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A listicle, such as “the 10 best CRMs for small businesses,” is an article in list form. AI tools cite this format a lot when someone asks for recommendations before buying. That’s why many brands publish self-promotional listicles, where they rank themselves first. In 2026, however, studies showed Google’s AI leaving these brands out of many recommendations.
In short
- In an Ahrefs study of 750 ChatGPT prompts, “best X” listicles on blogs made up 43.8% of the pages cited.
- But in a B2B software study, when Google’s AI cited a self-promotional listicle, it left the publishing brand out of the recommendation 83% of the time.
- Google asks that when a list calls something the best, it explains why, with first-hand evidence.
- A paid spot in a third-party listicle needs an advertising disclosure and, if it has a link, the sponsored or nofollow attribute.
What is a listicle, and why does AI cite “best X” lists?
A listicle breaks an article into items, each with its own explanation. The name blends two words: list and article. AI tools cite this format a lot for buying questions, because a “best X” list brings options, criteria and comparisons together on one page.
Ahrefs analyzed ChatGPT’s answers to 750 prompts, like “best CRM software for enterprise,” in three categories: software, products and agencies. Among the sources cited, “best X” listicles on blogs made up 43.8% of the pages. Ahrefs, however, sells SEO tools and AI brand monitoring.
Not every listicle earns the same trust, because the publisher changes how readers see the list.
| Type of listicle | Who publishes it | What builds trust |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | A media outlet or blog with no ties to the brands | Its own criteria and tests |
| Affiliate | A site that earns a commission on sales | Disclosure of the commission |
| Self-promotional | The brand itself, which ranks itself #1 | Disclosure of the tie and a clear method |
Before it answers, ChatGPT often searches the web. See how ChatGPT chooses the sites it cites. Likewise, the formats AI cites at each stage of a purchase are in the guide to content marketing in the age of AI.
Do self-promotional listicles work, or are they a risk?
Self-promotional listicles worked until 2025 and can still earn a citation, but they have become a risk. In 2026, Google’s AI cited the brand’s list and recommended other companies in most of the cases measured. At the same time, sites with many self-promotional listicles lost organic visibility. So the payoff tends to go to brands that other sites already recommend.
In December 2025, Ahrefs still saw an advantage. When ChatGPT recommended a software product, the company’s own list showed up among the sources in 34% of the answers. In addition, Ahrefs looked at 250 English-language “best X software” searches on Google. For 169 of them, the results had a list where the company that wrote it ranked itself #1. That’s why the study recommended that agencies and software companies publish these lists.
What changed for self-promotional listicles in 2026
The signals changed in 2026, according to SEO consultant Lily Ray. In January, dozens of sites lost organic traffic on Google, and she analyzed more than 40 of them. Many had hundreds of self-promotional listicles that called their own brand the best, along with mass-produced AI content. Google, however, didn’t confirm a specific update.
Next, she measured what happened in AI Overviews, the AI summary in Google Search. Between April and June, she tracked 100 English-language “best [category] software” searches in B2B categories. Across those searches, the AI cited 323 self-promotional listicles. Yet in 69% of those cases, it left the publishing brand out of the recommendation. Her new measurement from September showed that share rising to 83%, while the AI cited 38% fewer self-promotional listicles than in June.
“A self-serving listicle can earn you a citation, but in many cases, it can backfire.”
Lily Ray, SEO and AI search consultant (2026)
The analysis is small, covers only English-language searches and comes from a consultant who sells SEO services. Still, it points to a risk that a brand misses when it only counts citations.
Why a self-promotional listicle can help competitors
In Lily Ray’s view, Google seems to have separated what it cites from who it recommends. In other words, the page can become a source, but the recommendation depends on how much other sites talk about the brand. Imagine, for example, a fictional clinic software company that publishes a listicle of “the 8 best systems” and ranks itself #1. On the list, three industry leaders come right after it. If the web talks about them far more, AI may use the page as a source and recommend only the leaders.
Another study shows a similar pattern. BuzzStream, which sells public relations software, analyzed 12,000 answers from four AI engines from Google and OpenAI. In category questions, such as “Best project management tools,” the brand’s site often became a source without the brand’s name in the answer. That happened in almost two-thirds of cases. However, the study doesn’t say which pages became sources or which country the questions came from.
What criteria make a listicle trustworthy?
A trustworthy listicle says who publishes it and what ties it to the brands on the list. It also explains the criteria before the first item and backs each position with its own evidence. In addition, it shows who each option is for, even when a competitor wins.
After all, for Google, a ranked list of recommendations is a type of review, and its reviews system applies to Portuguese, among other languages. Google’s guide to writing reviews asks that when you call something the best, you say why, with first-hand evidence. Likewise, it recommends discussing benefits and drawbacks and linking to useful resources, including other sites. Finally, Google’s page on helpful content covers the “How” of content. With reviews, readers trust you more when they know how many products you tested, how you tested them and what you found.
What to check before you publish a self-promotional list
- Ties: say right at the start that the list belongs to the brand and that the brand is among the options.
