These are the websites of the companies that most often spring from the lips of AI.
AI is more inclined to cite websites that host not so much beautifully written texts as well-structured texts.
In the age of AI, what’s really troubling brands isn’t so much getting their websites to rank high in Google search results, but rather getting the content hosted on those websites recommended by the search engine’s «AI Mode.» But what’s the key to capturing AI’s attention?
A recent global report from Sistrix has taken on the task of answering what, for many companies, is the million-dollar question. The study identifies the 100 websites that Google most frequently cites globally in its «AI Mode,» and this exclusive list includes websites from a vast array of companies: from Microsoft to Check24 to the Cleveland Clinic. However, all these websites share a similar structure and are not simply repositories of text (in the traditional sense), but rather databases of answers specifically designed for AI.
The Architecture of Websites from Companies Most Cited by AI
According to research conducted by Sistrix, the websites from which «AI Mode» most frequently draws information share three main characteristics:
Answers Instead of Long Texts
AI better digests short, structured information in blocks, and this is indeed the type of information found on the websites most cited by Google’s «AI Mode.» Instead of providing space for lengthy texts, the websites most cited by AI prefer lists, step-by-step instructions, and data compiled in tables. The key lies not so much in pleasing human users as in pleasing machines (which are ultimately the ones that answer the questions posed by humans).
Verifiable Authority
AI trusts websites that provide information whose veracity is supported by authors who are always visible and that is also conveniently up-to-date (as evidenced by publication and update dates). Google’s «AI Mode» is more likely to gather information from articles that, even if published some time ago, have been subsequently updated, than to rely on data from more recent publications that lack updates. Generally speaking, posts that haven’t been updated in the last two years are virtually useless to AI.
Machine Readability
The websites most cited by Google’s «AI Mode» are structured in many ways like a product catalog, and their content is readable for both humans and machines. Content indexes with links to the most relevant sections and tables (written in HTML and avoiding static images as much as possible) contribute to readability.
In light of the Sistrix report’s findings, it seems, therefore, that visibility in the AI era is not a matter of luck but of architecture. After all, AI is more inclined to cite not so much the most beautifully written texts as the best-structured, most reliable, and technically clean ones.
To win over AI, brand websites must structure their content into modules specifically designed to provide answers, highlight the authority of that content, adhere to machine-friendly legal standards, and make extensive use of formats such as lists, indexes, and tables. Optimizing websites according to these criteria is absolutely crucial not only for navigating Google’s «AI Mode» but also for preparing for the coming era of agent-based commerce.
Source: www.marketingdirecto.com
