Google AI Overviews Favor Major News Outlets: Study

Google AI Overviews Show Bias Towards Major News Outlets

A new study by SE Ranking reveals that Google's AI Overviews disproportionately feature major news outlets. This bias significantly impacts the visibility of smaller publications in search results.

Major Publishers Dominate AI Overviews

Analyzing 75,550 AI Overview responses, the study found that only 20.85% cite any news source. Of those citations, the BBC, The New York Times, and CNN account for 31%. The top 12 outlets receive nearly 90% of all mentions, leaving smaller publishers struggling for the remaining 10%.

This concentration is evident even within specific keywords. The BBC, for example, appears 195 times more often than the Financial Times for the same search terms.

Google relies on well-known news sources in its AI Overviews, likely due to perceived trustworthiness and relevance. This creates a strong bias, hindering smaller outlets' visibility.

Authority Signals Over Search Ranking

The study found 40% of URLs cited in AI Overviews also appear in the top 10 traditional search results. This suggests Google's AI prioritizes authority and content quality over simple search ranking.

A Gini coefficient of 0.54 highlights the moderate but significant imbalance in citation distribution.

AI Overviews consistently favor high-profile domains rather than evenly citing all sources.

Paywalled Content and Attribution Concerns

The study also raises concerns about paywalled content. Of AI Overviews linking to paywalled content, 69% copied segments of five or more words. Attribution, however, is lacking, with only 15% of responses with long copied segments crediting the source.

Citation and Linking Patterns

While AI Overviews average 1.74 news citations per response, 91.35% appear in the links section, not the main text. Brand mentions are four times more likely to include a hyperlink, but over 26% appear without any link at all.

Query Type Influences Citations

News-related queries are 2.5 times more likely to include media citations than general queries (20.85% vs. 8.23%). This suggests opportunities for publishers specializing in specific news topics.

Strategies for Smaller Publishers

For smaller publishers, building authority in specific niches is crucial. SE Ranking recommends obtaining backlinks from sources already cited by AI Overviews for target keywords.

To increase brand mentions in AI Overviews, get backlinks from the sources they already cite for your target keywords. This is one of the greatest factors for improving your inclusion chances.

Proper website metadata, including schema.org markup and the "isAccessibleForFree" tag, also plays a significant role.

AI tools observe restrictions based on website metadata. The schema.org markup, particularly the ‘isAccessibleForFree’ tag, plays a significant role in how content is treated.

Looking Ahead

This research highlights the challenges smaller publishers face in gaining visibility in AI-driven search results. Focusing on niche authority and technical SEO best practices are key to competing in this evolving landscape.