Research shows Google deprioritising “best of” list articles

Luke Meredith

Google may be changing the way it ranks certain “best of” articles, especially those that push a company’s own product to the top. The shift comes after big drops in search visibility for many software and business-to-business (B2B) brands following Google’s December 2025 core update.

Lily Ray, a search engine optimisation (SEO) expert at Amsive, noticed that several companies lost a large amount of search visibility in January. Many of these companies had filled their blogs with list style articles claiming their own product was the “best” in a category. Some even updated titles with “2026” to look fresh, even though the content barely changed.

In many cases, visibility fell by 30% to 50% in just a few weeks. The drops didn’t affect whole websites, only sections like blogs, guides and tutorials, where these listicles were common.

Google has long said that high quality reviews should show real testing, clear evidence and honest evaluation. However, many self-promotional listicles don’t do that. They often rank the company’s own product first without explaining why or showing proof. This makes them less trustworthy.

If Google is tightening its rules, websites that rely on these tactics may continue to lose visibility, not just in Google Search, but also in artificial intelligence (AI) tools that use Google’s results, including Google’s own Gemini and other platforms like ChatGPT.

Ray also pointed out that many affected sites used risky SEO tactics, such as publishing huge amounts of content quickly or making shallow yearly updates. These practices may have made the visibility drops even worse.

Search results are still unstable, and Google hasn’t confirmed any new updates in 2026. If this trend continues, content that offers real testing and independent reviews may rise, while self-promotional listicles could keep falling.

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Luke Meredith

Content Editor at Engage Web

At home in both the digital sector and the world of communications, Luke thrives on deadlines and has held roles in healthcare, retail and digital marketing, gaining a sound knowledge of a wide range of sectors. He’s a massive swot as well, holding a first-class degree in BA Communication and Media, and now uses his writing skills and keen editorial eye in his role as Content Editor here. Luke helps to oversee our clients’ content requirements, while also looking after a pool of freelance writers across three continents.