[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-ai-overview-traffic-value":3},{"message":4,"data":5},"Blogs retrieved successfully",{"blog":6,"latest_blogs":29},{"id":7,"author_id":8,"title":9,"slug":10,"content":11,"short_summary":12,"featured_image":13,"status":14,"meta_title":9,"meta_description":15,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":19,"published_at":20,"created_at":21,"updated_at":22,"deleted_at":16,"author":23,"categories":28},375,9,"The Real Value of an AI Overview Click","ai-overview-traffic-value","\u003Ch1>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The Real Value of an AI Overview Click\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">When an AI Overview appears above the search results, fewer people click through to the sites below it. That part isn’t really in dispute anymore. The open question is about the clicks you still get, and whether they’re better than the ones you lost. At its Search Central Live event in Milan this month, Google made a claim about exactly that, then didn’t bring any numbers to back it up.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google made the claim again, without the numbers\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">On stage in Milan, one of Google’s slides said that when people click from an AI Overview, they’re more likely to spend more time on the site. The people who were there caught the obvious problem. The slide came with no absolute numbers and no percentages, only the claim itself.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">And it’s not a one-off line, to be fair. The same wording now lives in Google’s official documentation on AI features, which says clicks from pages with AI Overviews are higher quality, meaning users are more likely to stick around. Google has been making this case for almost a year. Back last summer, it published data arguing that total organic clicks from Search have stayed relatively stable, that average click quality has gone up, and that the alarming third-party numbers came from flawed methods or traffic drops that happened before AI features even launched.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">So Google’s position is consistent. The catch is that the one figure nobody outside Google can see is the size of this quality bump. Users spend more time on the site, fine. But how much more, and on which kinds of queries? Compared to what baseline? Milan was a chance to put a number on it, and the number didn’t come.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The independent studies tell a harder story\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">While Google holds its numbers back, outside analysts have published plenty of their own. They point in a less flattering direction, at least on the volume side.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">•\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman";\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The SEO data company Ahrefs found that the top-ranking page sees its click-through rate fall by about 58% on queries where an AI Overview appears.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">•\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman";\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The Pew Research Center measured click-through dropping from 15% to 8% when an overview is present, and found only around 1% of those searches end in a click on a link inside the overview itself.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">•\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 7pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman";\">  \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The analytics firm Seer Interactive, tracking the longest run of data, watched organic click-through on AI Overview queries slide from 1.76% down to 0.61% before recovering somewhat early this year.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">A caveat belongs with all of these. They’re correlations on specific samples, not proof that the overview itself caused the drop. Queries that trigger an AI Overview tend to be informational, quick-answer questions, the kind that often had weaker click intent to begin with. So some of the gap was probably always there. Even so, three independent datasets pointing the same way is hard to wave off.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Both things can be true\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The two sides aren’t as opposed as they look. Google is talking about total clicks across all of Search, every query type added together. The studies are zooming in on one slice, the click-through rate on a single position for the specific queries that trigger an overview. You can lose click-through on those queries and still keep total volume steady, as long as people are running more searches overall and seeing more links per page. Google says both of those are happening.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Traffic is also moving around. Some sites are losing visits while others gain, depending on whether they’re the kind of source these answers reward. So a flat industry average can hide a site that doubled and a site that cratered in the same number. The calm at the aggregate level and the panic at the individual level can both be real at once.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The clicks flow to whoever gets cited\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">If click-through is dropping on overview queries but the clicks that remain are more engaged, the obvious next question is who gets them. The answer is the sites the overview actually cites.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Seer’s data makes the gap stark. Brands cited inside an AI Overview pull far more organic clicks per impression than the ones left out, by a margin wide enough that citation, rather than raw ranking, starts to look like the thing to chase. And citations don’t come from gaming the format. They come from being the source other credible sites already trust enough to reference, which is the whole point of earned \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fdigital-pr\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">digital PR\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">. You build the standing, and the answer engine reads that standing when it decides who to point at.