Has Google demoted listicles?

Aren’t listicles dead?

Brands person been penning self-serving listicles arsenic a classical SEO play for years, and galore person ramped up accumulation astatine the commencement of AI Search owed to their outsized power connected citations. But complete the past 12 months, we’ve seen increasing grounds that the maneuver of editorial “best of” aliases roundup pages has tally its course.

Lots of awesome investigation complete the past 12 months from experts for illustration Lily Ray, Nick Haigler, and Glen Allsopp has shown that:

• Listicles are the most-cited page type successful ChatGPT answers astatine 43.8% of 26,283 root URLs, including lists wherever brands rank themselves first.
• Google began demoting sites built connected self-serving listicles successful January 2026, pinch respective SaaS brands losing 29 to 49% of integrated visibility wrong weeks.
• ChatGPT trim listicle citations by 30% from December 2025 to January 2026, pinch Wikipedia and Reddit absorbing the mislaid share.

And yet, whenever I still usage Google (which is not that often anymore), I still brushwood listicles each the time. So, what gives? A fewer questions came up for me:

• How often are listicles still present?
• Can we spot a demotion of self-serving listicles?
• What are the characteristics of a listicle that consistently execute well?
• Should companies constitute listicles astatine all?

I group retired to find the answers to those questions pinch a ample information pull: I analyzed 60,000 US-English desktop Google queries crossed 15 verticals utilizing SE Ranking. The dataset contains 5.32 cardinal organic-result rows collected during a 47-hour model successful August. 

I’ll divided the findings into 2 Memos: Memo 1 (this one) answers questions 1 and 2. Memo 2 (next week) will reply 3 and 4, truthful enactment tuned.

Definition of a listicle

A batch of disorder comes from not utilizing the terminology correctly (tell maine you’re a nerd without telling maine you’re a nerd).

The connection listicle is simply a operation of article and list. Or, successful different words, a listicle is an article wherever the database is the content. The assemblage consists of discrete, same-type items (tools, ideas, examples, options) that are comparable to 1 another. Each point gets a self-contained curen (usually its ain heading). And the title promises a bounded set, pinch aliases without a number.

A step-by-step tutorial (“How to group up Asana”) is sequential, not a listicle, because point 3 depends connected point 2. Listicle items tin beryllium reordered without breaking the logic.

A fewer examples of listicles:

• https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/best/cash-back
• https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html
• https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/trading-investing/five-investing-ideas
• https://www.salesforce.com/small-business/types-of-businesses/
• https://travel.usnews.com/hotels/best-all-inclusive-resorts-in-usa/
• https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/at-home-workouts

Listicles tin travel from different types of companies pinch varying incentives: affiliates for illustration NerdWallet, publishers for illustration U.S. News, aliases brands for illustration Salesforce.

• Website proprietor type: brand, publisher, retailer, platform, nonprofit, aliases community.
• Incentive: self-promotional, affiliate-supported, independent, aliases unclear.

Methodology

60,000 US-English desktop Google queries were analyzed crossed 15 verticals utilizing SE Ranking data. 

This dataset contains 5.32 cardinal organic-result rows from a 47-hour model successful August 2026.

Queries were stratified by vertical, query wording, and query length, past weighted to the intended sample mix.

• Duplicate records and successful-but-empty SERPs were excluded.
• A nested 20,000-query subset captured further search-result features, including AI Overviews, video, images, People Also Ask, Reddit, and YouTube.

Each consequence was automatically classified arsenic a listicle aliases not utilizing its title, snippet, URL, and website type. The classification separated numbered database articles from unnumbered editorial roundups and excluded merchandise grids, directories, forums, video pages, single-item reviews, and step-by-step guides.

The information pipeline was checked for completeness, copy queries, and rank integrity. I besides manually reviewed website ownership and conducted a unsighted value reappraisal of 30 pages. The first classifier aviator achieved 100% precision and callback connected 30 queries, but an untouched accumulation holdout remains the last validation step.

The study is observational and reflects 1 crawl wave. It identifies associations betwixt query wording, listicle presence, and ranking, not causal effects.

Has Google demoted listicles?

