A new study analyzing 10,000 keywords found that Google’s AI Mode delivers inconsistent results, with minimal overlap between its sources and traditional organic search rankings. The research, published by SE Ranking, compared AI Mode to Google’s AI Overviews and the top 10 organic search results.
The study highlights significant inconsistencies in AI Mode’s performance. In 21.2% of cases, there were no overlapping URLs at all between the three sets of responses. Domain-level consistency was slightly higher, at 14.7%, suggesting that AI Mode may cite different pages from the same websites.
Interestingly, only 14% of URLs in AI Mode responses matched the top 10 organic search results for the same queries. However, when looking at domain-level matches, overlap increased to 21.9%. This suggests that AI Mode’s selections could be independent of Google’s ranking algorithms.
The most common format of citations in AI Mode responses is block links (90.8%), followed by in-text links (8.9%). Trusted domains such as Indeed, Wikipedia, and YouTube frequently appeared across all tests.
Comparing AI Mode to AI Overviews revealed an average URL overlap of just 10.7%, with domain overlap at 16%. This suggests that the two systems operate under different logic despite both being AI-driven.
For search marketers, this volatility presents new challenges but also opportunities. To adapt, they should prioritize domain-wide authority and topical relevance, diversify content across trusted platforms, optimize local presence through tools like Google Maps, and monitor evolving inclusion patterns as AI Mode develops.
Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/study-google-ai-mode-returns-largely-different-results-across-sessions/550249