{ "studySlug": "query-translation", "title": "How AI Translates Your Questions", "description": "Prompt-to-query rewrites, specificity injection, and format conversion before retrieval. Answer pages, reference facts, and live trackers drawn from this study.", "lastUpdated": "2026-01-22", "sourceStudyTitle": "How AI Translates Your Questions", "sourceStudyUrl": "/trakkr-research/query-translation", "stats": [ { "label": "Answers", "value": "12" }, { "label": "Facts", "value": "8" }, { "label": "Trackers", "value": "2" } ], "featuredAnswer": { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-search-your-exact-words", "title": "Does AI search your exact words?", "description": "No. AI almost never searches the exact wording a user provides. In this study, the exact match rate was only 0.17%, which means the model usually rewrites the query before retrieval.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-search-your-exact-words" }, "sections": [ { "title": "Answer Pages", "description": "Narrow questions answered directly from the study.", "items": [ { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-search-your-exact-words", "title": "Does AI search your exact words?", "description": "No. AI almost never searches the exact wording a user provides. In this study, the exact match rate was only 0.17%, which means the model usually rewrites the query before retrieval.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-search-your-exact-words" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "how-aggressive-are-ai-query-rewrites", "title": "How aggressive are AI query rewrites?", "description": "They are aggressive. Average similarity between prompt and search query is only 25.24%, and 31.85% of pairs count as complete rewrites.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/how-aggressive-are-ai-query-rewrites" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-add-current-year-terms-to-searches", "title": "Does AI add current-year terms to searches?", "description": "Yes, often. AI injected a year term in 25.66% of prompt-to-query transformations, which shows a strong preference for freshness when it formulates retrieval queries.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-add-current-year-terms-to-searches" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-turn-vague-prompts-into-lists-and-best-of-queries", "title": "Does AI turn vague prompts into lists and best-of queries?", "description": "Yes. AI added list framing in 20.13% of rewrites and best-of framing in 20.21%, which means the retrieval query is often more comparative than the original prompt.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-turn-vague-prompts-into-lists-and-best-of-queries" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-insert-brand-names-that-users-never-mentioned", "title": "Does AI insert brand names that users never mentioned?", "description": "Yes. The model inserted brand names not present in the prompt in 15.24% of query rewrites, which means it often jumps straight to likely market leaders before it searches.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-insert-brand-names-that-users-never-mentioned" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-make-searches-more-specific-than-the-prompt", "title": "Does AI make searches more specific than the prompt?", "description": "Usually yes. AI added location constraints in 13.19% of query pairs and expanded the search in 55.5% of cases overall, often making the query more specific than the prompt itself.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-make-searches-more-specific-than-the-prompt" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "what-do-query-rewrites-mean-for-content-briefs", "title": "What do query rewrites mean for content briefs?", "description": "They mean content briefs should target model-shaped retrieval language, not just user phrasing.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/what-do-query-rewrites-mean-for-content-briefs" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "should-you-build-pages-for-best-of-and-list-intent-even-if-users-dont-ask-that-way", "title": "Should you build pages for best-of and list intent even if users do not ask that way?", "description": "Yes. AI turns a meaningful share of vague prompts into list-like and best-of retrieval queries, so pages that already match that structure are easier for models to find and cite.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/should-you-build-pages-for-best-of-and-list-intent-even-if-users-dont-ask-that-way" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "why-do-models-rewrite-so-heavily-before-they-search", "title": "Why do models rewrite so heavily before they search?", "description": "Because user prompts are often ambiguous, under-specified, or conversational, while retrieval works better with constrained, evaluative, and category-aware phrasing.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/why-do-models-rewrite-so-heavily-before-they-search" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "does-ai-prefer-expanded-queries-over-shorter-ones", "title": "Does AI prefer expanded queries over shorter ones?", "description": "More often than not, yes. AI expanded the query in 55.5% of observed pairs, which suggests it usually wants more structure and constraints before it retrieves evidence.