“Best” Listicle Posts Help Rank in ChatGPT & AI Search🚀

Описание: Over the past 15 years, I've published thousands of "Best X" listicles across trades, weddings, professional services and niche directory sites. They've always been strong performers in Google because people genuinely use them to compare suppliers and make buying decisions. What I didn't expect was that these listicles would become fuel for modern AI systems — especially ChatGPT — reshaping how businesses are recommended online.
A new Ahrefs study by Glen Allsopp, one of my favourite authors in the SEO world, analysed 26,000 sources across 750 search terms and discovered that 44% of all AI citations come from one content type: best-style listicles. Even more surprisingly, ChatGPT is now sending 8 times as much traffic as Perplexity. That means if your business isn't appearing in these list posts, or you're not creating them yourself, you're simply handing free visibility to your competitors.

Why "Best X" Listicles Are Powering ChatGPT Recommendations
For more than a decade, I've known that being mentioned in listicles helps you rank in Google. High-quality listicles naturally attract backlinks, time-on-page, dwell time and credibility. But in the AI era, something even more interesting is happening: ChatGPT treats listicles as trusted reference sources.
When ChatGPT searches for answers, it heavily draws on Bing's index. If it finds a well-structured "Top 10" or "Best X" comparison page — even on a site with low authority or barely any backlinks — it often cites that source as the basis for its recommendation. This is why you might see a brand-new domain with no real SEO history being recommended over your established site. ChatGPT doesn't care about traditional ranking factors the same way Google does. It cares about structure, recency and clarity.
This is also why many of my micro-sites, which are less than six months old and have almost no link profile, are suddenly being cited by ChatGPT for everything from split-system installations to pet services. If a page looks like a well-organised, fresh comparison list, ChatGPT treats it as gospel.

What the Ahrefs Study Reveals About AI Behaviour
The Ahrefs data confirms what I've been seeing across my network. Nearly half of AI citations come from best listicles, showing how heavily ChatGPT and other large models rely on aggregated, comparison-style content. The study also revealed that ChatGPT is delivering significantly more traffic than other AI platforms, which explains why so many business owners are suddenly asking, "Why is ChatGPT recommending my competitors instead of me?"
Another fascinating insight is that 35% of all cited listicles come from low-authority domains. This aligns perfectly with what I've seen across hundreds of my own niche directory sites. Authority doesn't matter right now. What matters is whether the page is fresh, structured as a comparison, and easy for AI systems to extract.
The study also showed that 79% of cited listicles had been published or updated recently. Freshness is a massive factor. The moment you refresh a listicle — even slightly — you give AI systems a reason to revisit it. This is why I update my lists continuously with new images, recent events, weather references, or anything topical that keeps the content current. AI systems reward recency far more aggressively than Google ever did.

The Shift From Google SEO to AI Recommendation Engines
When AI became mainstream, something strange happened. Many listicles that previously ranked well in Google saw their organic traffic decline because AI tools prefer to recommend direct sources. They don't want to point users to another website that points to more websites. Instead, they want to shortcut the process by analysing the comparison list and then recommending the individual businesses directly.
Ironically, while these listicles lost some Google traffic, ChatGPT started citing them more frequently. So even if Google won't send visitors to your directory-style post anymore, ChatGPT might use that exact post to decide which businesses to recommend. It also takes things a step further by linking users to a business's landing page rather than the listicle itself. This means a well-crafted "Best X" guide can send bottom-of-funnel traffic straight to your sales pages.

Real Examples From My Own Directories and Client Network
In the wedding space, which is highly competitive in Melbourne and Sydney, I run several directory-style sites for photographers, venues and videographers. These sites are natural homes for listicles. Because I keep every post fresh, ChatGPT consistently cites these pages and sends quality leads to my clients. These are links and referrals that you can't buy in any traditional way.