Are Slovak Websites at Risk? Insights from the AI Mode Analysis
AI Mode is Google’s new search experience, available in Slovakia and the Czech Republic since October 2025. Although the feature is still in its early days – and information about how it truly works remains limited – we set out to discover whether Slovak websites are already losing ground within this new AI-driven environment.
To find out, we compared traditional search results with generative answers produced by AI Mode. Our goal was to understand how much the underlying sources overlap, which websites are cited, and how their visibility shifts when artificial intelligence becomes the primary gatekeeper of information.
This analysis offers the first look at how brand visibility changes in a landscape where AI – not algorithms alone – decides which information reaches the user.
Methodology & Measurement Limits
The analysis compared results from Google’s classic search interface (SERP) with those from the new AI Mode interface. The objective was to examine how much the sources from standard organic results overlap with those used to generate AI answers.
For traditional search, we tracked the first page of results – the ten most visible positions for each query. In AI Mode, we analyzed a single generative response, which represents the main and often only output for a given keyword.
The dataset consisted of non-branded, standardized keywords without website names or conversational phrasing – typical search queries rather than natural-language questions. In total, the measurement covered over 15,000 keywords and nearly 13,000 domains from the Slovak e-commerce segment, balanced evenly across informational, commercial, and transactional intents.
AI Mode’s presence was captured as a single-time snapshot using the Marketing Miner tool. The data therefore reflect one point in time rather than long-term trends (measurement took place on October 20). Supplementary metrics on traffic, domain authority, and keyword coverage were sourced from Ahrefs.
It’s important to note that this is an initial behavioural analysis, not a definitive assessment of system stability. Results may vary depending on sample composition, segment type, or Google’s generation logic. International observations also suggest that AI Mode is highly personalized – rankings and cited sources can differ by user, device, or query context.
Slovakia’s First Glimpse into Google’s AI-Powered Search
Data from abroad had already hinted at how Google’s generative results might behave – showing lower click-through rates, greater variability in sources, and stronger representation of authoritative sites. Yet it remained unclear whether those same patterns would appear in Slovakia.
Our analysis offers an initial look at how AI Mode behaves in the Slovak market.
1. AI Mode Draws From a Broader Range of Sources
AI Mode referenced nearly 11,000 unique domains, compared to about 5,600 in classic SERP results – almost double the number of distinct sources.
While this difference partly reflects the fact that SERP tracking was limited to the top ten results, AI Mode still showed greater variety. On average, each AI answer cited around eight distinct websites, with extremes ranging from just one to more than twenty. The most common pattern was three cited sources per query.
This suggests that AI-generated results may rely on a more diverse pool of websites than what users typically see on the first results page – making the selection of sources less predictable.
2. Only a Fraction of Top SERP Domains Appear in AI Mode
Just 37% of domains that ranked in the top ten organic positions also appeared in AI Mode answers. In other words, about a third of the top-performing sites maintained visibility across both systems – while 63% did not overlap at all.
This confirms that AI Mode works with a different and at the moment less predictable set of sources, often introducing websites that would not normally appear among the most visible organic results.
3. Higher SERP Positions Still Improve the Odds – but Not by Much
Overlap between SERP and AI Mode was strongest for rank-one positions (48%), gradually declining to about 27% by the tenth position. The higher a site ranks organically, the more likely it is to appear in AI Mode – but the correlation weakens with each step down the list.
It seems Google’s AI Mode still draws from organic results, yet adds its own logic on top. Rankings matter, but they’re only part of a bigger equation.
4. AI Mode Highlights Content Suited for Generative Answers
When we analyzed the types of domains appearing in AI Mode, one trend stood out: e-commerce sites lost ground, while service platforms, knowledge portals, and institutional websites gained visibility.
In short, AI Mode gives preference to informational and explanatory content – the kind that helps users understand, compare, or make decisions. Portals offering guides, recommendations, or contextual insights were cited far more often than online stores or affiliate pages.
