Dofollow Digest #40: Brand mentions & AI visibility

Author

Eric Carrell
August 30, 2025

Hey, it's Eric 👋

AI search is changing how brands get discovered, and brand mentions just became critical.

While competitors focus solely on backlinks, smart SaaS companies are building systematic mention strategies that get them recommended by AI systems. Our new guide shows you how to build the brand presence that actually matters for AI visibility.

📣 Build AI visibility brand mentions & backlinks
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🔍 DEEP DIVE: Brand Mentions and AI Visibility

Most marketers still think about SEO like it's 2020 – backlinks, domain authority, keyword optimization. But AI search engines evaluate brands differently. They're looking for genuine market presence, not just SEO metrics.

When someone asks ChatGPT for tool recommendations or uses AI search features, these systems scan for brand mentions across the web. CEO quotes in industry publications. Customer discussions on Reddit. Inclusion in comparison articles. Conference speaker bios. Each mention builds entity recognition that helps AI systems determine which brands to trust.

Why This Matters Now

Brand mentions and backlinks work together. A mention today often becomes a link when that publisher references you again. More importantly, the combination signals genuine authority to AI systems – real companies that real people discuss, not just SEO plays.

The logic is straightforward: if people aren't talking about your brand naturally, why would AI systems recommend you? They're designed to surface brands with actual market presence.

While competitors hesitate due to confusion about AI and content guidelines, companies building systematic mention strategies are seeing significant organic growth. Some of our clients have doubled their visibility in 12 months – not through tricks, but by building genuine market presence.

What Actually Works

After testing with SaaS clients, certain patterns consistently deliver results.

High-authority earned media generates the strongest mentions. Become a trusted source for journalists by offering exclusive data or insights. One client saw months of coverage after sharing proprietary churn reduction data – information only they could provide.

Authentic community engagement drives organic mentions. Share real lessons from building your company. "When we hit 100 employees, our deployment process broke. Here's how we fixed it." That kind of specific, helpful content gets referenced and shared.

Systematic approaches scale well. Customer review orchestration, expert roundup participation, and strategic partnerships create predictable mention opportunities. One client built an affiliate network of content creators who naturally mention their brand in educational content.

The Data Advantage

SaaS companies have built-in advantages. Your customer stories, product data, and team expertise create mention opportunities competitors can't match. When companies share real integration capabilities or usage patterns, they're providing value that naturally generates mentions.

The key is systematic execution. Test three mention tactics. Measure which generate valuable mentions on authority sites. Scale what works. This isn't about gaming systems – it's about building the market presence that AI systems are designed to recognize.

Implementation That Lasts

Start with consistent brand presence across platforms where AI systems gather information. Inconsistent company names or descriptions confuse entity recognition. Build authoritative resources others can reference when mentioning your brand.

Focus on genuine value creation. Companies winning with brand mentions are building real authority through systematic effort. They understand that being mentioned matters as much as being linked in today's search landscape.

Monitor performance carefully. Track not just mention volume but quality – which sites, what context, how it affects your visibility. Adjust tactics based on results, not assumptions.

The Window Is Open

While competitors focus on traditional SEO metrics, you can build the brand presence that drives AI visibility. But as more companies understand how AI systems evaluate authority, competition for quality mentions will increase.

The winning formula: systematic mention building combined with strategic link acquisition. Together, they create the authority signals that matter for both traditional and AI-driven search.

🔗 LINK ROUNDUP

Til next time,

Eric