🤖 Google’s AI loves Quora: Here’s why

Hello, my friend!

How’s your week going? 😊 

This week, I want to share the insights of a new research report about Quora and Google’s AI Mode that Semrush has recently published.

And more importantly, how you can use these insights!

In short: Semrush looked at 26,000 Quora URLs that got cited in AI Mode to find the patterns that make them show up.

The goal is to help content creators, experts, and brands understand how to get attention in this new AI-powered landscape.

P.S. The report is over 10 mins read, that’s why I summarized the key points for you below. But if you want to read the report, you can find it here. 

🔍 Key research takeaways

Quora is a source for AI Mode: About 7.25% of AI answers include a link to Quora, making it the 4th most-cited domain overall.

AI Mode rephrases content: The overlap between AI text and the original content is under 50%.

Engagement matters: The Quora threads cited by AI Mode were active discussions, on average:

• 37 replies per thread

• 15 upvotes per answer

• Longer, more in-depth responses

• The more people engage, the more likely Google’s AI notices the thread.

“Most Relevant” answers win: Nearly 90% of Quora answers featured in AI Mode had the “Most Relevant” tag on Quora.

Formatting helps: Clear structure, bullet points, and short paragraphs make it easier for both readers and AI systems to extract key points.

Credibility counts: Answers from people with real experience or expertise tend to perform better. Even a simple “I’ve worked in X for Y years” helps signal authority. (It’s the trend that I predicted a year ago.)

🧭 What this research means for you

This research shows how Google’s AI Mode isn’t just rewarding big publishers. It’s also surfacing user-generated and creator content from platforms like Quora and Reddit.

If your content is clear, in-depth, and genuinely helpful, it stands a better chance of being cited by AI systems — not just ranked in search results.

Personally, I owe much of my website’s growth to Quora and Medium. I’ve been writing there since 2021, and those platforms helped me build my personal brand and authority.

• Medium: 21,000 followers

• Quora: 586.5K content views

Because my site is tied to my personal brand, Google recognizes who’s behind it. After the Helpful Content Update in 2024, my site started growing steadily — Google viewed it as a reliable SEO source.

Today, nearly every article I publish lands in the top 10 search results with little to no link building, all thanks to the trust and authority I’ve built. I go deeper into this in my SEO ebook if you’re curious.

Moral of the story: being visible across multiple platforms matters more than ever.

SEO is branding. Period.

What you might have missed

This is my latest article about the best SE Ranking alternatives I’ve personally used. Some of these tools I still keep using nowadays because I trust their data.

If you are looking for a new and trustworthy SEO and AI tool, this could be helpful.

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Have a great weekend!

Victoria

P.S. If you missed my previous newsletter, you can check it here.

P.S.S. I’m heading to the biggest SEO conference in Canada next week — SEO IRL in Toronto! 🎉 I’ll be sharing exclusive takeaways from top industry experts soon, so stay tuned.

And if you’re going too, hit “reply” and let me know — I’d love to connect in person!