Why Calling Yourself The Best Could Be Helping Your Competitors Win In AI Search

One of the crucial fashionable ways to affect responses in AI search has been to create a “listicle” article that lists one of the best manufacturers, merchandise, or providers in a given {industry}, and to rank the identical firm publishing the article as the best choice within the area.

The {industry} calls these “self-promotional listicles,” and thus far, they’ve undoubtedly served as one of the vital efficient methods to affect AI solutions, placing apart whether or not it’s a sensible branding thought to publish biased content material that has the potential to erode belief with any human reader who encounters it.

However after analyzing 100 B2B “greatest Search engine optimisation” queries throughout Google’s AI Overviews – pulling the precise solutions and their cited sources at three totally different dates between April and June 2026 – I imagine that Google has made modifications to the way it treats self-promotional listicles in generative AI responses.

And now, for a lot of websites, self-promoting listicles would possibly really be extra of a legal responsibility than an asset. Think about being cited as a supply, however not the beneficial model within the reply – whereas the opponents you talked about in your listicle get beneficial in your house.

In case you’re primarily centered on monitoring “AI citations” as successful metric for AI search, I’ve unhealthy information for you: A self-serving listicle can earn you a quotation, however in lots of instances, it may backfire, serving as a vote to your opponents as suggestions whereas leaving your model out of the AI reply solely.

This isn’t only a hunch from a number of screenshots or anecdotes (though I’ve seen more and more individuals coming to related conclusions). Throughout the classes I tracked, a self-promoter’s personal listicle bought cited however not noted of the advice roughly two-thirds (69%) of the time, and I’ll stroll via precisely how I measured it all through this text.

Citations have already confirmed to be a questionable metric to trace to measure AI search success, on condition that LLMs are designed to offer the complete reply with out the person needing to click on anyplace. We’ve all seen firsthand the low referral traffic numbers flowing into our consumer accounts from AI assistants. A Pew Research study from 2025 additionally discovered that when a Google search produced an AI abstract, customers clicked a hyperlink throughout the abstract itself in simply 1% of visits.

Given how AI search is evolving, I’d argue that between the selection of incomes a quotation or incomes a model suggestion, the advice is what really issues – by an order of magnitude – particularly on condition that an increasing number of users are utilizing voice features when using AI assistants.

What Truly Modified With Listicles In AI Responses?

Right here’s my learn on what modified: I imagine Google adjusted the way it treats self-promotional listicles for a lot of queries, and the outcomes seem to rely solely on how established, authoritative, and well-recommended your model already is.

Briefly, Google’s adjustment seems to have devalued self-promotional listicles as an efficient tactic for the typical website, in order that whether or not one nonetheless works now relies upon virtually solely on the power of the model publishing it.

In case you’re a longtime, authoritative model, you possibly can nonetheless publish a listicle calling your model one of the best, and you could get each cited and beneficial. However I’d argue it may not be value it, given the distaste it may depart with readers, and the potential for such a web page to change into a legal responsibility if/when Google chooses to crack down tougher on “inauthentic mentions.” We’ve already seen the primary indicators, which I’ll clarify later on this article.

Plus, for established manufacturers, loads of different websites are doubtless already recommending you – which is what seems to really transfer the needle in AI Overview responses within the first place. Moreover, given how a lot scrutiny self-promoting listicles at the moment are getting within the media (extra on that later), it may not be one of the best look.

In case you’re a smaller model, although, you may very well be capturing your self within the foot by publishing self-promotional listicles. Google could also be treating your personal article as a vote to your opponents, whereas leaving you out of the advice solely. I’ll share examples later of what this appears like in apply.

The TL;DR

In response to my new analysis, when a B2B model publishes its personal “greatest Search engine optimisation” listicle that ranks itself as No. 1, Google’s AI surfaces (AI Overviews + AI Mode) could cite that listicle as a supply however depart the self-promoting model out of the particular suggestion roughly two-thirds (69%) of the time. The AI Overview suggestions persistently go to the established class leaders as an alternative.

How Widespread Have Listicles Develop into?

It’s no secret that self-promotional listicles have labored to affect how AI solutions advocate manufacturers since language fashions have been first launched. The tactic has change into notably fashionable within the SaaS area. For instance, that is one among tons of* of articles Shopify has revealed the place they name their very own model the No. 1 ecommerce platform for varied use instances:

*Shopify beforehand had over 100 of all these articles, however it seems that they’re culling many of those pages from the positioning now.

