[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-chatgpt-ai-referral-traffic":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},385,9,"ChatGPT Owns the AI Traffic You Can Measure","chatgpt-ai-referral-traffic","\u003Ch1>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">ChatGPT Owns the AI Traffic You Can Measure\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">A study making the rounds this month landed on a number that sounds like a verdict. ChatGPT, it found, drives 92% of AI referral traffic. If you run a website and you’ve been unsure where to point your AI efforts, that looks like a clear answer, put everything into ChatGPT. The real story is more useful than the headline, and it starts with what that 92% is actually counting.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">What the study found\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The research comes from Previsible, an SEO agency that’s been tracking AI traffic longer than most. Its latest report, out in early July, analyzed 6.77 million AI-driven visits across 166 sites, from late 2024 through this May. Across all of it, ChatGPT accounted for 92.4% of the referral traffic these sites got from standalone AI assistants, up from around 84% at the end of last year. The total volume is climbing fast too, close to ten times what it was 19 months earlier.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The gap behind ChatGPT is wide. Gemini has settled in as a steady second. Claude grew sharply and passed Perplexity in March, with particular strength among developers and technical buyers. Perplexity has fallen well off its peak, partly because it now keeps users inside its own tools instead of sending them out, and Copilot has all but disappeared from the referral picture. So among the chat assistants people use directly, one platform is doing nearly all the sending.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The part of the number people miss\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">There’s a catch, and it’s a big one. That 92% covers standalone AI assistants only, the ChatGPTs and Geminis and Claudes that people open as separate apps. It leaves out the biggest AI surface of all, Google’s own AI Overviews and AI Mode, built right into search. Previsible left those out on purpose, because they don’t produce a clean, trackable referral the way a standalone assistant does. And the report is blunt about what that omission means. AI discovery happening inside Google almost certainly drives more traffic than every standalone assistant combined.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">So the fuller read flips the headline around. ChatGPT wins the AI traffic you can measure. Google, through the AI woven into regular search, is very likely the bigger source of AI-influenced visits, only close to impossible to count cleanly. Anyone who takes 92% as a reason to ignore Google and chase ChatGPT alone is reading half the board.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The finding that changes the work\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Market share is the least useful part of the study. The finding that should change how you work is about where AI traffic lands once it arrives. Across platforms, roughly a quarter of AI-referred visitors get dropped onto a site’s internal search results page rather than the page that answers their question. ChatGPT does it with nearly 29% of its referrals. The model trusts your domain enough to send someone, but can’t always pick the right page, so it hands them your search box and lets them figure it out.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">That reframes internal site search from a housekeeping feature into an actual entry point. If a quarter of your hardest-won AI visitors land on a weak search page and bounce, the model did its job and your site lost the visitor at the door. It’s a fixable problem that almost nobody treats as one.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">One more useful wrinkle. The assistants don’t all behave the same way. ChatGPT and Gemini tend to trust a domain and land somewhere on it, while Claude and Perplexity pick specific pages and lean toward long-form content. So if your visibility rides on in-depth editorial work, those two can count for more than their traffic share suggests.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">What actually earns the traffic\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Put the whole study together and it argues for something reassuringly familiar. The author’s own advice is to start by becoming a source Google’s AI wants to cite, then win ChatGPT on top of that. Both halves of that come from the same foundation, a site with real authority that other credible sources point to and quote. The same authority earns citations inside Google’s AI, and it’s what gets you surfaced by ChatGPT, which leans heavily on the same signals of trust and consensus across the web.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">None of that is a platform trick. It’s the work \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);\"> and \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);\"> have always done, building the kind of reputation that makes every system, old search or new AI, want to name you. The platforms will keep trading share. The brands that get cited across all of them are the ones whose authority was earned in the first place.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","A new Previsible study of 6.77 million sessions found ChatGPT drives 92% of trackable standalone AI referral traffic. But it leaves out Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, which send even more. The foundation that wins across both is earned authority and citation-worthy content.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fchatgpt-92-hot-take-nobs-1-20260713075355-ugoaj6la.webp","published","A July study found ChatGPT drives 92% of standalone AI referral traffic. Why it leaves out Google’s bigger AI surface, and what actually wins clicks.",null,"blog",true,747,"2026-07-13T07:47:57.000000Z","2026-07-13T07:49:29.000000Z","2026-07-13T07:54:04.000000Z",{"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",[],[30,33,82,99],{"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":35,"title":36,"slug":37,"content":38,"short_summary":39,"featured_image":40,"status":14,"meta_title":36,"meta_description":41,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":42,"published_at":43,"created_at":44,"updated_at":44,"deleted_at":16,"author":45,"categories":51},383,3,"AI is Pushing Humans to Be More Human","ai-content-human-experience","\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>KEY TAKEAWAYS:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The proliferation of AI content has pushed people to demand more human-curated content, contrary to initial outlooks.