Brand mentions and AI
The way brands work on their online visibility is changing. It used to be all about SEO, backlinks, rankings and keywords. With the arrival of AI that has partly changed. SEO is still important, but it is just as important to anticipate AI. A link to a brand is no longer the only thing that matters: the way a brand is mentioned matters too. That is what we call a brand mention.
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Help search engines and AI understand what your brand stands for
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Build recognition, context and trust
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A natural addition to your backlink profile
Discuss brand mentions with us
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Discuss the possibilities for your brand
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Our SEO-consultants are always ready to help
What are brand mentions?
A brand mention is an online mention of a brand name, company name, product name or platform. That can be with a clickable link, but also without one. Think of a brand name that is mentioned in a blog article, a company that comes up on a forum, or a platform that is cited as an example within a field.
A linked mention contains a clickable link to the website, while an unlinked mention names the brand without a link. Both can be valuable, but in a different way. A clickable mention contributes directly to SEO authority, while a mention without a link mainly contributes to recognition, context and trust.
Why AI uses brand mentions more and more
More and more people are using AI tools. You can ask them all kinds of questions and within no time you have an extensive answer. AI also uses brand mentions increasingly often: an AI tool names a brand in the answer to a question from a user. As a brand or company you naturally want AI to name you. That creates recognisability and it builds trust.
Brand mentions and link building go hand in hand
You do not build brand mentions separately from your link building. Every article that is published on a relevant website contains a link to your website as well as a natural mention of your brand. That way you work on authority and on brand recognition at the same time.
What brand mentions deliver
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Recognition
Readers see your brand name come by in different places and start to recognise it. -
Context
Search engines and AI learn which topics your brand belongs to. -
Trust
A mention on an external website works as a form of confirmation for the reader. -
Visibility in AI answers
Brands that are named often and logically have a bigger chance of appearing in AI answers.
Why brand mentions are becoming more important
Brand mentions are becoming more and more important. That has everything to do with the popularity of the various AI tools.
Mentions on other websites
Search engines and AI systems want to understand which brands belong to which topics. So it is no longer only about the keywords on your own website, but also about mentions on other websites. That is how your brand is placed in context. A brand that is often visible around the same topic is easier for AI to recognise within that field.
Connections between mentions
AI also looks more and more at the connections between mentions. It does not only check whether a word such as link building appears on a page, but also which brands, platforms and companies are often named together with that topic. The connection between the topic and the company becomes clearer, and that is how a brand builds an online profile.
Direct questions from users
Users are also turning to AI tools more often. Think of people asking a direct question, such as: which platforms help with link building? Brands that are often named online in that context have a bigger chance of becoming the answer to that question. That is why it is important that your brand is visible not only on your own website, but in other places online too.
A good addition to backlinks
Backlinks remain important, also in the AI era. They provide authority and traffic and they are a big part of SEO. Brand mentions add something on top of that: brand recognition, context and positioning. Clickable links stay essential, but a natural mention without a click can be valuable too, as long as the content is right.
The role of AI in online findability
You probably recognise it: you ask AI a question and more and more often you get a direct answer instead of a list of search results. Users are therefore asking AI more and more questions, from companies nearby that can help them to advice on a specific problem. AI looks at patterns in information. Brands that are named often and logically in the right context can come up in AI answers more often.
How AI learns to recognise brands
AI systems process huge amounts of text and over time they recognise connections between names, topics and products. A brand that comes up structurally is picked up by AI. That brand can then appear in answers or recommendations.
Why context matters more than ever
Context plays a big part in this. Dropping a loose brand name at random does not get you very far: it has to fit the story. Mentioning a brand within a relevant article, for example, is what makes the mention count.
Brand mentions versus backlinks
Are backlinks still important now that brand mentions have come into play? Backlinks remain important within SEO, because a backlink passes on authority and traffic. Brand mentions mainly create recognition and relevance. So brand mentions and backlinks are a good combination. On top of that, it also looks more natural.
