By Danny Goodwin
Publication Date: 2026-03-06 20:16:00
Google’s AI Mode is increasingly citing Google itself — and often sending users back to another Google search, according to new SE Ranking research.
Why we care. AI search is meant to surface the best sources on the web. If Google increasingly cites itself, you may see fewer direct links and less traffic as more users stay inside Google.
The details. Google.com was the most cited source in AI Mode answers, accounting for 17.42% of all citations, SE Ranking found.
- That makes Google.com the most referenced domain — more than the next six domains combined: YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Amazon, Indeed, and Zillow.
Accelerating trend. In June 2025, Google cited itself in just 5.7% of AI Mode answers. That share is now tripled.
- Nearly one in five AI citations now comes from Google. Including YouTube, Google-controlled properties account for roughly 20% of sources.
Self-preferencing on steroids. AI Overviews already link heavily to Google…