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">AI was a significant talking point during the recently concluded Cannes Lions, with experts calling for its responsible use.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Today’s topic is going to be a bit different, and it starts with a quote from Larry Page.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>“Artificial intelligence would be the ultimate version of Google. So, we have the ultimate search engine that would understand everything on the Web. It would understand exactly what you wanted, and it would give you the right thing.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">As it turns out, AI has been in Google’s pipeline since the days of Google’s co-founder (or should I say “one half of Google”). His vision culminated in Gemini, which has grown into one of the most widely used AI models today.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">You’d think that AI would be the norm moving forward, but there’s been a lot of resistance lately. People are chastising Google for not offering a way to opt out of AI-powered search, even moving to search engines that do. A similar sentiment exists in AI in general.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Then, when this year’s Cannes Lions came around, it became clear. Instead of introducing humans to an AI-dominated future, it’s pushing them to keep in control. There’s so much AI content on the Web today that people want genuine human experiences. Whether you’re a marketer or a publisher, this is a trend you must take note of.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Being Seen Isn’t Enough\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">If you’re a regular on this blog or our newsletter, you see that we talk a lot about AI visibility. Create more “helpful, reliable, people-first content (as Google would say),” build authority in your industry or niche, ensure search engines can index your content—the works. These tips are far from guarantees, but since when did SEO have one?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But once your brand appears in AI search, what’s next?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Being seen isn’t the same as being chosen; at least, that’s the takeaway from Havas’s study. The Paris-based marketing giant highlighted the importance of being desired in addition to being visible. Based on data from over 90,000 inputs, it found that desired brands greatly outperform those that aren’t. They deliver: (1)\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\u002Fpicture60-20260710054229-uSYW7lhC.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But for Mark Sinnock, Havas’s global chief strategy officer, the biggest problem right now is indifference. Over 80% of the brands studied suffered from a “desire deficit,” achieving just less than two-thirds of their potential. To quote his statement in a press release: (1)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\"Being seen is not enough. You must be desired. In a world where optimization is increasingly automated, creativity is what creates connection, builds desire and drives growth. Technology may amplify brands, but desire gives them gravity.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">On that note, AI-generated low-effort content is anything but desirable. Any brand that’s guilty of this will be visible in search but for the wrong reasons. Human creativity will be more important than ever in marketing.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Case in point: Anthropic.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">During the event, two of its Super Bowl ads won the Film Lions Grand Prix award. Long story short, the minute-long ads showed people how awkward it would be for AI to have ads. You can watch the commercials \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.adweek.com\u002Fcreativity\u002Fclaudes-super-bowl-campaign-mocking-ai-ads-wins-cannes-lions-film-grand-prix\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>here\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">. (2)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The campaign saw success. CNBC reported that Claude’s daily active users increased by 11% during the Super Bowl—compared to 2.7% for ChatGPT and 1.4% for Gemini. More than that, it triggered a reaction from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, posting on X criticizing his rival’s ads for being “deceptive” and “clearly dishonest.” (3)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Nevertheless, Film Lions jury president Pelle Sjoenell praised the ads for being unafraid to answer the hard questions. He commented: (2)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>“The risk was profound, the execution immaculate, and it reshuffled the perceptions in the most consequential technology race of our age.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>TL;DR: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Even if consumers see a brand, they can still choose to ignore it if it’s not to their liking. Ensure your brand has a plan once it’s seen in search, preferably one crafted with human ingenuity rather than AI slop.  \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Creators are Leading the Drive\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Long before AI, we’ve been taught never to believe everything we see on the Internet. That lesson wasn’t always followed, and it only worsened as AI-generated content flourished.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Let me put it this way. Do you think this post is AI-generated?