Google Seems More Biased Towards Big Brands Than ChatGPT and Perplexity

07/07/25
Source: Data & Studies – SEO Blog by Ahrefs by Patrick Stox. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of How Web Mentions Influence AI Assistant Visibility

Branded web mentions show a strong correlation with visibility in Google AI Overviews, while ChatGPT and Perplexity display much weaker connections. Google’s system favors brands to ensure trusted content and reduce misinformation. This pattern highlights the importance of brand presence online for AI visibility, especially within Google’s ecosystem.

Optimixed’s Overview: The Impact of Online Brand Mentions on AI Assistant Recognition

Examining the Relationship Between Web Mentions and AI Visibility

Recent analysis investigates whether the frequency of an entity’s mention across websites influences its visibility in AI-powered assistants. The study focused on the top 50 websites mentioned in Ahrefs Brand Radar for three AI systems: Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, using data from June 2025.

Key Findings

  • Google AI Overviews: Exhibited a strong correlation (Spearman ρ = 0.65) between branded web mentions and AI visibility, emphasizing Google’s preference for established brands.
  • ChatGPT: Showed a very weak correlation (ρ = 0.15), indicating less influence of web mentions on its visibility metrics.
  • Perplexity: Demonstrated a weak correlation (ρ = 0.30), suggesting some but limited impact of online mentions.

Insights on Google’s Brand Favoritism

Google’s AI systems prioritize brands to combat misinformation and promote trusted sources. This approach aligns with statements from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who emphasized that brands serve as a solution against the proliferation of false information online.

Tools and Future Directions

Brand Radar provides comprehensive monitoring of brand visibility across multiple AI systems, enabling comparisons against competitors and tracking online presence through metrics like the web visibility index and search demand index. Further studies with larger datasets will help confirm these trends across AI assistants.