories
- LICENSE: MIT
- .gitignore: closed operational data (exact prompts, anti-gaming thresholds)
- prompts/README.md: 6-stage prompt curation process
- prompts/example-swiece-sojowe-pl.md: illustrative framework for first category

Strategic principles:
- Algorithm-first, no advisory board
- Open methodology + closed exact prompts (Goodhart's Law defense)
- No retroactive changes (FIDE 2024 lesson)
- No pay-to-play, hard rule (Moody's / Forbes 30 Under 30 lessons)
- Subjective opinion disclaimer (Gartner v. NetScout 2020 First Amendment shield)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-03 17:25:56 +02:00

102 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
Raw Permalink Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

# Citee Index Taxonomy
> Category list, tier system, and scan cadence per tier. Live document — updated as new categories are added or existing ones are reclassified.
**Last updated:** 2026-05-03 (v1.0.0)
---
## Tier system
Categories are classified by **market depth** (number of visible brands) and **GMV** (PLN annual e-commerce volume in category).
| Tier | Criteria | Scan cadence | Brands tracked per cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Tier 1 — Large** | >1000 brands visible, >100M PLN GMV | Monthly | 100 |
| **Tier 2 — Medium** | 1001000 brands, 10100M PLN GMV | Quarterly | 50100 |
| **Tier 3 — Niche** | <100 brands, <10M PLN GMV | Semi-annual | 2050 |
Cross-cutting categories (e.g., "Polish DTC brands Top 100", "Polish handmade Top 100") are published **annually** as flagship reports.
## Country coverage
| Country | Status | First publication |
|---|---|---|
| **PL** (Poland) | Pilot 11 categories | August 2026 |
| **DE** (Germany) | Planned Q4 2026 | |
| **AT** (Austria) | Planned with DE | |
| **CH** (Switzerland) | Planned with DE | |
| **CZ** (Czech Republic) | Planned Q1 2027 | |
| **SK** (Slovakia) | Planned Q1 2027 | |
| **HU** (Hungary) | Planned Q2 2027 | |
| **RO** (Romania) | Planned Q2 2027 | |
| **DK / SE / NO / FI** (Nordic) | Planned Q3 2027 | |
| FR / ES / IT | Year 2 | |
| UK / US (English-speaking) | **Not in roadmap.** Heavy competition (Profound, Otterly, AthenaHQ). Citee focuses on markets where local language and brand knowledge create defensible moat. | |
---
## PL — pilot categories (Tier 2)
All 11 launch categories scan quarterly. Selection criteria: each ranked brand is a potential Citee Pro customer (DTC consumer brands or service businesses with marketing budgets), zero overlap with B2B SaaS competitors of LMW Commerce.
| # | Category slug | Display name | Sample brands | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | `kosmetyki-naturalne-pl` | Kosmetyki naturalne | Resibo, Tołpa, Yope, Bielenda, Dr Irena Eris, Vianek, Lirene | Premium DTC, brand-conscious vendors |
| 2 | `suplementy-nutricosmetyki-pl` | Suplementy / nutricosmetyki | Olimp, Trec, OstroVit, Allnutrition, Health Labs Care, NaturDay, Pharmovit | DTC growth segment, marketing-heavy |
| 3 | `diety-pudelkowe-pl` | Diety pudełkowe / catering dietetyczny | Maczfit, Nice To Fit You, Fit&Easy, BistroBox, Light Box | Subscription DTC, high LTV |
| 4 | `premium-pet-food-pl` | Premium pet food / akcesoria | Brit Care, Acana, Animonda, Royal Canin, Josera, Belcando, Pies Pisany | Loyal customers, premium pricing |
| 5 | `kawa-specialty-pl` | Kawa specialty / gourmet | Coffee Plant, Bonjour Cafe, Etno Cafe, Hard Beans, Coffeedesk, Cafezal | Vocal community, Reddit-rich |
| 6 | `czekolada-rzemieslnicza-pl` | Czekolada rzemieślnicza / premium | Manufaktura Czekolady, Mount Blanc, Wawel premium, Ujejski, Wedel exclusive | Premium DTC lifestyle |