One purpose this tactic works so nicely comes right down to Search engine optimisation itself. These pages goal the precise phrase “what’s the greatest model for X” – a phrase that, till just lately, drew little competitors, since most manufacturers solely started publishing pages aimed toward these phrases within the final couple of years. Earlier than AI search and GEO arrived, there was a content material void round questions like “which is one of the best model for X?” or “what are one of the best [services]?” – largely, I’d argue, as a result of most manufacturers weren’t comfy placing such overtly biased content material in entrance of their human readers.

When it turned clear that it worked as a GEO (AI search optimization) tactic, the method was popularized and spammed at scale by 1000’s of corporations, notably within the B2B area. Not solely has it now been showcased throughout dozens of Search engine optimisation conferences, YouTube movies, on-line webinars, blogs, and industry publications, however the media additionally began to cowl this exploit in latest months. I collaborated and spoke to some journalists who just lately wrote items exposing the efficacy of this technique of influencing Google’s AI responses:

To measure whether or not self-serving listicles are literally proliferating (or whether or not it simply feels that method), I had Claude pull each “greatest [X] software program” web page the place a vendor ranks its personal listicle (often at No. 1) from throughout my AI Overviews data: 184 self-promoting listicle pages throughout 146 manufacturers (many manufacturers publish a couple of).

I used the Ahrefs MCP to seize the month-to-month natural visitors historical past for every particular person URL, utilizing the primary month a web page picked up natural visitors as a proxy for when it really went stay and began rating in natural search. By stacking these launch dates up by yr, the development is tough to overlook: this isn’t a number of opportunists, it’s an industry-wide land seize that went viral in 2025 (doubtless with the “GEO boom“).

And that is solely a tiny slice of the net: If the development is that this pronounced in my pattern, the expansion on this web page kind that Google and different serps are seeing throughout their full index is definitely far bigger. However the proliferation of those pages is just a part of the query. The extra attention-grabbing one – and the one that truly issues for those who’re deciding whether or not to maintain pumping out these pages – is whether or not they nonetheless work. Not whether or not they can rank, and never whether or not they get cited, however whether or not they really get your model beneficial in AI solutions.

So, what’s Google beginning to do to fight this inflow of pages meant to govern its AI responses?

Consequence #1: Google Demoted These Websites’ Natural Visibility

Now that the tactic is in all places, Google has began pushing again, and the primary signal was in natural search earlier this yr. In January of 2026, Google seems to have made an algorithmic adjustment that considerably demoted the organic visibility of the websites closely using this tactic, notably affecting the subfolders that housed these self-promoting listicles.

Round January twentieth, 2026, not less than dozens of websites, together with a handful of main, well-known manufacturers, saw organic traffic begin to fall rapidly. I analyzed over 40 of those websites, together with a number of purchasers I’ve helped since this adjustment.

Self-promotional listicles have been one among a number of potential points with these websites’ approaches. Most affected corporations have been utilizing a wide range of ways that would sign Search engine optimisation/GEO spam to Google: scaling AI-generated content to drive Search engine optimisation and AI search visitors; scaling pages following different Search engine optimisation-driven codecs (comparability/various pages, “who/what/when” pages), and, most often, extreme self-promotional listicles. And I’m not speaking about one listicle or a handful: these websites typically had tons of, and even 1000’s, of articles calling their very own model the No. 1 greatest in comparison with the competitors. The orange traces beneath present projected natural visitors, by way of Ahrefs:

Since that time, affected corporations have usually seen the declines proceed and have an effect on extra than simply the focused folder; many impacted websites have seen visibility drop throughout the complete area, with drops accelerating throughout Google’s recent May 2026 core update.

This affect is an effective instance of why using Search engine optimisation ways that push the boundaries of Google’s insurance policies will be dangerous for the visibility of the complete area; not simply the content material that violated its insurance policies. And, as I’ve talked about in earlier Substack articles, losing SEO visibility can cause downstream effects on AI search visibility as nicely.

These algorithmic changes are only one a part of the story. I imagine Google, particularly, has just lately made modifications to the way it makes use of info from these self-promotional listicles in AI Overviews.

Consequence #2: Google Seems To Be Excluding Many Self-Selling Manufacturers From Its Suggestions

To pin down whether or not Google is dropping self-promoters from its AI suggestions, I got down to measure it immediately. I had Claude pull the AI Overview solutions for 100 B2B “greatest Search engine optimisation software program” queries, utilizing the Ahrefs Model Radar MCP, which supplies AI Overview reply textual content and the precise sources it cited, and in addition lets me pull these solutions at historic dates. You possibly can view the complete listing of the key phrases I analyzed here.