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">There’s a measurement piece too. Google used Milan to confirm that its AI reporting in Search Console is rolling out, separating impressions and clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode from the rest of your Search data. For the first time you can watch your own overview clicks instead of guessing from someone else’s sample.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Read your own numbers, not the headlines\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">None of this is as disruptive to the day-to-day as it sounds. Read your own Search Console data once the AI reporting settles, and compare the queries where you’re cited against the ones where an overview ate your click. Work the cited side first, since there’s already a channel open there.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The bigger picture has been steady for a while now. There are fewer easy clicks, and more weight on being the source an answer trusts. That trust gets earned the slow way, through original work and the kind of references that good \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Flink-building\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">link building\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> is meant to produce. The brands that read an AI Overview as a reason to earn citations, rather than a reason to panic about lost clicks, are the ones who’ll still be in the answer when the click economics settle.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google told its Milan audience that AI Overview clicks are higher quality, then gave no numbers. Independent studies show sharp click-through drops on the queries that trigger an overview. The value now flows to whoever the answer cites, and your own data is the real test.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fai-overview-clicks-nobs-1-20260629081247-AirExmMG.webp","published","Google says AI Overview clicks are higher quality but gave no numbers at Milan. What the independent data shows, and how to read your own traffic.",null,"blog",false,939,"2026-06-29T07:58:10.000000Z","2026-06-29T07:59:42.000000Z","2026-06-29T08:12:53.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":16,"avatar":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},"Rasit Cakir","rasit@nobsmarketplace.com","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Frasit.webp","2026-01-26T11:10:22.000000Z",[],[30,33,48,93],{"id":7,"author_id":8,"title":9,"slug":10,"content":11,"short_summary":12,"featured_image":13,"status":14,"meta_title":9,"meta_description":15,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":19,"published_at":20,"created_at":21,"updated_at":22,"deleted_at":16,"author":31,"categories":32},{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":16,"avatar":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},[],{"id":34,"author_id":8,"title":35,"slug":36,"content":37,"short_summary":38,"featured_image":39,"status":14,"meta_title":35,"meta_description":40,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":41,"word_count":42,"published_at":43,"created_at":44,"updated_at":45,"deleted_at":16,"author":46,"categories":47},374,"Google’s June 2026 Spam Update and How to Read It","google-june-2026-spam-update","\u003Ch1>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google’s June 2026 Spam Update and How to Read It\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google rolled out the June 2026 spam update on June 24. It went live a little after noon Eastern and reached every language and region. It came with almost no explanation. If your rankings start moving this week, this is a likely reason, though the honest advice is to hold off and watch before changing anything.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google said almost nothing\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google’s whole announcement was one line on its Search Status Dashboard. It said the June 2026 spam update applies globally and to all languages, and that the rollout may take a few days to finish. No blog post, no list of new policies, no number for how many searches got hit. Google’s search team echoed the same short note on social media and called it a normal spam update.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">That quiet tells you something useful. When Google changes the actual rules, it usually makes noise about it, with documentation and a heads-up. A bare release like this one points to routine enforcement rather than a new rulebook. The spam policies you were judged against last month are the same ones you’re judged against now.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">SpamBrain, and what gets hit\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">A spam update isn’t a core update, and the difference changes how you respond. A core update is a broad rethink of how Google judges quality and relevance across the board. A spam update is narrower. It’s an upgrade to the automated systems that catch spam, including SpamBrain, Google’s AI-based spam detector. The goal is to spot manipulative tactics the systems were missing before.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google didn’t say which tactics this one goes after. The note named no targets at all. Based on how Google labels these things, this looks like a general spam update rather than a link spam update or a site reputation abuse update, both of which Google announces separately. Search Engine Roundtable, which tracks these closely, reported that it doesn’t appear to target link spam or site reputation abuse. Google hasn’t confirmed that for the June update, so treat it as a strong read rather than a certainty.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Where it fits in a busy year\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">This update didn’t land in a quiet stretch. Google has been shipping changes at a fast clip in 2026. There was a standalone Discover update in February, a core update and a spam update in March, then a big core update that ran from late May into early June. The June spam update is the fourth major ranking event in about thirteen weeks, which is quicker than Google’s usual pace.