Introduction to AI Search
The latest Ahrefs podcast shares data showing that brand mentions on third-party websites help improve visibility across AI search surfaces. What they found is that brand mentions correlate strongly with ranking better in AI search, indicating that we are firmly in a new era of off-page SEO. This means that having your brand mentioned on other websites can increase your online visibility and help you rank higher in search results.
How Training Data Works
Tim Soulo, CMO of Ahrefs, said that off-page activity that increases being mentioned on other sites improves visibility in AI search results, both those based on training data and those drawing from live search results. The benefits of conducting off-page SEO apply to both. The only difference is that training data doesn’t get into LLMs right away. Tim recommends identifying where your industry gets mentioned, as this can help you get your brand in front of the right audience.
The Importance of Authoritative Websites
Although Tim did not mention specific tactics for obtaining brand mentions, in my opinion, off-page link-building strategies don’t have to change much to build brand mentions. Tim underlined the importance of appearing on authoritative websites, as this can help increase your brand’s credibility and visibility. The only thing that I would add is that authoritativeness in this situation is if a site gets mentioned by AI search. But the other thing to think about is if a site is simply the go-to for a particular kind of information, relevance is key.
Topicality of Brand Mentions
The other thing that was discussed is the topicality of the brand mentions, meaning the context in which the brand is discussed. Ryan Law, Ahrefs’ Director of Content Marketing, said that the context of the brand mention is important, and I agree. You can’t always control the narrative, but that’s where old-fashioned PR outreach comes in, where you can include quotes and so on to build the right context. Law explained that a big part of how LLMs understand what your brand is about and when it should recommend it and the context it should talk about you is based on where you appear in its training data and where you appear on the web.
Testing Shows Brand Mentions Are Important
Law went on to say that their data shows that brand mentions are important for ranking. He mentions a correlation coefficient of 0.67, which is a measure of how strongly two variables are related. This means that there’s a strong relationship between brand mentions and ranking in AI search results. Law explained that they tested this with a bit of research, looking at factors that correlate with the amount of times a brand appears in AI overviews, and by far the strongest correlation was branded web mentions.
Strategies for Getting Brand Mentions
Law recommended identifying industry domains that tend to get cited in AI search for your topics and trying to get mentioned on those websites. He also recommended getting mentions on user-generated content sites like Reddit and Quora, as well as review sites and YouTube video transcripts, as YouTube videos are highly cited by AI search.
Tools for Identifying Brand Mentions
Ahrefs has a tool called Brand Radar that’s useful for identifying domains that are frequently mentioned in AI search surfaces. Law explained that this tool can help you find the most commonly cited domains and individual pages that get most commonly mentioned. If you can get your brand on those pages, your AI visibility is going to increase dramatically.
The New Era of Off-Page SEO
Tim Soulo called citations the new backlinks for the AI search era and recommended their Brand Radar tool for identifying where to get mentions. In my opinion, getting a brand mentioned anywhere that’s relevant to your users or customers could also be helpful for ranking in regular search as well as AI search.
Conclusion
In conclusion, brand mentions on third-party websites are crucial for improving visibility across AI search surfaces. By appearing on authoritative websites, increasing topicality of brand mentions, and using tools like Ahrefs Brand Radar, you can increase your online visibility and rank higher in search results. As we enter this new era of off-page SEO, it’s essential to focus on getting your brand mentioned on relevant websites and building a strong online presence.