I selected one canonical query per class and grabbed it at three checkpoints (April 15, Could 15, and June 8, 2026), so I used to be observing the identical query and reply pair over time. For every reply, I separated the AI search metrics individuals typically conflate after they choose whether or not a listicle labored:

• Cited: the model’s personal “greatest Search engine optimisation” listicle exhibits up within the reply’s listing of sources, both throughout the reply or within the sidebar.
• Suggestions: the model is definitely named as a decide within the AI Overview reply itself.

Because it seems, citations and suggestions can behave fairly in a different way, and for self-promoting websites, the distinction between them can result in dramatically totally different enterprise outcomes.

Right here’s what I discovered: Throughout the 80 prompts that triggered an AI Overview (notably, about 1 in 5 “greatest software program” queries didn’t floor an AI Overview in any respect), when a model’s personal self-promotional listicle bought cited as a supply, that model was not noted of the particular suggestion 69% of the time (224 of the 323 self-promotional listicles cited throughout these prompts) on AI Overviews.

This wasn’t a handful of edge instances, both. Throughout the three months, 74 of the 100 prompts I tracked (74%) returned an AI Overview reply that cited a self-promoter’s personal listicle, however left that model out of the advice.

See the instance beneath for the question “greatest LMS for promoting programs,” the place Oasis LMS is cited all around the reply – each in-line and in the suitable sidebar – however the model just isn’t beneficial within the response:

Regardless of its frequent citations within the reply, Oasis LMS is excluded as a suggestion from the response. In its cited article, it names itself because the No. 1 greatest “LMS for promoting programs.” Whereas this self-recommendation doesn’t affect the AI response, its mentions of opponents Kajabi, Thinkific, LearnWorlds, and Teachable could have helped enhance them, with all of them incomes the AI Overview suggestion.

For the associated question “greatest studying administration system,” be aware how Kredo Studying is cited in the suitable sidebar, however not beneficial within the reply:

When visiting the cited URL, Kredo Studying lists its firm because the Finest LMS Platform in India. Whereas its personal model is excluded from the response, its listed opponents, TalentLMS and Docebo, are beneficial within the reply. The quotation seems to behave as a vote for Kredo Studying’s opponents.

For an additional question, “greatest assist desk software program,” discover how Pylon is listed as a quotation beneath the “Assist Scout” suggestion, regardless of not being one of many beneficial manufacturers:

Pylon does listing its model because the No. 1 model in its cited article, however that self-endorsement doesn’t affect the AI suggestions proven in AI Overviews. Nevertheless, Pylon additionally recommends Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Assist Scout in its article – the highest 3 manufacturers beneficial within the reply.

One other self-promotional listicle that serves as a cited URL throughout the above AI Overview comes from Crisp, which can be not beneficial within the reply. Nevertheless, it recommends Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Assist Scout, which all made it into the advice.

For “greatest process administration software program,” the self-promoting listicle by TMetric makes it into the sidebar as one of many cited pages used to construct the response.

However regardless of recommending itself in its article, TMetric just isn’t one of many beneficial manufacturers within the response. Nevertheless, its listed opponents, Todoist, Asana, Trello, and ClickUp, all made it into Google’s AI suggestion.

For the question “greatest survey software program,” Pollfish is cited closely all through the article, with not one, however two self-promotional listicles. Regardless of their efforts, Pollfish just isn’t a beneficial model within the response:

Nevertheless, a number of of its beneficial opponents – Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Google Varieties, and Typeform, all made it into the advice (with Pollfish’s article used because the quotation for all).

Why Do Self-Promotional Listicles Work For Some Websites However Not Others?

That is the place issues get attention-grabbing. Once you have a look at who does get beneficial, the reply seems to be constant: the established class leaders which are closely beneficial throughout many third-party pages, are regularly beneficial in AI responses, and have substantial backlink profiles, in comparison with their self-promoting listicle opponents. In case you discover that the self-promotional listicles can and do nonetheless work, I imagine that Google could be giving a little bit of a free go to the businesses who’re already authoritative, trusted gamers of their respective industries.

Listed below are some examples: For “greatest venture administration software program,” Google’s AI cites self-promoting listicles from Wrike, Paymo, Celoxis, and Kanbanchi, after which recommends well-known manufacturers, Asana, Monday, ClickUp, and Notion. Not one of the self-promoting manufacturers made the advice, however the well-known opponents they listed all did.