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">That crowding makes attribution hard. If your traffic has been swinging for weeks, some of it may trace to the May core update, not this spam pass. There’s also a confounding factor right now, with World Cup coverage flooding news and sports results, which moves traffic for reasons that have nothing to do with spam enforcement.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">One more piece of context belongs here. Around June 19, a few days before the official update, SEOs in spam-heavy forums reported a wave of movement that seemed to hit black-hat tactics harder than clean sites. Most volatility trackers stayed calm through it, and Google never confirmed anything. Some read the June 24 update as Google formalizing what those forums already felt, but that connection is guesswork, not fact.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The sensible response\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The right move during a live rollout is patience. Checking your rankings mid-rollout gives you noise, since positions bounce around until things settle. Google hasn’t marked this one finished yet, so the data isn’t stable.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">When the rollout completes, do a clean comparison. Pull your Search Console numbers for the 28 days before June 24 against the period after, broken out by page and by query. Open the manual actions report too. A listed action means a human reviewer flagged something, which is a clear signal rather than a guess. If pages lost ground and they line up with what spam updates go after, that tells you something. If they don’t, you’re probably looking at unrelated movement.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">And if you do find real spam damage, fixing it is slow. Google says its systems can take months to reassess a site after you clean things up, so a fast bounce-back isn’t the expectation. The fix is to remove the tactic and hold the line, rather than chase a quick patch. Be careful with self-reported numbers too. The big traffic-drop figures floating around forums come from the worst-hit site owners, not from any measured average, so they tell you something moved, not how much.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The work that survives every update\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For sites built on honest work, this update is mostly a spectator event. Original content, earned coverage, and links you actually deserved are exactly what Google’s spam systems are built to leave alone. A clean site might wobble for a few days while the systems recalibrate, but it has nothing structural to fear.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Since this pass doesn’t appear to target link spam, agencies and brands running clean, earned link building have little to worry about here. That said, the broader direction of 2026 is hard to miss. Google has spent the year tightening enforcement on scaled content, manipulative tactics, and now AI. In May, it updated its spam policies to spell out, for the first time, that spam includes trying to manipulate generative AI responses in Search. Tricks built to force a brand into AI Overviews or AI Mode now carry the same demotion risk as classic ranking spam.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">All of which points the same way it always has. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Flink-building\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Link building\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fdigital-pr\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">digital PR\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> that earn real coverage on real sites are the kind of work spam updates are built to reward, not catch. The same goes for content people actually want and AI visibility you earn instead of fake. A spam update is a bad week for shortcuts and a non-event for everyone else. The durable protection is simple and slow. You build a site that has nothing to clean up when an update lands, and update weeks turn into a dashboard check instead of a scramble.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google released the June 2026 spam update on June 24, a routine improvement to its automated spam detection that applies globally and to all languages. It carries no new policies and does not appear to target link spam. For sites doing clean, earned work, it’s mostly a spectator event.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fspam-update-nobs-20260626223219-YKg2OU0N.webp","Google released the June 2026 spam update on June 24, global and across all languages, with no new policies. What it targets, what to do, what to ignore.",true,992,"2026-06-26T22:17:14.000000Z","2026-06-26T22:18:16.000000Z","2026-06-26T22:32:22.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":16,"avatar":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},[],{"id":49,"author_id":50,"title":51,"slug":52,"content":53,"short_summary":54,"featured_image":55,"status":14,"meta_title":51,"meta_description":56,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":41,"word_count":57,"published_at":58,"created_at":59,"updated_at":59,"deleted_at":16,"author":60,"categories":66},373,3,"X Best SEO Agencies (and Why Yours Shouldn’t Be Number One)","listicle-content-seo","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Ah, the humble listicle. For years, this list-type format has been a staple of content creation as it’s easy to write and digest. Before AI, search engines were more or less content (no pun intended) with listicles as long as they followed their content guidelines.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">That’s about to change…or has already done so.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">For the record, the listicle is still a valid form of content. Google isn’t out to throw it in the black hat bin along with keyword stuffing and link spam. But more often than not, brands take advantage of it by putting themselves in the first spot.