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Over the past year, one of the most common tactics for gaining visibility in AI search has been for companies to publish “listicle” content on their own blogs - ranking the best companies or products in their niche and placing themselves in the #1 spot.

There are variations of this approach - the listicle might contain a list of the best companies, or it could also list the best products in a specific industry. The common thread is that the company publishing the blog post ranks themselves, and/or their own products, in the top position.

It has also become increasingly common for companies using this tactic to collaborate with others in the same industry, mutually promoting one another in their respective listicles - a modern twist on reciprocal linking : you mention me, and I’ll mention you.

Over the past year or two, these self-serving listicles have proven to be effective at influencing traditional search rankings - and, by extension, visibility within…