The results from this dataset do not show a cosmopolitan punishment for listicles. At slightest 1 listicle appeared successful the apical 10 for 55.1% of queries and successful the apical 3 for 32.3%.

85.9% of hunt results pages contained astatine slightest 1 title pinch a wide database cue: a one-to-three-digit number aliases a connection specified arsenic “best,” “top,” “ways,” “ideas,” “examples,” “alternatives,” “tips,” “tools,” “apps,” aliases “options.”

However, stronger classification shows a confirmed listicle connected 55.1% of hunt results pages. In different words, half of hunt results incorporate existent listicles.

The query itself is the biggest facet deciding whether Google shows a listicle aliases not. Google shows 4.5x much listicles erstwhile users inquire for a group of options.

• When a query explicitly asks for ideas, examples, options, aliases the champion items, listicles predominate the apical results. 
• When the petition for aggregate options is only implied successful a query, the listicle advantage mostly disappears.
• The top-three complaint roseate to 54.5% for explicit-list queries compared pinch 10.2% for implicit class aliases comparison queries.
• The complaint of listicle quality was 12.1% for the comparison group of informational queries that did not inquire for a list.

However, 1 suggestive hint that Google is demoting (self-serving) listicles is that almost half of them travel from publishers instead of known brands/vendors.

Publishers besides won 54.0% of 4,026 nonstop matchups against a marque aliases vendor listicle connected the aforesaid hunt results page. When examining the apical 5 results successful the SERP, the patient averaged position 4.24 successful those matchups, compared pinch 4.71 for the marque aliases vendor.

• Publishing and contented platforms had the strongest conditional rank astatine 3.76 erstwhile 1 of their listicles appeared successful the apical 10.
• Publishers averaged 3.99, government, academic, and nonprofit sites averaged 4.48, and brands aliases vendors averaged 4.65.

The 5,765 domains that supplied top-10 listicle leaders constituent to a wide marketplace pinch a agelong tail:

• The apical 10 domains accounted for 18.3%, and the apical 50 accounted for 36.5%.
• The remaining 5,715 domains accounted for 63.5%.

What astir self-promoting listicles?

Self-promoting listicles travel from brands (software companies, banks, work providers, etc.) that put themselves first successful their lists to power AI answers. A classical illustration is to constitute astir the “x champion [insert category]” and database yourself astatine the top. By the way, sometimes you tin power “objective” listicles (from affiliates aliases publishers) by paying for it, but Google cannot observe that since those transactions hap down closed doors.

So now that we cognize that location is simply a quality betwixt publishers who create listicles for products vs. self-serving listicles that travel from brands, the mobility is whether the second has seen a demotion since brands spell bonkers pinch it?

We cognize from Lily Ray’s analyses that the unannounced mid-January Google update impacts listicles. I’ve observed the same, anecdotally. We besides cognize from Peec that location doesn’t look to beryllium a demotion for self-promoting listicles successful citations crossed ChatGPT, Google AI, Perplexity, Copilot, Gemini, and AI Overviews.

In this study, I compared a fixed subset of 2,400 queries and 24,000 hunt results betwixt January and August. The results: The hunt results changed substantially. Only 52.5% of queries had the aforesaid nonstop URL astatine position 1 successful some periods, and only 58.3% had the aforesaid domain. At position one, the blimpish listicle scope fell from 18.9% to 20.2% successful January to 15.1% to 15.6% successful August. Across the apical three, the January scope was 35.9% to 39.0%, compared pinch 32.0% to 33.0% successful August.

That is the listicle punishment we’ve seen anecdotally. But I cannot trace it backmost to self-promoting listicles specifically. As a matter of fact, 62% of vendor-authored listicles gained estimated integrated postulation since January, and the median page gained 38%.

Results disagree by vertical

Listicle occurrence successful the integrated apical 10 ranged from 42.0% successful intermezo and gaming to 67.2% successful beauty and fashion. B2B package reached 62.5%, while recreation reached 49.3%.

Brand aliases vendor listicles varied moreover more. They appeared successful the apical 10 connected 46.2% of B2B package hunt results pages, compared pinch 3.3% successful nutrient and 6.2% successful travel.

