In high-volume, highly competitive keywords, links remain, even in the age of AI, a differentiating factor. Nevertheless, in AI search, consensus—i.e., citations, mentions and distributed presence (Ahrefs)—takes on a new role.
For years, link building was interpreted as a direct lever to push rankings. In 2025–2026, the important shift is not “links yes / links no,” but what they are used for.
- In “classic” Google, links still correlate with rankings (even if weak/moderate) and help especially when competition is high. (Ahrefs)
- In AI surfaces (e.g., AI Overviews), visibility is more associated with brand mentions and off-site signals than with the number of backlinks. (Ahrefs)
- And the industry is already verbalizing it like this: the pivot moves from “backlinks” to high-value citations to build brand mentions and authority. (Search Engine Land)
The thesis of this post: in the AI era, the goal of off-page SEO is to build authority to be cited, and link building becomes one piece (not the whole).
High competition: links still make a difference
Ahrefs analyzed 1,000,000 SERPs and calculated correlations (Spearman) between rankings (Top 20) and SEO metrics. In its methodology, it reports, among others, the following correlations: backlinks 0.248 and referring domains 0.255 (DR 0.131). (Ahrefs)
The key point for your subtitle is explicitly stated in the article:
“Links matter more at higher search volumes.” (Ahrefs)
Ahrefs proposes two plausible explanations: (1) they are more competitive queries, where links “move the needle”; (2) more visibility naturally generates more links. (Ahrefs)
Operational translation: In head terms and highly competitive clusters, links still work as a differentiating signal… but that doesn’t contradict the fact that, in AI, the authority game is broader.
What “mentions” and “citations” are (and why they matter so much now)
Here, it’s worth separating the concepts, because in 2026 these terms are often mixed.
Mention
A mention occurs when a third party names your brand in text, with or without a link.
Ahrefs defines it in its study as:
- Branded web mentions: “mentions of the brand name anywhere across the web.” (Ahrefs)
- Branded anchors: mentions of the brand name “in hyperlinked text” (anchor text). (Ahrefs)
Quick examples:
- “Brand Name helped…” → mention without a link
- “Brand Name” (anchor) linking to your website → mention with a link
Citation
In Search Engine Land’s framing, a citation is a “validating” reference within the ecosystem: a mention with contextual weight (relevant outlet or environment) that helps build authority in “specific spaces.” That’s why they call them “high-value citations.” (Search Engine Land)
Ahrefs studied 75,000 brands and found that what correlates most with visibility in AI Overviews are off-site factors, especially:
- Branded web mentions (0.664)
- Branded anchors (0.527)
- Branded search volume (0.392) (Ahrefs)
Meanwhile, backlinks correlate much more weakly (0.218). (Ahrefs)
And here is what you asked for, with the source and highlighted:
“26% of brands have zero mentions in AI Overviews.”(Ahrefs)
This number is the basis for the “invisibility” idea: there is a relevant segment of the market that today does not appear on these surfaces.
Search Engine Land frames a very useful strategic framework: AI search relies on consensus across owned, earned, and community (your site, media/PR, UGC/communities, etc.). (Search Engine Land)
The change in earned is defined as follows:
- “Instead of chasing a high volume of backlinks… you are now chasing high-value citations to build brand mentions and authority in specific spaces.” (Search Engine Land)
- “The shift moves from old-school link building to narrative building…” (Search Engine Land)
Practical translation: links don’t disappear; they become subordinate to a bigger goal: being cited consistently in the places where AI (and users) “learn” what is credible.
What changes in an off-page strategy (in 3 lines)
If your goal is “AI-ready” authority, off-page stops being a “link campaign” and becomes a system:
- Links as a differentiator in high-competition keywords (high search volume). (Ahrefs)
- Brand mentions as the dominant signal in AI (distributed presence). (Ahrefs)
- High-value citations to build consensus (earned + community). (Search Engine Land)