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">AI helped me with the research, but the writing’s all my own. That said, not everyone will believe it and might even run it through an AI detection tool like Originality. The problem is that the accuracy of these tools\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Farticles\u002FPMC12331776\u002F\">\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>varies wildly\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">, with false positives impacting the outcome. It’s hard to take my word for it, but so is taking the AI tool seriously.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">And as AI content proliferates, demand for authenticity rises. It’s no longer a matter of how much topnotch content you can pump out but rather how much your customers trust you.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Cannes Lions provided a solution: if you don’t look credible enough, find someone who is.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">As such, the event became a hotbed for content creators. They dominated the space, not just with a strong attendance but also their prime position in today’s marketing economy. To quote a McKinsey report: (4)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>“The creator economy has evolved well beyond influencer marketing. Podcasts have become the new talk shows. Nano-creators are outperforming celebrity reach in many categories. Increasingly, creators aren’t just building awareness—they’re shaping the full funnel—across discovery, consideration, driving conversion, and building loyalty.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">However, the same report also highlights a major roadblock. Up until today, collaborations often don’t put the brand and content creator on equal footing. The latter is still treated as an ordinary customer rather than a strategic partner. Any brand that wants to succeed has to update its mindset and, eventually, its marketing approach. (4)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">You don’t have to look far for examples. One that best exemplifies this is Twitch.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">More than a place to watch streamers, Twitch is also where people join in on the streamers’ fun. They feel a part of the wins and fails instead of watching from a distance. Mike Minton, chief product officer for Twitch, stated: (5)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>“When people participate, they stay longer, spend more and bring friends. People come for the content, but they stay because they feel like they’re part of something.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>TL;DR: \u003C\u002Fstrong>When people don’t believe your brand’s authenticity, partner with a content creator. Their reach and genuine performances can help vouch for your brand. That said, it pays to treat them as equals rather than just another customer.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Misinformation Kills\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A controversy marred the previous Cannes Lions when it was discovered that a Grand Prix winner doctored its entry. The investigation revealed that it used false testimonies, altered news footage, and—more importantly—AI-generated content. As a result, the awards and entries were withdrawn, and the entrant’s leadership stepped down in shame. (6)(7)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">No such thing happened this year because it served as a cautionary tale for the industry at large. In fact, among the attendees was Charlotte Scaddan, senior adviser on information integrity for UN Global Communications, whose talk centered around the threat of dis- and misinformation. Sadly, she said that the world is “insufficiently prepared.” (8)\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\u002Fpicture62-20260710054403-VpYgkJ1H.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>Data source:\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Funglobalriskreport.org\u002FUNHQ-GlobalRiskReport-WEB-FIN.pdf\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem> \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>United Nations Global Risk Report 2024\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;\">With AI making content creation easier, fake news and other forms of misinformation can spread as easily as helpful content. Coupled with content focusing more on saving time than on prioritizing consumer well-being, the risk of harm is real—not only to consumers but also to the business and its reputation. (9)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The consequences are worse for those in Your Money Your Life (YMYL) industries such as finance and healthcare. AI models are prone to hallucinations due to how they gather and process data, but you can’t afford to hallucinate when people’s well-being is at stake.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">And while you know better than to trust AI too quickly, what about everyone else?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">This is why we never, \u003Cem>ever \u003C\u002Fem>take whatever AI puts out at face value. Keynote speakers other than Scaddan agree that taking action doesn’t necessarily involve giving up AI. Instead, it should be paired with other solutions like:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Promoting transparency in every facet of the business\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Ensuring easier access to evidence-based information\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Saying no to addictive content design (e.g., doomscrolling)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Placing safeguards to protect people from algorithmic harm\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Building digital spaces that promote genuine content\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>TL;DR: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Don’t be like the guy who impersonates a VIP using deepfake or generates fictional court cases using AI. Use the technology responsibly by ensuring you remain in control of what comes out. Above all else, stay true to the facts.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cbr>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">References:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">1.  “Havas unveils new proprietary research ‘The Science of Desire’, redefining growth in the age of AI,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.havas.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2026\u002F06\u002Feng_cannes_2026_pr.pdf\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.havas.