Google's AI mode has caused self-quotes in Google Search to surge 8.4 times.
A study targeting Google Search's
Google AI Mode's shift to citing itself
https://www.tryprofound.com/blog/google-com-is-now-ai-mode-s-2-cited-domain
Profound, a company that uses AI for marketing, investigated which websites generated the 1.44 billion citations displayed in AI mode during Google searches conducted from April 15 to June 30, 2026.
The results showed an increase in views of 'google.com,' Google's business profile 'google.com/searchviewer/,' and the knowledge panel 'google.com/search?'. The increase was as much as 8.4 times in three months.
Regarding the changes, Profound points out that Google is prioritizing business profiles and knowledge panels, and is moving towards making them function as inline, interactive 'popup panels.'
They also explained that by positioning Google-hosted content as the primary landing page, the traditional click-through path from organic search that leads to a company's website homepage will be completely bypassed.
An analysis of over 32 million Google Business Profiles revealed that the impact of these changes was particularly significant in five sectors: Hospitality & Travel, Home Services, Restaurants & Food, Real Estate, and Healthcare.
Furthermore, when searching for product specifications, comparisons with other products, or compatibility, there is an increasing trend of knowledge panels being displayed instead of direct links to e-commerce sites. Profound points out that this offers a glimpse into the early stages of Google's new UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) and suggests a rapid evolution towards a fully autonomous, zero-click e-commerce interface.
Profound explains that even after Google's AI mode update, companies need to keep their profiles completely and accurately filled out, and actively manage their reputation by not ignoring written reviews and negative ratings, in order to maintain brand awareness and conversion rates.
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in AI, Web Service, Posted by logc_nt