Everyone in marketing keeps chasing one thing in AI answers: the link. After watching Ahrefs’ Sam Oh break down how visibility really works, my view is clear. Links matter, but they’re not the whole game—and often not even the main event. If you’re only counting clicks, you’re missing how brands win inside large language models.
Links Are Rare, But Potent
Marketers assume a brand mention equals a link. That belief is wrong. As Sam laid out:
“On average, only about 28% of AI mentions include a link.”
Platform by platform, it swings even more:
“Perplexity is the most generous. About 51.6% of mentions get a link… ChatGPT is at 26.9% and AI Overviews, only 10.7%.”
So, most of the time, your brand gets named without a click path. Yet here’s the twist that should change your strategy. When mentions do include links, they tend to show up on the biggest queries:
“On Perplexity, links show up in about 78% of total impressions… On Gemini… 71% of impressions despite being in only 16.8% of mentions.”
My read: Stop treating every mention the same. Links are scarce, but when they appear, they punch far above their weight. Track them, yes—but target the questions that matter most for demand, not vanity keywords.
Unlinked Mentions Move The Model
As someone who’s built and marketed products since the early web, I’ve seen brand strength outlive every algorithm update. AI is no different. Unlinked mentions build brand associations inside the model.
“Every time your brand name appears on a credible site connected to a specific topic, that becomes another training example.”
“It’s like when you hear peanut butter, you think jelly.”
Ahrefs’ data backs this up. In a study of 75,000 brands, branded web mentions had a 0.664 correlation with showing up in AI overviews—stronger than backlinks or domain rating. That aligns with what I’ve seen in crypto and social media. The more your name gets tied to a topic, the more often you get dragged into the answer set.
Some will argue unlinked mentions are “free branding” with no measurable return. I disagree. They compound. They build recall. And they prime the model to call on you next time. That’s how authority is forged now.
Match The Answer Type To Your Goal
Not every AI response serves the same outcome. You need to align content with answer shape:
- Step-by-step responses: Great for experts and service businesses seeking recommendations.
- Direct facts: Strong for publishers; low clicks, high authority.
- Video citations: YouTube ranks often; creators should seed video answers.
Different formats reward different plays. Pick the battles that map to revenue, not ego.
What I’d Do Now
Sam Oh closed with a line I love:
“The gap between your impressions and your mentions is your opportunity.”
That’s a simple growth plan. If the model answers your topic but doesn’t name you, you’ve found the hole to fill. Here’s how I’d attack it:
- Audit AI visibility: Track mentions, citations, impressions, and share of voice across platforms.
- Build branded mentions: Get named on credible topical pages, industry roundups, and expert quotes.
- Target high-intent queries: Prioritize terms where linked citations show up on large impressions.
- Seed multiple formats: Pair how-to articles with matching YouTube videos to earn video slots.
- Engineer expertise cues: Publish clear, sourced answers that AI can lift cleanly.
I’d also measure search lift for branded queries after major mention pushes. If users see you named in AI, some will type your name. That’s signal you can’t ignore.
The Bigger Point
AI visibility is a spectrum. For product brands, citations on “best” and “top” queries can drive buyers straight to carts. For media and creators, repeated mentions train the model to call on your work. For everyone, silence is the enemy. If you’re not named, you’re not considered.
Here’s my stance: Stop obsessing over the blue link and start building the brand the model can’t leave out. Earn credible mentions. Target the queries with real demand. Ship content in the formats AI favors. Then watch your name surface more often, with or without a link.
Take action this week. Run an AI visibility audit. Identify the queries where you deserve to be named. Publish one expert answer and one video designed for lifting. Repeat. The brands that win won’t just get clicks—they’ll get called first.