By contrast, retail and comparison sites – typically focused on transactional or promotional copy – appeared less frequently. The share of social networks and user-generated platforms remained mostly unchanged, likely due to the e-commerce focus of the dataset.
Overall, the data suggest that AI Mode prioritizes content with depth and clarity over purely commercial material.
5. Global Domains Gain More Space
AI Mode showed a noticeable increase in generic top-level domains (.com, .org) compared to classic search results, while local domains (.sk, .cz) lost part of their presence.
Although .sk remained the single most common TLD, its share dropped by roughly 30 % in AI Mode. This means that Slovak websites are no longer competing only with each other, but also with international sources.
This shift may partly reflect AI Mode’s early development phase – Google’s models might still rely more heavily on English-language content until they fully adapt to Slovak. Over time, this balance could even out as the system better understands local language and context.
6. Established Websites Dominate AI Mode Results
Websites with medium to high traffic (over roughly 1,000 visits) appeared more frequently in AI Mode, while low-traffic sites declined. The largest share came from mid-sized websites, which achieved noticeably stronger representation in AI answers than in the classic SERP.
This pattern indicates that AI Mode tends to favor well-established, trustworthy sources with consistent visibility and solid content foundations.
7. Broader Topical Coverage Brings Higher Visibility
Websites covering a wide range of topics were significantly more represented in AI Mode. Their share rose from 21 % to 46 %, while narrowly focused niche sites lost ground.
AI Mode appears to draw more often from domains that rank for 10,000+ keywords. Such sites offer broader context for the AI to interpret and connect information, which increases their likelihood of being cited.
In other words, AI Mode rewards websites with depth and breadth – not just specialization.
8. Authority Matters More Than Ever
High-authority websites (Domain Rating > 50) nearly doubled their share in AI Mode, rising from 13 % to 24 %. Mid-authority sites held steady, while low-authority domains declined.
This shows that AI Mode leans on trusted, verifiable sources with a proven online reputation – typically domains supported by strong backlink profiles and long-term credibility.
However, these large, established websites don’t replace smaller ones entirely; rather, they complement them. Google appears to be moving toward greater diversity in its source selection and stronger trust signals – combining verified authorities with a wider range of complementary sources.
Challenges Ahead for Slovak Websites in AI Mode
The analysis of Google’s new AI Mode in Slovakia shows that generative search is reshaping how websites achieve visibility. While the system introduces new evaluation criteria, it still builds, to some extent, on the principles of traditional search.
Current data point to three main areas of change within AI-generated results:
1. Broader Competition
Slovak websites no longer compete only with local players. AI Mode expands the field by pulling content from foreign and general domains, which now appear in answers more frequently. As a result, local sites are losing part of their space, since Google often relies on global authorities with verified content when forming responses.
2. Preference for Informational Content
AI Mode favors expert and information-rich material. The system gives priority to websites that offer explanations, recommendations, and context – not just product descriptions or sales copy. Shallow (thin) or purely commercial content no longer guarantees visibility in AI-generated answers.
3. The Importance of Authority & Topical Range
AI Mode draws more often from credible, established websites that demonstrate strong authority and consistent visibility. Topic coverage also plays a crucial role: websites that address multiple related areas and provide a broader context are more likely to appear in generative answers.
For Slovak websites, this marks a new phase – one that rewards quality, credibility, and the ability to connect ideas. Although it may initially seem that AI Mode disadvantages smaller projects, the reality is more nuanced.
AI Mode doesn’t deliberately suppress small sites – it simply gives priority to those that communicate clearly and build trust. It’s not about the size of the domain, but about relevance and clarity in a system that interprets meaning probabilistically.
Larger websites may have the upper hand for now, but that advantage might not last. As Google’s understanding of local content improves, the balance could shift once more.
We would like to thank Marketing Miner for enabling us to measure AI Mode presence for the purposes of this analysis. And if you want to stay ahead in the AI era, follow our ongoing series Rank Master 3000, where we explore how to adapt to the new world of AI search.