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">How is \u003Cem>that \u003C\u002Fem>promoting a business’s credibility and expertise? Long-time customers might vouch for that business, but it might appear as a shameless plug to the rest. Not everyone is a fan of that, more so when the content sounds desperate for views.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">We’ll explore why this format is more trouble than it’s worth and what alternatives exist.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>DISCLAIMER: This post contains references to federal regulations. I am not a lawyer, and NO-BS Marketplace (and its parent company, Reachmark) is not a law firm. As such, any legal information here does not constitute legal advice. Consult a lawyer for such needs. \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A Warning from Google—and Even the Law\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Google kickstarted 2026 with unusual volatility, with some brands suffering visibility drops from the December 2025 Core Update. Reports indicate that the decline ranged from 30% to 50%, at least for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) brands. (1)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But for Lily Ray, AI search consultant by day and musician by night, the decline affected a lot of large brands. One such brand with a market value of $8 billion saw its visibility drop by almost half in less than a month. Worse, the blog page, accounting for 77% of the site’s total traffic, was hit the hardest.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Fc295aeb0-5384-4d29-a0cf-fa5cd94173db-1826x582-20260624082127-YllKbDna.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Source: \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Flilyraynyc.substack.com\u002Fp\u002Fis-google-finally-cracking-down-on?open=false#%C2%A7searching-for-clues-after-google-ranking-volatility\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>Lily Ray\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Looking into the website, Ray discovered that its blog page housed close to 200 self-serving listicles. While comprising 0.6% of its indexed blog posts (estimated at around 30,000), this shows the impact a few pieces of bad content can have on a website. The same trend was also observed among other brands she checked.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But there’s another reason this format is no longer viable. Brands could be penalized under federal law for such content, specifically Part 465 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The practices prohibited under this regulation include: (2)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Creating and publishing fake consumer and celebrity reviews\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Buying positive and negative consumer reviews for one’s gain\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Reviews and testimonials made by insiders (e.g., the manager)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Passing off company-controlled reviews as independent\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Preventing reviews and testimonials under threat of retaliation\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Using fake indicators of social media influence (e.g., repetitive comments)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">In 2023, a website that ranks clear dental aligners found itself in hot water after authorities found that some of its listicles violated advertising laws. Despite the listicles being branded as editorial content, the site was found to have affiliate relationships with some of the clear aligner brands mentioned. (3)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The website was also asked to revise its advertising disclaimer, which states that: “When you buy products and services through our links, we may earn commissions.” A disclosure that the National Advertising Review Board deemed as “neither clear nor conspicuous.” (3)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Between Google’s crackdown and legal troubles, self-serving listicles are clearly not worth the time and effort. Businesses today have a better chance of getting cited or mentioned by AI by\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fblog\u002Fwant-your-content-to-rank-think-like-a-journalist\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>thinking like a journalist\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Make Your Content ‘Irreplaceable’ by AI\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Even if the “self-serving” part isn’t a big deal, you don’t want to settle for a normal listicle in today’s search. Remember when I stated earlier that listicles are easy to write and digest? Well, AI can synthesize them with ease, but they won’t necessarily favor it in its summary.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The reason is simple: a normal listicle cites information that’s already well-known. As such, it’s missing one of Google’s fundamentals of content quality (more popularly known as E-E-A-T)—that of \u003Cem>experience.\u003C\u002Fem> “X Things to Consider When Planning a Wedding” doesn’t exactly exude confidence, not when other brands also have the right experience to discuss this.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Long story short, it doesn’t make you stand out from the competition. Your website needs content that’s not just unique but also can’t be summed up in a mere AI-generated brief, prompting people to take a closer look.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">You need \u003Cem>irreplaceable\u003C\u002Fem> content—and that’s where non-commodity content comes in.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Fpicture50-20260624082224-LKZ9MLz6.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Excerpt from Danny Sullivan’s presentation during Google Search Central Live in Toronto\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Non-commodity content adds value by offering a unique take on an otherwise widespread topic. Wear pattern analysis of running shoes may seem technical, but using it to discover why the shoes deteriorated after 400 miles makes it a worthwhile read.    \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">All the while, AI will struggle to replicate non-commodity content. It can’t generate its own case studies, original research, or even expert opinions (and the last time it tried to do that didn’t end well). Instead, it’s more likely to cite the human author of said content.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I should point out that there are no limits as to what non-commodity content can be. It can even be a listicle, provided that it offers a fresh, unique perspective on the topic rather than blatant advertising. Potential topics can be found in the website’s existing content; it’s only a matter of how well you can put a unique spin on them.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Step Up Your Content Game\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">While listicles are still good in today’s search environment, the same can’t be said for the kind of content we’re used to. Instead of sticking to generic topics, it’s time to step up your content strategy by showcasing your brand’s experience and expertise.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Don’t put yourself at the top of the listicle. Prove you’re worth staying there.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">References:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">“Google may be cracking down on self-promotional ‘best of’ listicles,” Source:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fsearchengineland.com\u002Fgoogle-cracking-down-self-promotional-best-of-listicles-468227\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>https:\u002F\u002Fsearchengineland.com\u002Fgoogle-cracking-down-self-promotional-best-of-listicles-468227\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">“PART 465—RULE ON THE USE OF CONSUMER REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS,” Source:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-16\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-D\u002Fpart-465\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-16\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-D\u002Fpart-465\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">“National Advertising Review Board Refers Smile Prep’s Clear Aligners Advertising to FTC After Compliance Review,” Source:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lexology.com\u002Flibrary\u002Fdetail.aspx?g=673ffa7b-c38c-4ac0-8996-2d273447de92\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lexology.com\u002Flibrary\u002Fdetail.aspx?g=673ffa7b-c38c-4ac0-8996-2d273447de92\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>","Are you making listicles where you'd rank your own brand at the top? Well, changes in modern SEO guidelines (and federal laws) say you should probably stop.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fpexels-laptop-1842297-1280-20260624081902-BdhEi55u.webp","This isn’t your average listicle, where the brand that created it is ranked number one. Rather, it’s a warning that you shouldn’t be doing such a thing anymore.",958,"2026-06-24T16:23:00.000000Z","2026-06-24T08:23:58.000000Z",{"id":50,"name":61,"email":62,"about":63,"avatar":64,"created_at":65,"updated_at":65,"deleted_at":16},"Jonas Trinidad","jonas@nobsmarketplace.com","","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fblog-authors\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Fjonas-trinidad.jpg","2025-10-26T11:10:22.000000Z",[67,71,75,81,87],{"id":68,"name":69,"slug":17,"created_at":65,"updated_at":65,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":70},1,"Blogs",{"blog_id":49,"category_id":68},{"id":50,"name":72,"slug":73,"created_at":65,"updated_at":65,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":74},"SEO","seo",{"blog_id":49,"category_id":50},{"id":76,"name":77,"slug":78,"created_at":79,"updated_at":79,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":80},11,"Content","content","2025-10-26T11:10:27.000000Z",{"blog_id":49,"category_id":76},{"id":82,"name":83,"slug":84,"created_at":85,"updated_at":85,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":86},7,"Guides","guide","2025-10-26T11:10:25.000000Z",{"blog_id":49,"category_id":82},{"id":88,"name":89,"slug":90,"created_at":91,"updated_at":91,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":92},16,"Educative Content","educative-content","2026-02-10T11:18:29.000000Z",{"blog_id":49,"category_id":88},{"id":94,"author_id":8,"title":95,"slug":96,"content":97,"short_summary":98,"featured_image":99,"status":14,"meta_title":95,"meta_description":100,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":41,"word_count":101,"published_at":102,"created_at":103,"updated_at":103,"deleted_at":16,"author":104,"categories":105},372,"Google Lets Readers Pick the Sites Its AI Favors","google-preferred-sources-and-ai","\u003Ch1>Google Lets Readers Pick the Sites Its AI Favors\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Most Google features that affect visibility are decided by an algorithm. Preferred Sources works differently, because it hands the choice to the reader. People can tell Google which sites they want to see more of, and Google shows those sites higher and more often in their results. As of late May, that preference now carries into AI Overviews and AI Mode too.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>For brands, that creates an unusual kind of visibility lever, one you can’t pull yourself, because only your readers can.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>Readers do the choosing\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Setup is simple from the reader’s side. They go to a settings page, search for the sites they trust, and add them as preferred sources. From then on, those sites show up more prominently in that person’s Google results. It’s all opt-in, and it’s personal. Your preferred sources are yours, and they don’t change what anyone else sees.