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2026\u002F06\u002Feng_cannes_2026_pr.pdf\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">2.  “Final winners announced for Glass: The Lion for Change, Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, Film Lions, Sustainable Development Goals Lions and Grand Prix for Good,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canneslions.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffinal-winners-announced-for-2026\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canneslions.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffinal-winners-announced-for-2026\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">3.  “Anthropic got an 11% user boost from its OpenAI-bashing Super Bowl ad, data shows,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2026\u002F02\u002F13\u002Fanthropic-open-ai-super-bowl-ads.html\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2026\u002F02\u002F13\u002Fanthropic-open-ai-super-bowl-ads.html\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">4.  “The real signals from Cannes Lions 2026,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mckinsey.com\u002Fcapabilities\u002Fgrowth-marketing-and-sales\u002Four-insights\u002Fnext-in-growth\u002Fthe-real-signals-from-cannes-lions-2026\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mckinsey.com\u002Fcapabilities\u002Fgrowth-marketing-and-sales\u002Four-insights\u002Fnext-in-growth\u002Fthe-real-signals-from-cannes-lions-2026\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">5.  “Cannes Lions 2026: It Was Hot. The Creator Economy Was Hotter.,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fjamiegutfreund\u002F2026\u002F06\u002F28\u002Fcannes-lions-2026-it-was-hot-the-creator-economy-was-hotter\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fjamiegutfreund\u002F2026\u002F06\u002F28\u002Fcannes-lions-2026-it-was-hot-the-creator-economy-was-hotter\u002F\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">6.  “Cannes Lions Statement DM9 entries into Cannes Lions 2025,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canneslions.com\u002Fnews\u002Fcannes-lions-statement-dm9-entries-into-cannes-lions-2025\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canneslions.com\u002Fnews\u002Fcannes-lions-statement-dm9-entries-into-cannes-lions-2025\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">7.  “DM9's Icaro Doria Departs Following Cannes Lions Controversy,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.adweek.com\u002Fagencies\u002Fdm9s-icaro-doria-departs-following-cannes-lions-controversy\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.adweek.com\u002Fagencies\u002Fdm9s-icaro-doria-departs-following-cannes-lions-controversy\u002F\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">8.  “Cannes Lions Takeaways: From AI and Creators to Misinformation and Cool Cabanas,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fbusiness\u002Fbusiness-news\u002Fcannes-lions-2026-takeaways-ai-creators-misinformation-1236626784\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com\u002Fbusiness\u002Fbusiness-news\u002Fcannes-lions-2026-takeaways-ai-creators-misinformation-1236626784\u002F\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">9.  “Conscious Advertising Network Calls for a Reset on AI, Social Media and the Addiction Economy at Cannes Lions,” Source: \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Froastbrief.us\u002Fconscious-advertising-network-calls-for-a-reset-on-ai-social-media-and-the-addiction-economy-at-cannes-lions\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\">https:\u002F\u002Froastbrief.us\u002Fconscious-advertising-network-calls-for-a-reset-on-ai-social-media-and-the-addiction-economy-at-cannes-lions\u002F\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>","AI may seem like the norm today, but there's also been much pushback from people who've grown tired of it. The recently concluded Cannes Lions made this clear, among other things.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fstocksnap-blogging-2620148-1280-20260710050119-MJgGH6LZ.webp","AI may be the future, but AI content is not. A growing number of consumers now want human experiences back on the menu.",1501,"2026-07-10T13:46:00.000000Z","2026-07-10T05:46:21.000000Z",{"id":35,"name":46,"email":47,"about":48,"avatar":49,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50,"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",[52,56,61,65,71,77],{"id":53,"name":54,"slug":17,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":55},1,"Blogs",{"blog_id":34,"category_id":53},{"id":57,"name":58,"slug":59,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":60},2,"Digital Marketing","digital-marketing",{"blog_id":34,"category_id":57},{"id":35,"name":62,"slug":63,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":64},"SEO","seo",{"blog_id":34,"category_id":35},{"id":66,"name":67,"slug":68,"created_at":69,"updated_at":69,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":70},15,"Industry News","industry-news","2026-02-10T11:18:29.000000Z",{"blog_id":34,"category_id":66},{"id":72,"name":73,"slug":74,"created_at":75,"updated_at":75,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":76},21,"Advertising","advertising","2026-03-10T11:18:29.000000Z",{"blog_id":34,"category_id":72},{"id":78,"name":79,"slug":80,"created_at":75,"updated_at":75,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":81},23,"AI","ai",{"blog_id":34,"category_id":78},{"id":83,"author_id":8,"title":84,"slug":85,"content":86,"short_summary":87,"featured_image":88,"status":14,"meta_title":84,"meta_description":89,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":90,"word_count":91,"published_at":92,"created_at":93,"updated_at":94,"deleted_at":16,"author":95,"categories":96},384,"Google Is Putting More Links Back Into AI Answers","google-more-links-ai-answers","\u003Ch1>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google Is Putting More Links Back Into AI Answers\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For the past year, the loudest worry about AI search has been that it keeps people from ever leaving Google. The AI writes the answer, the user reads it, nobody clicks. Google’s own numbers say total traffic is stable, but plenty of publishers see it differently. So it’s notable that Google spent the spring adding links back in. It rolled out five new ways for AI Mode and AI Overviews to send people out to the web, and for anyone whose visibility depends on getting clicked, they open a few new doors.