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-prefer-expanded-queries-over-shorter-ones" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "how-should-you-handle-competitor-language-if-ai-will-insert-it-anyway", "title": "How should you handle competitor language if AI will insert it anyway?", "description": "Handle it directly and honestly. If AI inserts market-leader brand names in 15.24% of search rewrites, then category pages and comparisons need to address the known comparison set instead of pretending it does not exist.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/how-should-you-handle-competitor-language-if-ai-will-insert-it-anyway" }, { "kind": "answer", "slug": "what-is-the-practical-seo-lesson-from-query-translation", "title": "What is the practical SEO lesson from query translation?", "description": "The practical lesson is that AI visibility depends on retrieval-fit, not just prompt-fit. The page has to match the transformed query the model actually searches, not the sentence the user typed first.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/what-is-the-practical-seo-lesson-from-query-translation" } ] }, { "title": "Reference Facts", "description": "Short, quotable claims with metrics and methodology context.", "items": [ { "kind": "fact", "slug": "the-exact-match-rate-is-only-zero-point-one-seven-percent", "title": "The exact match rate is only 0.17%", "description": "In a study analyzing how artificial intelligence translates user questions, researchers evaluated 11521 prompt-to-query transformations. The analysis revealed that only 20 pairs resulted in an exact match, yielding an exact match rate of 0.17 percent.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/the-exact-match-rate-is-only-zero-point-one-seven-percent" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "average-prompt-to-query-similarity-is-only-twenty-five-percent", "title": "Average prompt-to-query similarity is only about 25%", "description": "Most of the wording changes substantially before retrieval.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/average-prompt-to-query-similarity-is-only-twenty-five-percent" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "nearly-one-third-of-query-pairs-are-complete-rewrites", "title": "Nearly one third of query pairs are complete rewrites", "description": "An analysis of 11,521 prompt-to-query transformations revealed that 3,670 pairs fell into the complete rewrite category.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/nearly-one-third-of-query-pairs-are-complete-rewrites" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "ai-injects-current-year-terms-in-about-one-quarter-of-searches", "title": "AI injects current-year terms in about one quarter of searches", "description": "An analysis of 11,521 prompt-to-query transformations revealed that artificial intelligence systems injected a current-year term into 2,956 queries during the rewrite process.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/ai-injects-current-year-terms-in-about-one-quarter-of-searches" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "brand-names-get-inserted-in-fifteen-percent-of-rewrites", "title": "Brand names get inserted in 15% of rewrites", "description": "The model frequently jumps to likely market leaders before it searches.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/brand-names-get-inserted-in-fifteen-percent-of-rewrites" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "list-framing-is-added-in-one-fifth-of-rewrites", "title": "List framing is added in one fifth of rewrites", "description": "AI often turns open-ended prompts into list-shaped searches.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/list-framing-is-added-in-one-fifth-of-rewrites" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "best-of-framing-is-added-in-one-fifth-of-rewrites", "title": "Best-of framing is added in one fifth of rewrites", "description": "An analysis of how AI systems translate user questions into search queries revealed a consistent pattern of modifying recommendation prompts to seek definitive answers.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/best-of-framing-is-added-in-one-fifth-of-rewrites" }, { "kind": "fact", "slug": "ai-adds-location-context-in-thirteen-percent-of-rewrites", "title": "AI adds location context in 13% of rewrites", "description": "Geographic specificity is a recurring retrieval behavior.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/ai-adds-location-context-in-thirteen-percent-of-rewrites" } ] }, { "title": "Trackers", "description": "Live benchmark views built from the study’s most reusable dimensions.", "items": [ { "kind": "tracker", "slug": "query-rewrite-pattern-tracker", "title": "Most common query rewrite patterns", "description": "Research tracker page for the study How AI Translates Your Questions, focusing on the most common query rewrite patterns.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/trackers/query-rewrite-pattern-tracker" }, { "kind": "tracker", "slug": "query-transformation-severity-tracker", "title": "Query transformation severity tracker", "description": "Query transformation severity tracker for the study How AI Translates Your Questions.", "path": "/trakkr-research/query-translation/trackers/query-transformation-severity-tracker" } ] } ] }