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Google AIO ranks more niche sites

Posted on by darion

New data from BrightEdge shows significant shifts in Google AI reviews, with a prioritization of thematic sites and a greater focus on e-commerce ahead of the year-end shopping season.

Google Core and AIO update

An interesting finding from the data is that there is more overlap between AIO results and Google organic search results, meaning there is greater consistency between the two results. Does AIO reflect organic search results, or are organic search results more related to AIO?

The organic search results themselves changed after the core algorithm update in August 2024, as did AIO. BrightEdge data provides evidence of how Google’s organic search results have changed.

BrightEdge data shows:

  • After the update, the percentage of URLs cited in AI Reviews with addresses in the top 100 increased from 37% to 41%.
  • This followed Google’s August 15 core update.
  • This change indicates that AI reviews are prioritizing organic results more than before, drawing on lower-ranking results to create comprehensive responses.

BrightEdge data shows that AIO ranks lower-ranking websites for more precise answers. Another thing to consider is that both AIO and organic search results have changed, and the ranking criteria may have changed in a similar way for both AIO and organic results because the algorithms do something similar in both cases.

A significant feature of the latest update is that it shows fewer big brand sites and more independent niche sites. BrightEdge data shows that AIO also ranks websites that discuss a given topic in more detail.

Read on as there’s more on this topic in BrightEdge’s data, which can provide insight into what’s happening in the organic SERPs.

BrightEdge dataset

The study was conducted using BrightEdge Data Cube X, an SEO and content performance platform for research industries. |

Data Cube X makes it easy to:

  • Comprehensive keyword research
  • Competition analysis:
  • Automated content and keyword research based on artificial intelligence
  • Traffic fluctuation analysis

AI reviews for unlogged people

Google has made AI Overviews (AIO) available to users who are not signed in to Google accounts, expanding the audience for AIO to more people. But this is not seen in all industries. The data shows that AIO integration varies.

In the context of non-logged-in users, e-commerce search results for non-logged-in users dropped as much as 90% lower in AIO than for logged-in users.

Non-logged in users have not seen AIO in the following topics:

  • Education: 21% relative decline.
  • B2B Tech: 17% relative decline.
  • Healthcare: 16% relative decline.

While the number of AIOs shown to non-logged-in users for e-commerce queries has decreased, the number of product grids shown to these users compared to logged-in users has increased. BrightEdge speculates that Google may be better able to target logged-in users and thus display product grids more precisely to them than to unlogged-in users.

More product comparisons

BrightEdge data shows that Google AIO displays more product comparisons and visualizations.

Their data shows:

  • In August, the number of product carousels for inquiries related to clothing increased by 172%.
  • The use of unordered lists across industries has increased by 42%.

These changes make AI reviews more user-friendly, organizing complex product features and specifications for easier decision-making.

All these features allow users to compare products in terms of appearance and price. The conclusion from this data is that it may be increasingly important to show original product images (when possible) and ensure that the images presented are of high quality and allow users to get a good feel for the product.

Data is always important and it’s a good way to make your product listing or product review stand out from the competition. Any information that improves a consumer’s decision-making process is valuable.

A good example is clothing, where it is not enough to indicate that something is in size small, medium or large. Sizes are inconsistent across manufacturers and even within private label products. So, in the case of clothing, it may be useful to add comparative information about actual sizes within a product line in inches or metric units so that the consumer can make an even better choice.

Product comparison, especially in the context of product reviews, is important. One of the product review best practices (and possibly ranking factor) recommended by Google is to compare the product being reviewed. In line with Google’s product review best practices, publishers compare a product to another product so that users are likely to make a better decision.

Google recommends:

  • “Discuss comparable things to consider or explain what may be best for specific applications or circumstances.”

According to BrightEdge:

“As the holiday shopping season approaches, Google is refining its AIO search results to focus on comparative content, which increased 12% in August. AIO companies prioritized product carousels with engaging images, a 172% increase. Unordered lists (lists of items related but in no particular order, e.g. general searches for “winter shoes” or “iPhone case”) also increased by 42%.”

Google AIO rankings are more precise

A data point that all search marketers should be aware of is that Google ranks more specific content in AIO in a way that can mirror what’s happening with organic search algorithms.

BrightEdge found that generalist sites saw huge drops in rankings, while specialized sites saw gains. People like to talk about “authority sites,” and what they usually mean is “big brands” with big money and a big reach. But it’s not an authority, it’s just a big brand with a reach.

For example, most people think of news organizations as authority sites. But who would you turn to for information about SEO, Search Engine Journal, or big sites like the New York Times or Fox News? BrightEdge data shows that AIO similarly considers what types of sites are actual authorities in a given field and then displays those sites instead of those of big brands.

The obvious question is whether this has anything to do with Google’s recent core update in August? One of the goals of Google’s latest update is to show more independent sites. If AIO trends somewhat reflect organic search results, perhaps Google’s algorithms are identifying sites that are authoritative in a given field and displaying them instead of a more general big brand site.

BrightEdge data shows that the AIO rankings of general technology review sites have declined. TechRadar.com fell 47.3 and TomsGuide.com fell 16.4%. This trend could also be seen for health-related queries, where the types of sites cited by AIO also became more specific.

AIO showed fewer consumer-focused websites and blogs and started showing more health-focused websites. BrightEdge data showed that consumer news and general sites such as VerywellHealth.com saw a 77.9% decline in AIO exposure, and EverydayHealth.com virtually dropped out of AIO with a 95.6% decline.

Sites like MayoClinic.org saw an increase of 32.4%, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services AIO citations increased by +83.2%. This is not just a trend away from consumer and general news sites, it is a trend towards more precise rankings of expert and credible content.

BrightEdge saw growth on the following highly targeted sites:

  • Spine-Health.com +266.7%
  • Arthritis.org +89.5%
  • The BrightEdge report noted:

“This demonstrates Google’s push for more detailed, fact-based content in AI reviews.”

AIO and organic SERPs

Google has significantly increased the use of product carousels for clothing-related queries, reflecting a 172% increase. These carousels and grids allow you to more easily compare products based on visuals, prices, and features.

There is more overlap between AI reviews and Google organic search results than before. This may be due to a shift to prioritize more and more accurate responses from sites that are authoritative on specific topics. Niche sites have gained prominence in both organic and AI reviews, while larger, more general sites have lost visibility. AI overviews are still evolving, but changes over the last month indicate that there is some degree of alignment between what’s in the SERP and AIO.

Read more about BrightEdge’s AI overview data

Featured image by Shutterstock/BobNoah