Do backlinks matter for AI search?
Yes, but not in the way they used to. A link rarely gets you named directly. It helps the page rank, and ranking pages are the ones AI tools read.
Google says it uses links to find pages and to help judge how relevant and useful they are. Its AI Overviews and AI Mode are built on the same index and ranking systems. ChatGPT search leans on Bing, and Bing's guidelines also treat links as a sign that a page is worth showing. So the link work that helps you rank in Google and Bing still feeds the answers.
How do AI assistants use links and mentions?
Mostly as places to read, not as votes to count. When an assistant answers a buying question, it searches, reads the top pages and builds a shortlist from what those pages say.
If a respected industry site lists you as one of the best options, the assistant can read that and repeat it. Whether the mention has a link makes little difference at that point. What matters is that the page ranks, the assistant reads it, and the description of you is clear and positive.
That's why the old habit of counting links misses half the picture. The question to ask of any link is: would this page help an assistant describe my business accurately?
Which links and mentions are worth chasing?
The ones a buyer would trust. Relevance and reputation beat volume every time.
- Press coverage in national, trade and local outlets that names you and says what you do.
- Comparison and "best of" lists in your sector, where your business is described accurately.
- Partner, supplier and client sites that mention your work together.
- Industry bodies, awards you've genuinely won and the directories assistants cite.
- Useful guides and data on your own site that others want to reference.
What about buying links?
Don't. Google's spam policies ban buying links that pass ranking credit, and Bing warns against link schemes too.
There's a practical problem as well. The sites that sell links are rarely sites an assistant would trust or a buyer would read. You pay for a link that might be discounted, and you get no useful mention in return. Sponsored placements are fine if you mark them as sponsored and treat them as advertising, not SEO.
How do you build links that help AI search?
This is the method we use, in order. It's slower than buying links, and it lasts.
- Ask the assistants your buyers' questions and list every site they cite. Those are your targets.
- Check which of those sites already mention competitors, and how.
- Fix your own pages first, so anyone who links to you lands on clear, specific facts.
- Pitch stories and data to journalists in your trade and local press, with a real angle.
- Ask partners, suppliers and happy clients to mention the work you've done together.
- Request corrections or inclusion on comparison lists where you're missing or described wrongly.
- Track new links in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and new mentions in the assistants' answers, every month.
Are mentions without links worth anything?
For AI search, yes. An assistant reading a forum thread or an article doesn't need a link to learn that people rate your business.
Unlinked mentions help less with classic rankings, but they still shape how you're described. If a site mentions you without a link, a polite request to add one is fine. If they say no, the mention still does a job.