What does the research say?
In 2025 Ahrefs looked at 75,000 brands and compared a range of signals with how often each brand appeared in Google's AI Overviews. Correlation isn't proof of cause, but the ordering was striking.
| Branded web mentions | 0.664 |
|---|---|
| Branded anchors (links that use the brand name) | 0.527 |
| Branded search volume | 0.392 |
| Domain Rating | 0.326 |
| Number of backlinks | 0.218 |
Two things stand out. First, mentions beat raw link counts by a wide margin. Second, the link signal that did well, branded anchors, is really a mention signal in disguise: it's a link where other people use your name. Popularity in the plain sense, people searching for your brand, also mattered more than authority scores.
Why would mentions matter more than links for AI?
Think about how an assistant comes to "know" a brand. During training, a model reads enormous amounts of text. A brand that's described often, by many different sources, in a consistent way, becomes a strong association: Brand X sits next to payroll software for small businesses again and again. A link is invisible in that process. The words around your name are what count.
Live answers work similarly. When ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude search the web for a question, they read the top pages and pull brands from the text. If a well-ranked roundup names you, you can show up in the answer even if that roundup never links to you.
How to earn brand mentions that AI picks up
- 1Find the pages AI already cites
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude the questions your buyers ask and note the sources. Those roundups, review sites and threads are your target list. Our free AI visibility check collects them for you.
- 2Get listed where comparisons happen
Make sure you're on the review platforms and directories in your category, with a complete profile and recent reviews from real customers.
- 3Give writers a reason to include you
Authors of "best X for Y" articles update them. Offer a clear one-paragraph description, current pricing and a genuine point of difference. Data from your own product is often the most welcome thing you can send.
- 4Show up in community answers
Forums and Q&A threads are heavily cited by AI. Answer questions where you genuinely know the topic, say who you work for, and don't spam links.
- 5Keep your description consistent
Use the same one-line description of what you do on your site, social profiles, directories and press kit. Consistency helps models link all those mentions to one clear idea of your brand.
How do you know it's working?
Track two things side by side over a few months: new mentions you've earned on relevant pages, and your mention rate in AI answers for a fixed set of questions. If both rise together, you're on the right track. Our explainer on AI share of voice covers how to measure the second part without being fooled by day-to-day noise.
Frequently asked questions
Do brand mentions help SEO without a link?
For AI answers, the evidence suggests they do: in Ahrefs' study, branded web mentions had the strongest correlation with AI Overview visibility. For classic rankings, links remain an important signal.
What is an unlinked brand mention?
Any place where another website names your brand without linking to your site. Reviews, news articles, forum posts and comparison pages often mention brands this way.
Are backlinks still important in 2026?
Yes. They help pages rank in search results, which many AI tools use as a starting point. They just appear to matter less for AI brand visibility than how often and how well you're mentioned.
How do I find where my competitors are mentioned?
Ask AI assistants your buyers' questions and look at the sources they cite, then search those sites for competitor names. Many SEO tools also have a mentions or content explorer feature.