Original Research & Studies

Stay on top of the SEO industry with original research and studies. Here are the latest data-backed resources.

AI search & manufacturing SEO: What the data shows [Study]

Semrush data on AI search in manufacturing. See which brands get mentioned, which get cited, and why citations don‘t drive traffic.
Original Research & Studies · Luke Harsel · 11 min read · September 8, 2026

AI Overviews are expanding across commercial intent search [Study]

Google’s move to extend AI Overviews into a wider variety of SERPs is disrupting not only informational searches, but also searches with commercial intent and advertising value.
Original Research & Studies · Luke Harsel · 6 min read · July 2, 2026

Only 25% of cited sources overlap between ChatGPT's different reasoning modes [Study]

Most AI visibility strategies treat ChatGPT as a single system. Our research found that‘s a mistake. Thinking mode and Instant mode cite different sources, favor different content, and can recommend different brands for the exact same prompt. Here‘s what marketers need to know.
Original Research & Studies · Margarita Loktionova · 10 min read · June 30, 2026

ChatGPT traffic analysis: Insights from 17 months of clickstream data

Discover how ChatGPT is reshaping search habits and web traffic patterns. Analysis of clickstream records reveals changing user behaviors and referral trends in AI-driven search.
Original Research & Studies · Luke Harsel · 9 min read · April 7, 2026

We Analyzed 89K LinkedIn URLs Cited in AI Search: Here's What Drives Visibility

What makes LinkedIn content appear in AI answers? Our analysis of 89K cited URLs reveals what AI models trust—and how brands can win visibility.
Original Research & Studies · Margarita Loktionova · 8 min read · March 10, 2026

We Analyzed 8,000 Content Marketing Job Listings: The Shift from Writing to Ownership

We analyzed 8,000 US content marketing job listings to show how roles shift from writing to owning SEO, AI discovery, storytelling, and impact.
Original Research & Studies · Margarita Loktionova · 7 min read · February 16, 2026

SERPs with Ads + AI Overviews Grew by Over 394% in 2025

SERPs keep changing to incorporate both ads and AI Overviews. Read what it means for you.
Original Research & Studies · Luke Harsel · 3 min read · February 2, 2026

The Most-Cited Domains in AI: A 3-Month Study

We studied the domains most frequently cited by AI tools and found a significant drop for Reddit and Wikipedia. See the research.
Original Research & Studies · Luke Harsel · 5 min read · November 10, 2025
We analyzed 1,000 domains to uncover how backlinks influence AI-generated answers. The verdict: quality and authority drive visibility in AI search.
Original Research & Studies · Margarita Loktionova · 7 min read · October 16, 2025

We Analyzed 26K Quora URLs Cited in Google AI Mode: Here’s What Works

We analyzed 26,000 Quora URLs cited in Google AI Mode and partnered with Quora’s team to uncover the patterns behind content that surfaces in AI answers.
Original Research & Studies · Margarita Loktionova · 10 min read · September 29, 2025
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