Link building, a historical pillar of SEO, is entering a new era with the rise of generative AI models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini. While direct traffic from these tools remains marginal, their influence on search behaviours and perceived brand credibility is becoming strategic. Especially since brands are likely to be the main winners in this shift in user habits.
Understanding how AI models collect, analyse, and reproduce web content helps adapt your link building strategy — and position your site not only for traditional search engines, but also for the conversational interfaces of tomorrow.
LLMs use the structure of the web to generate their answers
LLMs (Large Language Models) are trained on billions of indexed documents: articles, blog posts, rankings, directories, forums… Their operation is based on the statistical recurrence of terms, entities, and co-occurrences. This means that the more a brand, URL, or entity is mentioned, the more likely it is to be included in an AI response — even without a direct link.
Being featured in ranking pages or comparison articles (“top 10 best tools” or “best sites for…”) is particularly valuable. These types of content are often reused in “deep search” summaries, especially in Perplexity or Bing Chat. That’s why well-designed sponsored articles are an effective lever to appear in AI-generated answers. That said, buying just any link or mention should be avoided. You can refer to our guide on buying quality backlinks for guidance.
Mentions matter (sometimes more than links)
Models like ChatGPT or Claude don’t rely solely on backlinks like Google. Their approach is based on the frequency of names, URLs, and entities. So it’s strategically valuable to obtain mentions — even without clickable links. In a GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) context, it’s the occurrences that influence visibility within training corpora.
In this context, negotiating a mention in an article, even without a backlink, remains beneficial for brands seeking visibility in conversational interfaces. A SEO-focused press relations strategy becomes highly relevant here.
Why Bing remains essential for AI
Many LLMs currently use Bing as their default web indexing engine. This is the case for ChatGPT when connected to the internet. It’s therefore vital to follow Bing’s SEO best practices:
- Well-structured pages (clear headings, clean markup)
- Fast loading times
- Original and useful content
- High-quality, diverse, and consistent inbound links
A strong link building campaign strategy helps support these signals and enhance visibility in AI-enriched results.
Google’s AI Overview: not yet in France (and still limited)
As of April 2025, Google’s AI Overview experience is still not available in France. Even in countries where it has been launched, it’s currently limited to very basic informational queries. So, while it’s too early to optimise content solely for this feature, it’s wise to prepare by using a clear content structure and strong authority signals. Even vector-based engines still differentiate between the weight of a single page and the overall domain — a distinction we explore in our page on page authority versus domain authority.
Low LLM traffic today, high potential tomorrow
At present, direct traffic from LLMs is marginal compared to traditional search engines. But things are evolving quickly: partnerships between OpenAI and e-commerce platforms are already enabling connected shopping experiences. Tomorrow, buying a product via an interface like ChatGPT could happen in a single click — reshaping the purchase journey and information funnel.
Visibility in AI responses is thus becoming a form of indirect but valuable acquisition. Not being included means risking disappearance from the user journey of tomorrow.
Conclusion: Build your authority for search engines… and for AI
AIs don’t replace SEO — they reshape it. Link building remains a powerful tool: for traditional search visibility, but also to ensure a presence in LLM training corpora.
Links, mentions, topical authority, reference pages — it all matters. And the best time to start building that algorithmic influence is now. It’s the smartest way to be ready for the revolutions ahead.
Would you like to adapt your link building strategy to the evolution of search engines and AI?
