AI search didn’t kill link building. If anything, it made it more important.
Because now you’re not just trying to rank a page. You’re trying to get picked as the answer.
When someone searches in Google, you want to be in the top results. When someone asks an AI tool for recommendations, you want your brand to show up in the shortlist. And in both cases, the same thing keeps showing up behind the scenes: quality links and real mentions across the web.
In this article, I’ll break down why quality link building dominates AI SEO, why top 10 rankings still matter, how brand mentions influence AI visibility, and why listicle placements are one of the most underrated ways to get recommended instead of ignored.
Link building cheat sheet
Ranking in the Top 10 Still Matters
Even with AI Overviews taking over the top of the SERP, ranking in the top 10 still matters.
If you want Google’s AI to quote you, reference you, or pull your content into an overview, you still need to be on page one. Search engines aren’t building these overviews from random pages buried on page 6. Google pulls from the search results it already considers “top tier.”
And getting into that top tier is harder than ever.
There are just too many businesses publishing content on the same topics. A lot of it is genuinely good, valuable content. A lot of it is optimized. So the difference between position #12 and position #6 often isn’t “better writing.”
It’s in the backlink profile, because of how PageRank works.
PageRank isn’t some metaphor.
It’s a literal value in Google’s algorithm that comes from your inbound link profile and the link profiles of the sites linking to you. It’s a network effect.
The simplest way to think about it is like academic references.
Early on, the idea was similar to peer-reviewed research: if respected papers reference your work, your work carries more weight. If nobody references you, you might still be correct, but you’re not seen as foundational.
That’s how search engine optimization functions at its very core (just heavily modified) and why backlinks still decide who makes it into the top 10.
Brand Mentions = AI Visibility
One of the biggest shifts with AI search is that it’s not just looking at your website.
Here’s a real example.
Someone asks ChatGPT, “What are the best outreach tools for link building?” They’re not looking for one random blog post.
They want a shortlist. And the AI is going to pull that shortlist from what it’s seen repeatedly across the web.
If your brand is mentioned on a few legit “best link building tools” listicles, a couple comparison posts, maybe a directory like G2, and a handful of niche blogs, you start showing up as an obvious option.
If nobody talks about you outside your own site, you basically don’t exist in that conversation.
AI systems build answers by pulling from what the internet says about you. That includes articles, reviews, directories, comparisons, forums, social media, and especially “best tools” roundups.
So the more places that mention your brand, the easier it is for AI to include you in the conversation.
And not all mentions are equal.
A random blog with no audience and a high spam score doesn’t move the needle the same way a real industry giant site with strong domain authority does.
The context in which you’re mentioned matters too.
This is why listicles are so powerful.
They’re structured, they’re specific, and they usually include exactly what AI needs: what the product is, who it’s for, and how it compares to alternatives.
That makes them perfect source material for AI outputs on queries like:
“What is the best x for y?”
You Don’t Just Get Traffic, You Get Product Recommendations
The old SEO mindset was simple: rank a page, get clicks, hope the clicks convert.
That still matters, but AI search adds a whole new layer.
Now people use AI like a search assistant, especially in voice search. They’re not browsing ten blue links. They’re asking a question and expecting a straight answer.
And that answer often looks like a recommendation.
Something like: “Good alternatives to A are B, C, and D.”
If you’re one of those options, it massively influences the buying decision. You’re not fighting for a click anymore. You’re being presented as a trusted choice.
It Positions You as an Authority in Your Field
“Authority” is one of the biggest buzzwords in SEO.
But when people say it, they usually mean something vague like “be more trustworthy” or “look more credible.”
Cool. How?
To me, authority is simple. It’s what happens when other real websites consistently reference you as a legit option in your space.
And in the age of AI search, that matters even more.
When an AI recommends you, it’s not doing it out of its own sheer will. It’s doing it because it’s pulling from countless sources across the internet, seeing your name show up again and again, and deciding you belong in the answer.
That’s real authority. You can’t fake it with a few clever blog posts.
And once you’re being referenced publicly, you don’t just look more credible to Google.
You look more credible to potential customers too. If they’ve already seen your name on roundups, comparisons, and industry sites, they’re way more likely to trust you when they land on your site.
If you want to build that kind of visibility without spending months doing outreach yourself, sign up for our done-for-you link building.
We’ll get you the quality backlinks and listicle placements that help you rank, get mentioned, and get recommended.
Link building cheat sheet
Now Over to You
AI search didn’t change the fundamentals. It just made the winners more obvious.
If you want to get quoted in AI Overviews, you still need to rank. If you want to get recommended by AI tools, you need your brand mentioned across the web.
And if you want both, And if you want both, a strong link building strategy is still the fastest way to get there.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start getting real placements that move rankings and visibility, sign up for our done-for-you link building.
We’ll handle the outreach and listicle placements so your brand shows up where people (and AI) are already looking.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does link building still matter with AI Overviews?
Yes. AI Overviews still pull from pages that already rank well, and quality links are a major reason pages reach the top 10 in the first place.
If you want visibility in AI results, you still need the ranking foundation built through effective link building and valuable backlinks.
What’s the difference between backlinks and brand mentions?
Backlinks are clickable links pointing to your site, while brand mentions are any references to your company, even without a link. Both matter for visibility, but high quality backlinks usually do more for search results.
Why are listicle placements so valuable for AI SEO?
Listicles are structured and comparison-friendly, which makes them easy for AI to understand and reuse. They also put your product directly in front of people searching for “best tools” and “alternatives” keywords.
Plus, getting featured alongside other quality brands on a relevant website helps build your backlink profile naturally.
Can you get AI recommendations without ranking in Google?
Sometimes, but it’s harder and less consistent. Most AI systems still pull heavily from what’s already visible on the web, and ranking pages plus external mentions give you the strongest footprint.
Using Google Search Console to monitor your organic traffic and search performance helps you understand what’s working.
What does “quality link building” actually mean?
It means earning links and mentions from real sites with real audiences, not spammy pages built to sell backlinks. Quality link building services focus on placements that improve ranking and also build trust and visibility beyond Google.
This includes strategies like guest posting, broken link building, digital PR, and creating valuable content that naturally attracts inbound links.
The goal is building links from sites with good page authority and low spam scores, using natural anchor text that helps both users and search engines understand your content.
