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Wikipedia leads among top domains in Google's new AI Mode search results

Analysis reveals educational, entertainment and reference sites dominate AI-powered search features launched across US market.

Luis Rijo

• 6 min read
Wikipedia dominates Google AI Mode with 12.02% share, followed by Google at 7.41% and YouTube at 1.76%.
Wikipedia dominates Google AI Mode with 12.02% share, followed by Google at 7.41% and YouTube at 1.76%.

Wikipedia maintains its commanding position as the most frequently cited domain in Google's new AI Mode search experience, capturing 12.02% of appearances according to analysis released July 2, 2025. The research examined 10,000 keywords to determine which websites appear most often in AI Mode results, currently available only in the United States.

According to the SISTRIX study, the top domains mirror traditional search patterns but with notable differences in ranking distribution. Google.com itself occupies second position with 7.41% of citations, followed by YouTube at 1.76%. The data shows educational and reference platforms maintain strong representation, with Britannica achieving 0.91% and Dictionary-related sites capturing multiple positions in the top 50 rankings.

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Summary

Who: SISTRIX GmbH conducted the research analyzing domain performance in Google's AI Mode search feature, with findings affecting website publishers, digital marketers, and content creators seeking visibility in AI-powered search results.

What: Analysis of 10,000 keywords revealed which domains appear most frequently in Google's AI Mode search results, showing Wikipedia leads with 12.02% of citations, followed by Google.com at 7.41% and YouTube at 1.76%. The study identified that reference sites, educational platforms, and authoritative sources maintain strong representation in AI-generated responses.

When: The research was published on July 2, 2025, examining current AI Mode performance data following Google's expansion of the feature to all United States users throughout 2025.

Where: The analysis focused on AI Mode results in the United States market, where Google has been testing and expanding the feature since March 2025 through Search Labs and broader rollouts.

Why: The research matters for the marketing community because AI Mode represents a fundamental shift in search behavior, with users receiving direct answers from AI-generated summaries rather than clicking through to individual websites, requiring new optimization strategies for content visibility and traffic generation.

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Entertainment platforms demonstrate significant presence in AI Mode results. Fandom secures 1.01% of citations while IMDB captures 0.99%. Reddit achieves 0.89% representation, indicating social discussion platforms successfully surface in AI-generated responses. These platforms benefit from their comprehensive content structure and community-generated information that AI systems can effectively synthesize.

The analysis reveals distinct content categories that perform well in AI Mode environments. Reference and educational sites dominate the upper rankings, with Wikipedia, Britannica, Merriam-Webster, and Collins Dictionary appearing in the top 25 positions. Health and medical information sources show strong representation, including Mayo Clinic at 0.58%, Cleveland Clinic at 0.47%, and WebMD at 0.22%.

News and media organizations maintain presence despite AI Mode's summarization approach. The New York Times captures 0.39% of citations, while USA Today achieves 0.24%. Business publications including Business Insider at 0.26% and Forbes at 0.18% demonstrate that authoritative journalism sources continue appearing in AI-generated results.

Technology and business platforms secure meaningful representation in the rankings. Microsoft achieves 0.23% while Apple captures 0.44%. E-commerce giants Amazon and Walmart appear at 0.58% and 0.20% respectively, indicating shopping-related queries generate AI Mode responses that include product and retail information.

The research identifies several domains that perform disproportionately well in AI Mode compared to traditional search results. According to the analysis, "Fandom, Yelp, and Quora rank above average in AI Mode" while maintaining strong organic search performance. These platforms achieve "significantly better rankings in AI Mode results" compared to their traditional search positions.

Government and educational institutions demonstrate consistent representation across AI Mode results. The National Institutes of Health appears at 0.23%, while the Centers for Disease Control achieves 0.17%. These authoritative sources benefit from their official status and comprehensive health information that AI systems prioritize for medical queries.

Social media platforms show mixed representation patterns. Facebook captures 0.39% of citations while Instagram achieves 0.19%. LinkedIn maintains 0.29% representation, suggesting professional networking content surfaces for career and business-related AI Mode queries. The variation among social platforms indicates content type and structure influence AI citation frequency.

The study examined domains across multiple content categories to understand AI Mode's selection preferences. Travel and local business sites including TripAdvisor at 0.44% and Yelp at 0.66% demonstrate that location-based and review content performs well in AI-generated responses. This pattern suggests users frequently ask AI Mode about travel recommendations and local business information.

Financial and investment platforms show notable presence in the rankings. GoodRx achieves 0.27% while NerdWallet captures 0.22%. These specialized sites benefit from their structured information format and authoritative coverage of financial topics that users commonly research through AI-powered search interfaces.

The analysis found that AI Mode "changes both the presentation and selection of results, but doesn't completely turn the search world upside down." This stability indicates that established domain authority and content quality continue influencing visibility in AI-generated responses. The research describes this consistency as "a very positive sign, especially considering that AI Mode may become the standard for web search in the future."

Sports and entertainment content maintains representation through specialized platforms. ESPN secures 0.5% of citations while MLB.com achieves 0.19%. Movie and entertainment sites including Rotten Tomatoes at 0.17% and Screen Rant at 0.22% demonstrate that AI Mode effectively synthesizes entertainment information for user queries.

Educational platforms beyond traditional encyclopedias show strong performance in AI Mode results. Study.com captures 0.24% while Vocabulary.com achieves 0.18%. These specialized learning platforms benefit from their structured educational content that AI systems can effectively process and summarize for student and researcher queries.

The data reveals that AI Mode maintains connections between visibility and authority signals that drive traditional search rankings. Established domains with comprehensive content, strong editorial standards, and authoritative coverage continue appearing frequently in AI-generated responses. This pattern suggests that fundamental SEO principles around content quality and domain authority remain relevant for AI Mode optimization.

For the marketing community, these findings indicate that established content strategies focused on authoritative, comprehensive information continue driving visibility in AI-powered search environments. The research published by PPC Land emphasizes that "content creators must optimize for inclusion in synthesized responses rather than simply achieving high rankings in traditional search results pages."

The analysis comes as Google expands AI Mode capabilities across the United States market. Recent developments include testing an AI Mode button directly in Google's homepage search bar, representing significant interface changes that could accelerate AI Mode adoption among users.

Industry professionals continue monitoring AI Mode's impact on website traffic and user behavior patterns. Previous research has shown that AI search visitors demonstrate 4.4 times higher conversion value compared to traditional organic search visitors, though overall traffic volumes may decline as users receive answers directly from AI-generated summaries.

The SISTRIX analysis provides digital marketers and content creators with data-driven insights about which content types and domain characteristics perform well in AI Mode environments. These findings suggest that while AI Mode introduces new search interfaces, established principles around content authority, comprehensiveness, and user value continue determining visibility in search results.

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