That, to me, is symptomatic of really B2B companies usage listicles to “optimize” for AI Search, which is simply a overmuch smaller lever for consumer-oriented verticals. After all, I’d reason it’s mostly B2B brands utilizing listicles for AI Search optimization. However, it besides shows that listicles are by nary intends dead.

Listicles lick for intent but look reliable competition

Demotion aliases not, the reality is that listicles look dense title for attention. 92% of SERPs pinch a top-10 listicle besides contained Reddit aliases YouTube location connected the page. Both platforms appeared together connected 53% of those SERPs.

The applicable consequence is that a page tin suffer attraction (think: clicks) without losing its position among modular unpaid results. Listicle-related keywords look to transportation precocious purchaser intent, but don’t expect a flood of conversions amid AI Overviews, Reddit, and YouTube. The mean stock of AI Overviews crossed each verticals was 83.7% to 93.4% successful B2B, wherever listicles look most!

Reddit and YouTube inhabit different positions successful the integrated results.

• Reddit placed successful the apical 3 connected 70.7% of the hunt results pages wherever it appeared successful the apical 10. YouTube did truthful connected 11.1%.
• When Reddit appeared successful the apical 10, its champion consequence averaged position 3.31 and had a median position of 2. YouTube averaged position 6.62 and had a median position of 7.
• Reddit and YouTube tin look arsenic mean links, embedded consequence boxes, and sources successful Google’s AI-generated reply for the aforesaid query.
• Reddit classed supra YouTube connected 84.5% of the 19,729 hunt results pages wherever some appeared successful the apical 10. The Reddit advantage reached 90.4% connected definitive database queries and fell to 69.9% connected implicit class aliases comparison queries.
• YouTube gains much scope extracurricular mean integrated results. In the 20K-query precocious panel, video boxes and AI Overview citations added 20.7 percent points of YouTube scope beyond hunt results pages wherever YouTube already classed successful the integrated apical 10. The aforesaid summation for Reddit was 2.1 percent points.

The level shape besides changes by vertical.

• Reddit had greater integrated top-10 beingness than YouTube successful 11 of 15 verticals. Its largest advantages appeared successful recreation (+40.6 percent points), acquisition and careers (+22.8), finance (+21.9), family and pets (+21.1), and automotive (+19.6).
• YouTube led successful 4 verticals: nutrient (+40.8 percent points), wellness (+19.1), location and DIY (+15.1), and beauty and manner (+6.1).
• Reddit’s integrated top-10 beingness peaked astatine 77.1% successful automotive and fell to 25.7% successful health.
• YouTube peaked astatine 78.1% successful nutrient and fell to 29.7% successful travel.

The shape suggests different level roles. Reddit is stronger successful investigation and comparison-oriented categories, while YouTube is stronger wherever ocular demonstration, inspiration, aliases instruction matters.

So, are listicles dead?

Has Google demoted listicles? Yes, successful a very targeted way. We spot almost 4% less listicles successful position 1 and the apical 3. And yet, they stay very coming successful Google’s hunt results. Listicles that are performing good successful August person moreover gained postulation since January. So, Google has systematically and cautiously weeded retired definite listicles.

My return is that the fierce usage of AI to create (poor) listicles has led to a flood that Google targeted pinch the concealed mid-January update. Quality and velocity look to beryllium markers successful Google’s latest spam algorithm updates.

That said, and this is the bigger rumor here: Even wherever listicles execute well, the click opportunity shrinks. 92% of listicle SERPs transportation Reddit aliases YouTube results; 93.4% of listicle-related B2B query results person AI Overviews.

Look, I person my ain civilized judgments astir self-promoting listicles. There’s a grade of cringe to it. There is besides a grade of business effect to it, though we don’t cognize really much. So, the measurement I reconcile the 2 is by seeking grounds for putting yourself first. For example, tin your G2 grid position aliases reviews support that “you’re the best”?

Next week, we’ll dive heavy into my observations connected what well-performing listicles do amended than others, and whether it’s still worthy creating listicles.

This station first appeared connected the author’s website and is republished present pinch permission.