| 7 | `kursy-programowania-bootcampy-pl` | Kursy programowania / IT bootcampy | Kodilla, Coders Lab, Boring Owl, Future Collars, SDA, WSB Online, Akademia Górska | High-LTV edutech, growing 2026 |
| 8 | `kliniki-estetyczne-dermo-pl` | Kliniki estetyczne / dermatologia premium | Klinika La Perla, Medilumi, Klinika Holistic, Estetica, Dermika | Service business, leadgen-driven |
| 9 | `fitness-studios-premium-pl` | Fitness studios / personal training | Calypso, Pure Jatomi, Fabric Health Club, niche premium studios | Subscription model, vocal community |
| 10 | `kosmetyki-meskie-pl` | Kosmetyki dla mężczyzn / męska pielęgnacja | Bartholomew, Chytry Lis, Onlomen, Ziaja Yego, Nivea Men premium, Lirene Men | Growing 2026 segment, new DTC entrants |
| 11 | `swiece-sojowe-pl` | Świece sojowe | JAKULO, Naturaodpauli, Bookiet, Triny, Aromatowo, Yush, Oskiknot, LemonGlas, Paleta Smaków, Bennovate | Pilot test bed + LMW founder pet category |
## Excluded from pilot — explicit rationale
| Category | Why excluded |
|---|---|
| Wino / alkohol PL | Polish "Ustawa o wychowaniu w trzeźwości" art. 13¹ restricts alcohol advertising regulatory risk too high |
| Rękodzieło / handmade / Etsy crowd | Margins 20-30%, micro-businesses won't pay 449 PLN/mo for visibility tools |
| B2B SaaS (CRM, marketing automation, e-commerce platforms) | LMW Commerce competes in adjacent space these vendors won't pay Citee competitor; also they have own visibility tools |
| Hosting / domeny | Vendors with own marketing teams, low conversion to Pro SaaS |
| Banki / ubezpieczenia / fintech B2B | Buyers of reports (agencies) but ranked brands won't buy Pro banks have enterprise marketing tools |
## Q3-Q4 2026 expansion candidates (Tier 1, monthly scan)
To be added after pilot validation:
- Kosmetyki ogólne (mainstream, not just naturalne) mega rynek
- Odzież dziecięca DTC
- Dom & ogród / wyposażenie wnętrz
- Elektronika audio premium
- Akcesoria biurowe / papiernicze B2B-light
## Cross-cutting flagship reports (annual)
- "Citee Index Polski DTC e-commerce Top 100" (year-end)
- "Citee Index Polski handmade Top 50" (year-end)
- "Citee Index Polski D2C lifestyle ecosystem" (mid-year)
These reports cut across categories to identify the strongest brand presences in AI search overall, regardless of vertical.
---
## Adding a new category — checklist
Before adding a category to active scan, the following must be true:
1. **Market depth** at least 20 brands with internet presence visible in PL e-commerce
2. **AI search demand** Google Trends data confirms users search for category-related queries
3. **Buyer profile** ranked brands fit potential Citee Pro customer persona OR clear agency/media buyer for reports
4. **No regulatory risk** category is not subject to advertising restrictions (alcohol, gambling, prescription pharma, etc.)
5. **Prompt curation feasible** buyer personas identifiable, decision factors articulable, expert reviewer available if outside founder's domain knowledge
6. **Category integrated with brand catalog** minimum 30 brands cataloged with normalized names (handling variations: "JAKULO" vs "Jakulo" vs "jakulo.pl")
When all 6 are true, category enters the pilot validation cycle (3 cycles minimum before public publication).
## Versioning
Changes to this taxonomy are tracked in [CHANGELOG.md](./CHANGELOG.md). Adding a new category, reclassifying tier, or removing a category constitutes a MINOR version bump. Adding a new country or fundamentally revising the tier system is a MAJOR version bump.