Semrush Study: AI Citation Sources Shift Based on Query Type and User Intent

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Semrush has released a focused mini study examining how AI platforms select citation sources differently depending on query type and user intent. The research, part of the company's AI Visibility Index initiative and backed by 126 million prompts, compares citation patterns for high-stakes YMYL queries against everyday commercial queries. Four platforms were assessed — ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overview, and Gemini — across 22 topics using US data with a UK cross-check. The study found that government sources, community content, and brand-owned domains each appear at different rates depending on the nature and intent of a query. Semrush concludes that optimising for AI citation visibility requires a context-specific strategy rather than a single universal content approach.

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