Link Building and Brand Mentions That Still Work (and What to Avoid)

Links still matter. So do unlinked brand mentions, especially now that AI answer engines form opinions about brands from what the web says about them. But the tactics that work today look very different from the link schemes of the past. This guide covers the approaches that hold up, how to run them with AI’s help, and what to stay away from.

Why links and mentions still matter

Links help search engines discover pages and understand which sources others trust and reference. Mentions, linked or not, shape a brand’s reputation across the web. For GEO, being discussed consistently on reputable sites is one of the clearest ways to increase the odds that AI tools know about and recommend a brand.

The key shift: think earned attention, not acquired links. If a link would exist even without search engines, because it genuinely helps readers, it’s the kind worth pursuing.

Tactics that still work

1. Build something worth linking to

The most reliable link-earning asset is something useful that doesn’t exist yet in your niche. For a roofing client, that could be a roof replacement cost factors guide with a simple estimator. For a SaaS client, a benchmark report built from anonymized product data. For an agency, a free tool like a schema generator or headline analyzer. Assets like these attract links from people writing about the topic.

2. Unlinked mention reclamation

Search for your client’s brand name, founder name, and product names. Where they’re mentioned without a link, a polite note asking if they’d add one often works because the site already chose to talk about you.

3. Expert commentary

Journalists and bloggers regularly look for expert quotes. Responding quickly with a genuinely useful, specific answer (not a sales pitch) can earn mentions on respected publications. Set up alerts for your client’s topic and monitor journalist request services and social posts.

4. Resource and “best of” inclusion

Many sites maintain resource pages and roundups. If your client’s content or tool truly belongs there, a short, specific pitch explaining why it helps their readers is fair game. This also targets the exact pages AI answer engines often cite for “best” questions.

5. Local community involvement

Sponsoring a local team, hosting a workshop, supporting a charity, or joining a business association often produces genuine local links and mentions, and real goodwill.

A simple outreach process

1. Build a target list. Find pages that already link to similar resources, publications covering your topic, and sources that AI tools cite for your key prompts.
2. Qualify each target. Is it a real site with a real audience? Is it relevant? Would a link make sense for its readers?
3. Personalize the pitch. Reference their specific page, explain the value to their readers in one or two sentences, and make it easy to say yes.
4. Follow up once. Then move on. Respect beats persistence here.
5. Log everything. Target, contact, date, response, result. Patterns will show you what works in your niche.

I'm promoting [asset name and URL], which is [one-sentence description] for [audience].

Here is a page I'd like to be mentioned on: [URL and a summary of its content].

1. In 2 sentences, explain why this asset would genuinely help that page's readers. If it wouldn't, say so honestly.
2. Write a short outreach email (under 110 words) to the page's author: specific, friendly, no flattery, no pressure.
3. Suggest where on their page the resource would fit naturally.
4. Write one follow-up message (under 60 words) to send 5-7 days later.

What to avoid

Measuring link building honestly

Link building is easy to report badly. A list of “20 links built” says nothing about whether any of them mattered. Better ways to show progress:

• Quality over count. Report the notable wins by name: the industry publication feature, the local association listing, the podcast interview. Explain why each one matters for the client’s audience.
• Link targets. Show which pages earned links. Links to the pages that drive business, like key service pages or a flagship tool, are usually more valuable than links scattered across old blog posts.
• Mention share. For a set of topics or AI prompts, track how often the client appears compared with competitors over time.
• Referral traffic. Some of the best links send real visitors. Check referral sources in GA4.
• Downstream effects. Watch impressions and clicks in Search Console for the pages you’ve been building authority to, while being careful not to claim a single link caused a change.

Also expect a lag. Links and mentions take time to be discovered and to influence visibility, so judge a campaign over months, not weeks.

Checklist: is this link worth pursuing?

• The site is relevant to the client’s industry or location
• Real people read it (it has genuine content and engagement)
• The link or mention would help its readers
• It would still be worth having if search engines didn’t exist
• Any paid placement is properly labeled and uses sponsored or nofollow

Link building works best as part of a bigger strategy. Pair it with the content syndication strategy and see how mentions support AI visibility in GEO vs. SEO. For the wider plan, read the SEO roadmap.