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Dofollow Digest #52: How LinkedIn fits into Answer Engine Optimization

Author

Eric Carrell
December 05, 2025

Hey, it's Eric 👋

Been deep in AEO for at least 12 months now as more and more of our clients are using AEO as a core part of their organic campaigns. One angle that keeps coming up in the research: LinkedIn thought leadership as part of a broader AEO strategy.

Not the whole playbook, but a piece worth understanding. We'll get into it below.

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I recommend Playbookz.

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I normally don’t recommend companies, but: (1) I actually use these guys, and (2) LinkedIn is becoming more and more valuable for AEO.

If you book a call, tell them I sent you.

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🔍 DEEP DIVE: How LinkedIn Fits Into Answer Engine Optimization

The AI search numbers keep growing. ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly active users. Perplexity processes 780 million monthly queries, up from 230 million last year. And nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a click as users get answers directly from AI summaries (HubSpot).

So how do you build the authority signals that get you cited?

AI systems look beyond your domain. They're checking whether your expertise shows up consistently across multiple platforms. Amsive's AEO research recommends establishing an authentic presence on LinkedIn for thought leadership, noting it's a platform cited by Google AI Overviews and Perplexity (Amsive). HubSpot includes publishing thought leadership on LinkedIn as part of their AEO framework for building authority signals (HubSpot).

LinkedIn accounts for 7.53% of Perplexity's social traffic, putting it alongside YouTube and Reddit as platforms these systems actively reference.

This matters because AI platforms are looking for what HubSpot calls "consensus" — consistent facts, statistics, and positioning across multiple credible sources. When your expertise appears on your website, in industry publications, and on LinkedIn with the same core messaging, AI systems gain confidence that you're a legitimate authority on that topic.

The tactical approach is straightforward: write LinkedIn posts that answer specific questions your audience asks. Use clear structure. Include data and citations. Research shows content with citations, quotes, and statistics is 30-40% more visible in AI search results (HubSpot).

A few specific things to consider:

Make your credentials explicit. AI systems are trying to establish E-E-A-T signals (experience, expertise, authority, trust). Your LinkedIn profile and posts should make it obvious why you're qualified to speak on a topic. For SaaS founders and marketers, this means highlighting specific experience with the problems you're discussing.

Structure posts for extraction. Use question-led formats that mirror how people query AI systems. If someone asks ChatGPT "how do SaaS companies reduce churn," your LinkedIn post titled "How we reduced churn by 40%" with clear takeaways is more likely to surface than a rambling narrative.

You can also repurpose these posts into longer content on your site, creating "answer-ready" pages that AI systems can easily extract from. This creates a reinforcing loop: LinkedIn builds visibility and tests messaging, your site provides the comprehensive resource AI can cite.

A few caveats:

LinkedIn is one channel among several. Reddit, YouTube, and industry publications all contribute to authority signals. The goal is building consistent presence across platforms where your expertise can be verified.

This also doesn't replace traditional SEO. NerdWallet saw 35% revenue growth despite a 20% decrease in site traffic by maintaining visibility through AI channels (CXL). Both matter. And backlinks remain one of the strongest authority signals across both traditional and AI search.

For SaaS companies already investing in content and link building, adding consistent LinkedIn thought leadership is a reasonable way to expand your footprint for AI citations. It's low-lift relative to other AEO tactics, and it compounds over time as you build a body of work AI systems can reference.

🔗 LINK ROUNDUP

Til next time,

Eric