So what really separates the manufacturers that get beneficial from those that solely get cited? It’s not how nicely the web page is constructed: I checked, and the excluded manufacturers typically have completely sturdy, well-optimized pages and websites; that’s why their listicle ranks and will get pulled in as a supply within the first place. The true distinction is how typically the model is talked about and linked to in all places else – real authority signals.

Notice: I need to caveat this part by saying it’s troublesome to determine the actual reply right here (except, in fact, you’re employed at Google). So as to add to that, there are some examples of lesser-known self-promoting listicle manufacturers who sometimes make it into the reply, though this seems to be more and more uncommon. I’ll share how I took a stab at attempting to determine this half out:

I used the Ahrefs Model Radar MCP to drag varied metrics associated to how regularly a model is talked about in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and what number of backlinks its area has as proxies for a way well-known and authoritative the model is. Beneath are a number of examples of key phrases I used to research the aggressive panorama:

For “Finest HR Software program:” the beneficial manufacturers (BambooHR, Workday, Gusto, Deel, Rippling) have much more referring domains, AI Overview model mentions, and ChatGPT model mentions than their cited-but-not-recommended counterparts (PeopleForce and HR Acuity).

The lower-authority websites have self-promoting listicles used as citations within the response, however will not be beneficial manufacturers within the reply.

On this case, Paylocity is the one exception to the rule – it has a aggressive Area Ranking and general backlink depend, however Google didn’t embrace it within the suggestion.

For “Finest CRM for Small Enterprise,” the one self-promoting listicle whose model was additionally beneficial is Monday, which has a Area Ranking within the ’90s and 75,000 referring domains. 4 out of the 5 cited however not beneficial listicle manufacturers have considerably decrease referring domains and area rankings.

For “Finest CRM Software program,” beneficial manufacturers like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho CRM present far greater referring domains, plus AI Overview and ChatGPT model mentions. Kylas – a website cited with a self-promotional listicle within the reply, however not beneficial within the response – trails on each metric with 0 AI Overview or ChatGPT mentions, and much fewer referring domains than opponents.

For “Finest Search engine optimisation software program,” the 2 cited manufacturers recommending themselves fall far beneath their beneficial opponents throughout all metrics.

The sample is identical for all of the queries I checked: lesser-known, much less authoritative manufacturers utilizing self-promotional listicles to advocate their very own model are usually cited as sources to assist type the response, however not noted of the advice in comparison with their higher-authority, better-known counterparts.

Consequence #3: Embarrassing Disclaimers In AI Overviews (And Different LLMs)

Google additionally seems to be including some new disclaimers to AI Overviews for sure queries the place these listicles are usually prevalent. For instance, when asking in regards to the “actual greatest Search engine optimisation specialists,” Google AI Overviews just lately warned me that our {industry} is “saturated with self-proclaimed specialists.” It supplies steerage on higher methods of evaluating professionals:

This reply to the same query additionally included a point out of “self-proclaimed gurus” earlier than recommending “prime {industry} professionals acknowledged for precise, measurable outcomes and actionable search methods”:

Google additionally features a be aware about utilizing Clutch on the finish of the AI Overview. I imagine that Google is aware of it’s troublesome to get AI Overview solutions proper for all these queries, and has begun together with this extra context on the finish of AI Overviews to higher information the person.

Different LLMs are doing related issues. For instance, once you ask Claude about one of the best Search engine optimisation specialists, it typically supplies this warning, flagging that the complete class has been spammed:

Which Websites Get The Most Citations For “Finest” Queries?

One other attention-grabbing development is how closely Google leans on a handful of high-authority evaluate & UGC websites to generate AI responses for queries containing “greatest.” Forbes, Reddit, and YouTube are regularly cited in AI Overview responses for “greatest” queries, and more and more so over time. The websites beneath are probably the most cited domains for prompts together with the phrase “greatest,” in response to Ahrefs Model Radar:

Reddit, particularly, has grown substantially in citations for prompts containing “greatest” in latest months:

Forbes Advisor has additionally seen a surge in citations for “greatest” queries in AI Overviews since March:

The Takeaway

Put all of it collectively, and the takeaway is fairly clear. The self-promotional listicle did its job for a few years as a result of it exploited a content material void and since language fashions don’t (but?) have subtle programs to filter out self-promotion from real authority and truthfulness.

However it seems that Google has not less than began to take steps to decouple what it would cite as a supply from who it would really advocate in its AI solutions, and that second choice is now anchored to how much of the web is talking about you and recommending you, not what number of instances you’ve known as your self one of the best.

Extra Assets:

This post was originally published on Lily Ray NYC Substack.

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