{"id":711207,"date":"2026-02-10T12:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-ai-mode-doesnt-favor-above-the-fold-content-study\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:20:15","slug":"google-ai-mode-doesnt-favor-above-the-fold-content-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-ai-mode-doesnt-favor-above-the-fold-content-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Google AI Mode doesn\u2019t favor above-the-fold content: Study"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3fbf8e757bd\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3fbf8e757bd\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-ai-mode-doesnt-favor-above-the-fold-content-study\/#Its_not_about_placement_its_about_structure_Analysis_of_2300_AI_citations_shows_Google_pulls_answers_from_anywhere_on_a_page\" >It&#8217;s not about placement, it&#8217;s about structure. Analysis of 2,300+ AI citations shows Google pulls answers from anywhere on a page.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_not_about_placement_its_about_structure_Analysis_of_2300_AI_citations_shows_Google_pulls_answers_from_anywhere_on_a_page\"><\/span>It&#8217;s not about placement, it&#8217;s about structure. Analysis of 2,300+ AI citations shows Google pulls answers from anywhere on a page.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>Google\u2019s AI Mode isn\u2019t more likely to cite content that <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears \u201cabove the fold,\u201d according to a study from SALT.agency, a technical SEO and content agency.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After analyzing more than 2,000 URLs cited in AI Mode responses, researchers found no correlation between how high text appears on a page and whether Google\u2019s AI selects it for citation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Pixel depth doesn\u2019t matter<\/strong>. AI Mode cited text from across entire pages, including content buried thousands of pixels down. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Citation depth showed no meaningful relationship to visibility. <\/li>\n<li>Average depth varied by vertical, from about 2,400 pixels in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> to 4,600 pixels in SaaS, with many citations far below the traditional \u201cabove the fold\u201d area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Page layout affects depth, not visibility<\/strong>. Templates and design choices influenced how far down the cited text appeared, but not whether it was cited. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pages with large hero images or narrative layouts pushed cited text deeper, while simpler blog or FAQ-style pages surfaced citations earlier. <\/li>\n<li>No layout type showed a visibility advantage in AI Mode.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Descriptive subheadings matter<\/strong>. One consistent pattern emerged: AI Mode frequently highlighted a subheading and the sentence that followed it. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This suggests Google uses heading structures to navigate content, then samples opening lines to assess relevance, behavior consistent with long-standing search practices, according to SALT.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What Google is likely doing. <\/strong>SALT believes AI Mode relies on the same fragment indexing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> Google has used for years. Pages are broken into sections, and the most relevant fragment is retrieved regardless of where it appears on the page.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What they\u2019re saying.<\/strong> While the study examined only one structural factor and one AI model, the takeaway is clear: there\u2019s no magic formula for AI Mode visibility. Dan Taylor, partner and head of innovation (organic and AI) at SALT.agency, said:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cOur study confirms that there is no magic template or formula for increased visibility in AI Mode responses \u2013 and that\u00a0AI Mode is not more likely to cite text from \u2018above the fold.\u2019 Instead, the best approach mirrors what\u2019s worked in search for years:\u00a0create well-structured, authoritative content that genuinely addresses the needs of your ideal customers.<\/li>\n<li>\u201c\u2026the data clearly debunks the idea that where the information sits within a page has an impact on whether it will be cited.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Why we care. <\/strong>The findings challenge the idea that AI-specific templates or rigid page structures drive better AI Mode visibility. Chasing \u201cAI-optimized\u201d layouts may distract from work that actually matters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the research.<\/strong> SALT analyzed 2,318 unique URLs cited in AI Mode responses for high-value queries across travel, ecommerce, and SaaS. Using a Chrome bookmarklet and a 1920\u00d71080 viewport, researchers recorded the vertical pixel position of the first highlighted character in each AI-cited fragment. They also cataloged layouts and elements, such as hero sections, FAQs, accordions, and tables of contents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The study. <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/salt.agency\/blog\/research-does-structuring-your-content-improve-the-chances-of-ai-mode-surfacing\/\">Research: Does Structuring Your Content Improve the Chances of AI Mode Surfacing?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-ai-mode-above-the-fold-content-study-468578\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s not about placement, it&#8217;s about structure. Analysis of 2,300+ AI citations shows Google pulls answers from anywhere on a page. Google\u2019s AI Mode isn\u2019t more likely to cite content that appears \u201cabove the fold,\u201d according to a study from SALT.agency, a technical SEO and content agency. After analyzing more than 2,000 URLs cited in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":711208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/02\/ai-depth-doesnt-matter.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-711207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}