Link building for AI search is our name for editorial PR that pays attention to accurate brand context as well as the destination and link attribute. The work can create useful third-party evidence; it cannot force Google or a chatbot to cite it.
No agency knows exactly how every AI system selects sources, and the available research is correlational. What we can deliver is verifiable coverage, clear positioning and accessible source material. The rest of this page separates published evidence from inference.
What changes, and what stays the same
Google says normal Search technical requirements and best practices still apply to its AI features, with no special markup or backlink threshold. Third-party research has found correlations between branded web mentions and AI visibility. The responsible conclusion is to value accurate coverage and clear source pages, not to assign a secret weighting to links or mentions.
What the research supports, and what it does not
It helps to split the evidence into three honest buckets:
- Supported by third-party data:Ahrefs' analysis of 75,000 brands found meaningful correlations between AI visibility and branded web mentions. The strength varied by system, so the useful conclusion is to earn credible third-party coverage, not to treat one coefficient as a universal formula.
- Plausible but unproven: that keeping the way your brand is described consistent across several trusted sources makes it easier for a model to summarise you accurately. It is a sensible inference from how these systems work, but it is not settled.
- Guesswork: the exact weighting any specific system gives to links, mentions, freshness or structured data. These are correlations on opaque, fast-moving systems, not published ranking factors. Anyone stating the precise formula with confidence is guessing.
We build around the first two and refuse to sell the third as certainty.
What's included
The deliverables are our standard digital PR backlinks service, weighted toward clarity of mention as well as the link:
- Editorial coverage on DA 40–95 publications, assessed for relevance and readership, with the actual link attribute and brand mention reported.
- Data-led and reactive campaigns that get your brand described accurately inside genuine journalism, not just linked from it.
- Consistent positioning, so the way your brand is described stays coherent across placements rather than drifting story to story.
- Publisher-hosted placements, not rented and intended to remain live, subject to publisher control.
- Dashboard reporting on every placement and mention we can verify.
What stops working
Low-quality networks, automated link drops and paid placements intended to manipulate rankings remain risky under Google's existing spam policies. There is no evidence that relabelling them for AI search makes them useful. Because the studies are correlational and the systems keep changing, we treat AI visibility as a reporting context for sound PR work rather than a separate product with special promises.
What we will not claim
We will not promise a spot in an AI Overview, a citation in a chatbot answer, or a ranking outcome, because no honest agency controls those. We will not report an AI citation we cannot verify, and most systems do not expose enough to let us. If your priority is purely classic rankings, an ordinary link building campaign is the same work without the AI framing, and we will tell you so rather than charge a premium for a label.
Pricing and next step
This is delivered through the same monthly backlink packages as our core service, from £2,500 a month, month to month. To talk through what is realistic for your brand and your market, book a call.
Sources
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website — reviewed 12 July 2026.
- Ahrefs, What Influences AI Brand Visibility? — published 12 December 2025.
Related
- Backlinks and AI search, the fundamentals
- How to rank in AI Overviews
- Digital PR backlinks, the campaigns behind the mentions
- Link building services
- Book a call
FAQs
Do backlinks help me show up in AI answers?
They may support broader discovery and third-party context, but no public formula proves that a particular backlink causes an AI citation. Editorial coverage can include both a link and a brand mention; the answer system decides whether to use either.
Are backlinks or brand mentions more important for AI search?
Current third-party research gives brand mentions useful weight. Ahrefs' study of 75,000 brands found stronger correlations for branded web mentions than for several traditional link metrics. That is correlation, not proof of cause, so we weight clear mentions without promising a citation.
Can you guarantee a citation in an AI Overview or ChatGPT answer?
No, and you should distrust anyone who does. These systems change constantly and do not publish how they pick sources. We focus on the inputs we can actually influence, real coverage and consistent brand mentions, not an outcome no agency controls.
How is this different from normal link building?
The work overlaps almost entirely. The emphasis includes accurate brand context as well as the link attribute, because a mention can still be useful to readers and has shown correlations in third-party AI-visibility studies. That is not proof it equals a link or causes a citation.
What can you actually measure?
We can measure placements, publications, brand mentions and coverage. We cannot reliably measure whether a specific AI system cited you, because most do not expose that. We report what is verifiable and avoid claiming credit for what is not.