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Google says the feature started as a Search Labs experiment last year, launched in Top Stories in the US and India, then opened up more widely. It’s available in all supported languages now, and it works for any site that publishes fresh content, not only news outlets. One detail to know is that it works at the domain or subdomain level. So \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fexample.com\">\u003Cspan>example.com\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan> or \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fblog.example.com\">\u003Cspan>blog.example.com\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan> can be added, but a subfolder like example.com\u002Fblog can’t be picked on its own.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>Now it reaches into AI answers\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>The bigger news this year is where Preferred Sources now applies. In late May, Google extended it into AI Overviews and AI Mode. When a site you’ve marked as preferred gets cited in one of those AI answers, its link shows a small Preferred label, so you can see it was one of your chosen sources. Only you see that label, since the preference is personal.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Google says people are about twice as likely to click a source they’ve added, so being on that list changes how often your work gets seen by the people who picked you. Google has also said it’s working toward using preferred sources as a ranking signal inside AI features, so chosen sites would surface more often in AI answers, not only get badged when they appear. That part is still developing. For now, the badge and the more prominent placement are the visible effects.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>There’s no optimizing your way in\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Preferred Sources rewards something you can’t fake. There’s no markup to add, no technical trick, no content tweak that puts your site on someone’s preferred list. A real person has to decide they trust you enough to choose you.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>It also means the feature doesn’t lift your organic rankings on its own. Adding a site as preferred changes that reader’s results, not the underlying ranking for everyone else. Google has been clear about that. It’s a personalization and AI-surface signal, earned through opt-ins, and separate from the core ranking that decides standard results.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>Who ends up on these lists\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>The brands that win here are the ones with a real relationship with their readers. A site someone reads every week, a newsletter they look forward to, a publication they trust on a topic, those are the names people will bother to add. A site that only ever shows up as an anonymous search result, with no one who follows it by name, has nothing to draw on.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>That favors brands that built an actual audience over ones that chased traffic. If people know your name and seek you out, you have a pool of readers who might choose you. If your visibility has always come from ranking for keywords, with no loyal following behind it, there’s not much to convert into preferred-source adds. The feature rewards brand strength, which is the thing hardest to fake.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>Getting your readers to add you\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>So the question becomes how you get people to add you. The honest answer is that you earn it the slow way, by being a source people actually want more of. Sites that publish distinctive, reliable content and build a real following are the ones readers go out of their way to choose. There’s no shortcut around that, which is sort of the point.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>The practical step is to make it easy. If you have an audience that already likes your work, you can point them to the settings page and show them how to add you. Google even suggests publishers offer a button or link to make the process simple. Few people have set up preferred sources so far, so a brand that asks early, while the feature is still new, gets a real head start.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Preferred Sources rewards the same thing strong SEO always has. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Flink-building\">\u003Cspan>Link building\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fdigital-pr\">\u003Cspan>digital PR\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan> build the reputation and reach that make people aware of you in the first place, and great content is what makes them want to come back. The feature comes at the end of that chain. You earn the reputation, your audience grows, and some of those readers care enough to tell Google they want more of you. There’s no version of that you can buy or automate. You build something people want to follow, and the badge takes care of itself.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google’s Preferred Sources lets readers choose which sites they want prioritized, and it now extends into AI Overviews and AI Mode. Chosen sites can get a visible badge and may appear more often for that reader. There’s no way to game it. Brands earn it by being a source people want to follow.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fpreferred-sources-nobs-20260624074740-qMqTEEbm.webp","Google’s Preferred Sources lets readers choose which sites they see more of, now in AI Overviews and AI Mode. You earn it with opt-ins, not optimization.",850,"2026-06-24T07:46:56.000000Z","2026-06-24T07:48:04.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":16,"avatar":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},[106,108],{"id":50,"name":72,"slug":73,"created_at":65,"updated_at":65,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":107},{"blog_id":94,"category_id":50},{"id":109,"name":110,"slug":111,"created_at":112,"updated_at":112,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":113},23,"AI","ai","2026-03-10T11:18:29.000000Z",{"blog_id":94,"category_id":109}]