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">What Google added\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The updates, announced by Google’s search team in early May, all aim at the same thing, putting more useful links in front of people inside AI answers. Two of them are about digging deeper. At the end of many AI responses, you’ll now see a set of suggested articles for where to go next, pointing to in-depth pieces on different angles of your topic. And within the answer itself, links now show up next to the specific points they relate to, so a bullet about the terrain on a bike route can carry a link to a proper touring guide right beside it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The other three are about knowing who you’re about to click. AI answers now pull in firsthand perspectives from forums, social posts, and public discussions, and they name the source, the person’s handle or the community it came from, so a tip on photographing the northern lights arrives tagged with the forum it’s from. Links to publications you subscribe to get a Subscribed label, so your own paid sources stand out. And on desktop, hovering over a link now shows a quick preview of the page, the site name and title, so you know where you’re headed before you commit the click. Google says it’s leaning on query fan-out behind all of this, fanning a single search into many to find the most relevant sites.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Good news, with a catch\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For publishers and brands, more links in AI answers is good news on its face. More surfaces to appear on, more paths back to your site, more chances to be the source someone actually visits. It also reads as Google responding to the criticism it’s been fielding all year, that AI Overviews answer the question and strand the websites underneath.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Two caveats belong with the optimism, though. These are still rolling out and, in Google’s words, being tested and refined, so their reach today isn’t the reach they’ll have in six months. And nobody outside Google knows yet whether more link real estate actually translates into meaningfully more clicks. Even Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land, who covers this closely, framed it as an open question of whether the changes go far enough. So it’s a move in the right direction for the open web, not a solved problem.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">How to be the link it shows\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Strip the features down and each one rewards something you can’t fake, which is where the work comes in. The suggested-articles slot goes to real depth. Google is explicitly linking to in-depth analyses and unique angles, which is the opposite of the thin, me-too content AI can already summarize on its own. If you want to be the where to go next link, you need the piece that actually goes further.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The firsthand-perspective slot rewards being present, and credibly, in real communities. Google is surfacing forum posts and discussions with the community named, so showing up as a trusted voice where your audience actually talks is now a direct path into AI answers. It comes from earned presence, the same thing \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);\"> and real community engagement build, and it can’t be spun up overnight. The inline links reward specificity, content that cleanly answers a narrow point rather than circling a broad one. The hover preview rewards being recognizable, since a clear page title and a site people know make the difference between a hover and a click.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">None of that is a new playbook. It’s the familiar one, aimed at new slots. Depth, a real presence in your space, clarity, and the kind of authority that earns \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);\">links from credible sites\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> are what put you in these placements, the same way they’ve always decided who ranks.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">What the move really signals\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The bigger takeaway isn’t really about five features. Google is signaling that it wants AI answers to point outward, to send people to the sources and voices behind the summary. Whether that fully offsets the clicks AI absorbs is still an open question. But the sites positioned to win the new links are the ones that were already doing the durable work, going deep, showing up where it counts, and earning the trust that makes Google want to point at them in the first place.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google rolled out five new ways for AI Mode and AI Overviews to link out to the web, from suggested articles to firsthand advice and inline source links. It opens more citation opportunities, though the traffic effect is unproven. Earning those links rewards depth, firsthand presence, and authority.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fmore-links-ai-nobs-20260710061625-nyg7hNan.webp","Google added five new ways for AI Mode and AI Overviews to link out to the web. What each one surfaces, and how to be the source it sends people to.",false,797,"2026-07-10T06:00:43.000000Z","2026-07-10T06:02:03.000000Z","2026-07-10T06:16:33.