- Criteria: price, customer profile, features and support, with the weight of each one.
- Method: how many options you evaluated, how you tested them and over what period.
- Evidence: screenshots, measurements or usage data for each item, not just the vendor’s description.
- Best for whom: the profile where each option wins, including competitors.
- Links: the official page of each option, so readers can check it.
- Date: when you last reviewed the list and what changed.
At Ahrefs, for example, comparison posts make up less than 0.5% of the blog. The company says it doesn’t always put itself first, makes it clear when it’s recommending itself and links to the alternatives. When a buyer is already choosing between two brands, however, a competitor comparison page works better than a list.
How do you get into third-party “best X” listicles?
Find out which listicles AI cites for questions in your category. Then bring the authors data they can check, such as pricing, case studies and trial access. At the same time, earn mentions through your product, original research and customers. A paid spot only makes sense with an ad disclosure and a sponsored link.
Third-party listicles tend to carry more weight. The Wix AI Search Lab looked at the 1,000 pages that three AI tools cited most in professional services. Among them, third-party lists got 80.9% of list citations, while self-promotional listicles got 19.1%. The author works at Peec AI, which sells AI brand monitoring. In the BuzzStream study, meanwhile, only 7.2% of brand mentions in category questions came with the brand’s own site cited.
Position matters too. In the Ahrefs study, brands placed higher on third-party lists showed up more often in ChatGPT’s recommendations. But that’s a correlation, not causation.
In practice, the path has five steps:
- Map: run the “best X” questions in your category and note the listicles AI cites.
- Compare: read each list’s criteria and see what your brand is missing.
- Offer proof: send the author pricing, case studies and trial access, so they can evaluate it on their own.
- Keep your profiles current: update your listings on your industry’s review sites, since AI cites them too.
- Give them a reason to mention you: publish original data, product news and awards.
A B2B content marketing plan produces the case studies and data these authors ask for.
Is it worth paying to get on the list?
Paying for an undisclosed spot in a third-party listicle brings risk and little return. Google’s spam policies include trying to manipulate generative AI responses and paying for links or posts with links. A paid link only stays within the rules with the rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" attribute. In addition, Google’s guide to generative AI features says that seeking inauthentic mentions is less useful than it may seem.
In Brazil, Article 30 of the CONAR Code, the advertising self-regulation code, requires paid pieces to stand apart from editorial content. Likewise, Article 36 of Brazil’s Consumer Defense Code requires advertising that consumers can identify easily and right away. Beyond the risk, paid content barely shows up among the sources AI cites most.
How often should you update a listicle?
Review the listicle whenever the market changes and at least once a quarter. Check prices and plans every month. Show the date of the last review at the top and say what changed. After all, Google lists changing the date without a real update among the signs of content made for search engines first.
The lists AI uses tend to be recent. In the Ahrefs study, 79.1% of 1,100 listicles that ChatGPT used as sources had a publication or update date in 2025. Also, 26% came from the two months before the study, which came out in December 2025.
| What to review | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Prices and plans | Every month | An old price misleads buyers |
| Order and criteria | Every quarter | Markets change leaders |
| A new option or one that shut down | The same week | The list becomes incomplete |
How do you know if your self-promotional listicle helps you or a competitor?
Separate citations from recommendations. With a fixed list of “best X” questions, note every month whether your listicle shows up as a source. Then check whether your brand makes the recommendation and which competitors take its place. In other words, a cited list without your brand in the recommendation is helping your competitors.
Run each question more than once, from Brazil and in Portuguese, because the answer changes with every run. The full protocol is in the guide to measure brand mentions and citations in AI.
If your brand only shows up as a source, strengthen the pages that describe what it sells. In the Ahrefs study’s agency prompts, a recommended agency’s service page appeared among the sources in 30.4% of answers. The agency’s own list, on the other hand, appeared in 17.2%. According to Ahrefs, the simplest explanation is that companies have far more service pages than lists of their own. Still, the product or service page is the one that shows up most, so it deserves more care than the list.
What we found when we analyzed 6 pages in Portuguese about listicles
We analyzed the 6 Portuguese-language pages that showed up most in our searches for “o que é listicle” (what is a listicle) and variations. Only two, however, have data on listicles and other content in AI answers. Just one discusses the list where a brand ranks itself first, and only in one sentence.
None of them cites Google’s guidance on reviews. Likewise, none has data on AI citing a list and recommending another brand, and none covers the rules for paid spots.
Want to know how your brand shows up in AI answers today?
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Main sources
- Ahrefs, study of 26,283 sources ChatGPT cited for “best X” prompts (2025).
- Lily Ray, self-promotional listicles in AI Overviews (2026).
- Lily Ray, the September measurement and signs of a new Google update (2026).
- BuzzStream, study of brand mentions and citations in AI answers (2026).
- Wix AI Search Lab, the content types most cited by LLMs (2026).
- Google Search Central, how to write high quality reviews (2025).
- Google Search Central, creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (2026).
- Google Search Central, spam policies for Google web search (2026).
