{"id":20264,"date":"2025-10-03T07:28:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T11:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipullrank.com\/?p=20264"},"modified":"2025-10-09T10:13:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:13:09","slug":"ai-mode-local-search-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipullrank.com\/ai-mode-local-search-study","title":{"rendered":"AI Mode Impacts on Local Search: Researching Local Health Clinics"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u201cThis is kind of an AI Mode fail.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s what an Oregon man said after trying to search for Kaiser urgent care clinics near him. Some of the results were not close to his home at all:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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He then followed up with his zip code to make it more specific to his location, but one of the results provided was a medical office and not a clinic:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Further down the page, another result popped up that wasn\u2019t a Kaiser facility either.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThat shouldn\u2019t have come up,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Overall, the experience caused frustration for the man.<\/span><\/p>

The majority of people in this study were looking for a quick answer in an easy-to-read list, preferably in order by distance so they could instantly decide where to go and with additional details so they didn\u2019t have to click on a website. They wanted to see a map with a list of urgent care clinics close to their home, so they would often skip over the sponsored links and scroll directly to the \u201cPlaces\u201d area of the SERP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But there were quite a few features people hoped to see in AI Mode (like hours of operation or an option to schedule an appointment), and were left disappointed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

However, AI Mode did succeed when it came to very specific searches, like finding a clinic that offered a particular service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Reactions to AI Mode varied <\/span>in our study<\/span><\/a>, performed by Farrah Bostic of <\/span>The Difference Engine<\/span><\/a>, to learn the search habits of average people. She surveyed 100 participants, spoke one-on-one with 23 users, and watched them perform searches in real time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Participants ranged in age from 18 to 75 with a balanced mix of ethnic backgrounds, genders, education levels, and locations across the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Each user performed five different queries:<\/span><\/p>

  1. Find out which credit cards offer the best loyalty programs.<\/span><\/li>
  2. Find out which kinds of breakfast cereals are healthiest for children.<\/span><\/li>
  3. Find out the top news or sports headlines in your local area.<\/span><\/li>
  4. Find a health clinic in your area.<\/span><\/li>
  5. Find a pair of shoes to wear indoors for under $75.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Watch the webinar replay:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Today, we\u2019re looking deeper into the fourth search task where we asked participants to perform: finding a health clinic in their area. Will AI Mode have an impact on local search? If it becomes the default in the future, how will users be able to get what they need from it? Let\u2019s take a look.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Overall Data from the AI Mode Study\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Task #4 of our AI Mode study showed us some interesting info:<\/span><\/p>