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":16,"avatar":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},[97],{"id":35,"name":62,"slug":63,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":98},{"blog_id":83,"category_id":35},{"id":100,"author_id":8,"title":101,"slug":102,"content":103,"short_summary":104,"featured_image":105,"status":14,"meta_title":101,"meta_description":106,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":107,"published_at":108,"created_at":109,"updated_at":110,"deleted_at":16,"author":111,"categories":112},382,"Ranking Yourself #1 Now Works Against You","self-promotional-listicles-backfire","\u003Ch1>Ranking Yourself #1 Now Works Against You\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>For a couple of years, one content tactic delivered like almost nothing else. You write a blog post titled something like best CRM software, rank your own product at number one, and watch it pull traffic in search and citations in AI answers. It worked so well that companies stopped writing one and started writing hundreds. Then, sometime around late January, it started to turn on the people using it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>The tactic that curdled\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>The first sign showed up in organic search. A couple of weeks after December’s core update wrapped, Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable flagged a wave of ranking volatility that Google never confirmed as an update. Lily Ray, VP of SEO and AI Search at the agency Amsive, went digging through the sites that got hit and found a pattern too clean to ignore. Around January 20, dozens of sites that had published self-promotional listicles at scale, some with hundreds or thousands of articles naming their own brand the best, started losing visibility fast. The declines often began in the blog or guide folders where those articles lived, then bled across the whole domain. They got worse during May’s core update.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Two things are important to keep straight here, though. Google didn’t ban listicles, and it didn’t announce any of this. Ray and other analysts read the pattern as Google’s reviews systems getting stricter about self-serving content produced at scale, not a switch someone flipped. And self-promotional listicles were rarely the only problem on these sites. Most were also mass-producing AI-generated pages, comparison and alternative pages for every competitor, and swapping last year’s dates for this year’s with no real updates. The listicles were the clearest tell, not the whole disease.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>When your list recommends your rivals\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>The sharper finding came from AI Overviews. Ray ran 100 B2B best-software queries through Google’s AI Overviews at three points between April and June, pulling the actual answers and the sources each one cited. What she found is the kind of thing that should make any brand rethink the tactic. When a company’s own best listicle was cited in the answer, that company was left out of the actual recommendation 69% of the time.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>Think about what that means. Google reads your article, uses it to build the answer, and then recommends someone else. Often it recommends the very competitors you named in your own list. The logic is almost fair. You can’t say much of value by calling yourself the best, but the moment you name a rival as a strong option, you’ve handed Google a signal it can trust, because you had no reason to flatter them. So a listicle built to promote you ends up doing free promotion for the companies you were trying to beat. You paid to write the ad, and it sells the other guy.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>Google trusts the outside voice\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>None of this is Google picking on brands for sport. It reflects where AI answers are pulling their information from now. For best queries, Ray found Google leaning heavily on third-party and user-generated sources, with Reddit citations climbing sharply and sites like Forbes Advisor and YouTube among the most-cited for these searches. Real opinions from people with no stake in the sale carry more weight than a company’s verdict on itself.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>There’s a reason this pattern makes sense. A brand ranking itself first is closer to an advertisement than a review, and Google’s own guidance on high-quality reviews asks for first-hand testing, evidence, and a real methodology. Almost none of these self-promotional listicles could clear that bar, because the companies writing them had rarely used, let alone tested, the competitors they were ranking. The AI systems are getting better at telling a real assessment from a sales pitch, and they’re routing trust toward the sources that read as impartial.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>The mention you can’t write yourself\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>So where does that leave a brand that wants to show up when someone asks for the best in its category? Not by handing itself the trophy. The path that survives all of this is the one that was always more durable anyway, earning a place in lists other people write. When an independent publication, a respected reviewer, or a real customer names you among the best, that carries the exact credibility your own listicle can’t manufacture, and it’s the kind of mention Google and its AI systems are increasingly built to reward. Earning that kind of mention is the whole point of \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> and editorial coverage, getting other credible voices to vouch for you instead of vouching for yourself.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>The self-promotional listicle isn’t dead, exactly. It still gets cited, it still shows up. But the returns have flipped from asset to liability for anyone running it at scale, and in the answers that increasingly decide who gets found, calling yourself the best is now an invitation for Google to recommend someone else.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Self-promotional best-of listicles, where a brand ranks itself number one, have turned into a liability. Google demoted sites that scaled them starting in January, and Lily Ray’s research shows AI Overviews often cite a brand’s own listicle while recommending its competitors. Earned third-party coverage is the durable path.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Flisticles-backfire-nobs-1-20260709143914-SJbhhlmX.webp","Google demoted sites that scaled self-promotional best-of listicles, and in AI Overviews, citing your own list often recommends your rivals instead.",810,"2026-07-09T14:21:26.000000Z","2026-07-09T14:22:14.000000Z","2026-07-09T14:39:21.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":16,"avatar":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},[113],{"id":35,"name":62,"slug":63,"created_at":50,"updated_at":50,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":114},{"blog_id":100,"category_id":35}]