What it is
Main effect
Value for SEO
Value for AI
Best result
In practice you rarely have to choose between the two. Would you rather have the whole process taken care of? Take a look at our managed link building.
Register and get startedExamples of strong brand mentions
There are different forms of brand mentions. These four examples show how a mention can take shape.
Direct brand mention
Popi is a platform for link building.
The company name is simply named. Such a brand mention is clear and informative, and it creates recognition of the brand.
Contextual brand mention
Many people use platforms such as Popi for effective link building.
The brand is named within a broader context. That can feel a bit less commercial to the reader.
Comparative brand mention
Where link building was still done by hand a few years ago, a platform such as Popi makes the process more efficient and simpler.
The brand is linked to a change in the market or to a comparison.
Expertise-driven brand mention
Within the link building world, brand mentions, authority and context are getting more and more attention: topics that a platform such as Popi ties into well.
In this case you name the brand or the company as an expert within the context.
What does a good brand mention need?
A brand mention is just a brand name that you drop in a text, you might think. Still, there are a few things worth paying attention to.
Relevance
The website on which the brand is mentioned has to fit in terms of content, and the same goes for the text itself. It does not add up if you name a company that does not match the website or the article. On top of that, you will not reach the right target group that way.
Natural language
Think of natural language too. The brand name has to fit logically into the sentence and into the text. Avoid overly commercial sentences: a brand mention has to feel natural and logical. It should be part of the article and add value.
Clear context
The reader also has to understand why the brand is mentioned. As mentioned before, it has to add value. So it is smart to name the role of the brand or the company as well: which products or services they deliver, or what they stand for.
Spread
It is important to spread your brand mentions. That looks more natural, and besides that, mentions on somewhat smaller websites can be valuable too. As long as they make sense in terms of content.
Our copywriters take these points into account for every article we publish. Read more about SEO copywriting.
How brand mentions contribute to trust
Brand mentions can also contribute to trust. People start to recognise brands at a certain point once they see them come by more often, especially on different websites and in trustworthy contexts. Mentions on external websites can be seen as a form of confirmation. And that creates trust: not only with search engines and AI systems, but above all with the people who eventually become your customers.
We proudly achieved result for
Here is a small selection of the customers for whom we have achieved top positions on Google. We are, of course, proud of these accomplishments!
Brand mentions as part of your SEO strategy
Brand mentions are becoming more important in a time when AI and search engines try to understand brands better. Still, it is important not to see brand mentions separately: they are part of SEO and belong within that strategy. So it remains important to look at rankings and links, but also at presence in relevant contexts. That is how you anticipate future findability.
Backlinks are still valuable, and a strong online strategy combines the two with a focus on authority, relevance, context and brand recognition. With link building you pick relevant websites yourself, with managed link building we take care of the entire process, and as an agency you can offer everything under your own brand with whitelabel linkbuilding.
Register and get startedImportant questions and answers
Why does AI use brand mentions more and more often?
More and more people use AI to get answers to questions. Think of questions about comparing companies or services. AI needs to answer these with information that comes from, for example, websites and reviews. Brand mentions can help determine which brand fits which topic so that an answer can be given. It is important to take relevance, natural language use, clear context, and distribution into account.
Are backlinks still important, in addition to brand mentions?
Backlinks remain important. Backlinks help build authority and drive traffic, while brand mentions add to that. Think of brand recognition and the chance of more visibility in AI tools.
What can a brand mention deliver?
A brand mention can help build brand awareness, recognition and visibility. Brand mentions can also be valuable for AI answers, because brands that are mentioned often and in a relevant way are more likely to appear in AI answers.
What is the difference between a backlink and a brand mention?
A backlink is a clickable link that points to an external website. A brand mention is a mention of a brand name, product name, platform or company name. A brand mention does not necessarily have to be clickable.
What are brand mentions?
Brand mentions are online references to a brand name, company name, product name or platform.
Questions about brand mentions?
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Discuss the possibilities for your brand
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Our SEO-consultants are always ready to help
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