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Research

Original research on how entities get ranked, cited, and trusted in 2026.

Each report is a hub of citable chapters with documented methodology, verifiable sources, and copy-ready citation packs for journalists and analysts. Patterns observed across regulated industries.

My original research · 2026-07 edition

I lead the AI SEO Statistics study at Authority Specialist: 547 real buyer questions put to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini across 14 industries — every answer coded against a fixed 12-behavior rubric. Here is how AI actually advises buyers in the three regulated verticals I specialize in: legal, health, and finance.

Legal
92.5% vs 35%

ChatGPT vs Gemini on “should I hire a lawyer” — a 58-point gap on identical questions.

Recommends hiring a lawyer

Firms are named in under 8% of answers. You win by being the reasoning behind the advice — not the name inside it.

See the full legal dataHealthcare
Only 17%

of AI answers name a specific provider. AI refuses to make direct medical referrals.

Names a specific provider

Instead of referrals, AI hands patients selection criteria in 43% of answers. That checklist is where visibility is won.

See the full healthcare dataFinancial
65% vs 0%

Claude asks about your finances before advising; Gemini never does.

Asks about your situation first

Models tell users to verify credentials in under 8% of answers — regulatory status alone earns no AI trust.

See the full financial data

Source: AI SEO Statistics 2026 (2026-07 edition) — my study at AuthoritySpecialist.com. 547 questions × 3 models × 14 industries, one response per model per question, human-QA'd. Documented methodology.

Reports

  1. FlagshipIn preparation

    The State of Entity SEO 2026

    A structured review of how named entities — people, organizations, and topics — are ranked, cited, and trusted across Google Search, AI Overviews, and LLM answers in 2026. Methodology, findings, and implications for regulated industries.

  2. NicheIn preparation

    Healthcare SEO 2026

    How AI search is reshaping how patients find doctors, hospitals, and clinical advice — and how healthcare providers should respond.

  3. NicheIn preparation

    Legal SEO 2026

    How consumers research attorneys and legal services in the era of AI answers — regulatory risks, citation behaviors, and credibility signals.

  4. NicheIn preparation

    Financial Services SEO 2026

    Retail investor research behaviors in AI search — compliance pressure, entity trust, and where financial advisors lose the discovery game.