Social media links in 67% of Google AI Overviews: how to read the number

A new study found social media links in two out of three Google AI Overview answers. To be exact, the figure is more than 67%. On its face, the number makes it look like AI relies mainly on social media for its answers. So the first step is to check what this number actually counts.

67% is the share of answers with at least one social media link

67% is the share of Google AI Overview answers that include at least one social media link. It does not mean two out of three answers came from social media. An answer counts toward this figure even if it has just one social media link alongside other sources.

The study was conducted by SE Ranking, a search optimization tool company, using 100,000 search queries. The results were published on the blog of Planable, a social media management tool that SE Ranking acquired. Social Media Today reported that social platform links appeared in the majority of Google's AI search results. When you check that figure against the original study, it turns out to be the share of answers with at least one social or community link.

What's the rate in AI Mode and ChatGPT?

By the same measure, Google AI Mode comes in at 32% and ChatGPT at 8.4%. That's a big gap compared with AI Overviews. Not all AI search is the same, and how often social media links appear depends on where you ask.

Even within AI Mode, the share of social sources varied by query set. It was 39.34% for a set of 100,000 branded queries and 48.58% for a set of 100,000 general queries. The number changes depending on which queries were measured, so it's best not to read any single figure on its own.

YouTube makes up a large share of the 67%

Counting only AI Overview answers with a YouTube link still gives you more than 49%. The study counted YouTube as social media, just like Reddit. So a large share of the 67% comes from YouTube links.

The claim that 'AI Overviews include a lot of social media links' doesn't apply equally to every social platform. The number lumps YouTube together with other platforms. You need to look separately at how much of this figure comes from the platform you use most.

The most-cited platforms vary by industry

Break it down into 20 categories, and the most frequently cited platforms differ from one category to the next. Instagram appears in just over 5% of all AI Overviews. In fashion and beauty, though, it's more than 14%.

If you look only at the overall average, you can miss what's happening in your own industry. In some categories, like fashion and beauty, certain platforms are cited more often. Brand marketers and creators are better off reading the numbers for their own category.

Do Korean-language searches show the same results?

There's no way to tell whether these findings hold for Korean-language searches, because the study doesn't state the country or language of the searches.

Google AI Overviews have been available in Korean since December 2024. The practical approach is to search for your own brand or content topic and check which platform links appear in the answers.

Key takeaways

• 67% is the share of AI Overview answers with at least one social media link. It doesn't mean the answers come from social media.
• By the same measure, AI Mode is at 32% and ChatGPT is at 8.4%, so results vary widely from one AI search tool to another.
• YouTube accounts for a large share of the 67%. Instagram's share changes a lot by category, as fashion and beauty show.
• The study doesn't specify the country or language of the searches, so search your own topic in Korean-language AI Overviews and check which platforms show up.