AI is transforming how brands gain visibility online. It’s no longer just about backlinks or keyword rankings—being talked about matters more than ever.

A recent study shows that Google’s AI Overviews now appear in 47% of search results, highlighting how much influence AI-driven content has on what users see. 

One of the most effective ways to get noticed? Earning brand mentions across authoritative websites, media outlets, and social platforms. These mentions signal relevance and credibility to search engines, boosting your rankings and increasing your chances of being featured in AI-generated summaries.

In this article, we’ll explore what Brand Mentions SEO is, why it’s critical for modern SEO, and actionable strategies to earn them consistently to stay competitive on the modern web.

What Is a Brand Mention?

A brand mention is simply a mention of your brand name on the internet — whether it’s in a blog post, social media post, news article, video, forum, or podcast. It can include a clickable link to your website or just your name in plain text. Both types help search engines recognize and evaluate your brand’s presence, authority, and relevance online.

2 Types of Brand Mentions

There are two main types of brand mentions, both of which carry value in terms of visibility and SEO — but in different ways:

1. Linked Brand Mentions

Someone mentioning your brand name with a clickable hyperlink to your website or a specific page creates a linked brand mention.

Example: “We partnered with Outreach Monks for a fully manual link-building campaign, and the results were impressive.”

These mentions pass traditional SEO value, including PageRank, and tools like Google Search Console and Ahrefs track them.

2. Unlinked Brand Mentions

An unlinked brand mention is when your brand name appears in text without a hyperlink.

Example: “For white-label blogger outreach, Outreach Monks is one of the most trusted agencies.”

While they don’t pass link equity, unlinked mentions still send trust, relevance, and authority signals to search engines — especially when they come from credible sources. Google’s AI systems and entity-based algorithms increasingly recognize and factor in these references.

Why Brand Mentions Matter In 2025

When people talk about your brand online, it does more than spread awareness — brand mentions SEO signals authority and relevance to search engines, helping improve rankings, visibility, and trust.

Here’s why brand mentions matter in 2025:

1. They Help Google Understand Your Brand

Brand mentions contribute to how Google identifies your business as an entity. Even without a hyperlink, a mention helps associate your brand with specific topics, products, or industries — giving Google more context about what you do and who you serve.

When this happens across trusted sources, Google starts recognizing you as a legitimate player in your space.

2. They Support E-E-A-T Signals

Google’s algorithm increasingly values Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) — and brand mentions reinforce all of these:

• A mention from an expert = Expertise
• A mention on a high-authority site = Authoritativeness
• Consistent brand appearance across platforms = Trustworthiness
• Reviews or UGC = Experience

In other words, mentions build credibility, which boosts rankings — especially in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) niches like health, finance, and legal.

3. They Influence AI-Powered Search Results

AI Overviews and other generative features in Google search rely heavily on trusted sources and brand entities. Brands that are regularly mentioned across news, blogs, and discussions have a better shot at being featured in AI-generated answers.

If people recognize, mention, and discuss your brand, Google takes notice. And that visibility translates into higher inclusion in AI summaries and featured snippets.

Source: Ahrefs 

As the chart above shows, branded web mentions had the strongest correlation (0.664) with brand appearance in Google’s AI Overviews — more than backlinks, referring domains, or even branded search volume. This shows that when people talk about your brand online, it becomes a valuable visibility asset in today’s search landscape.

4. They Drive Indirect SEO Value

Even unlinked mentions can lead to:

• Brand searches (people Googling your name after seeing it mentioned)
• More backlinks (when journalists, bloggers, or creators later link to your brand)
• Referral traffic (if people copy-paste your brand or search it)
• Improved brand recall (which helps long-term SEO and CTR)

5. They Build Brand Trust and Reputation

Search engines track what’s being said about you — not just how often you’re mentioned. Positive mentions help shape your brand sentiment, which is a growing factor in reputation-driven SEO.

This is especially important in competitive spaces, where users click on trusted brands—and skip those they don’t trust.

Do Brand Mentions Impact Your Visibility in AI Overviews?

Google’s AI Overviews rely on trusted sources across the web to generate helpful summaries in search results. One of the key signals that influence whether a brand gets featured is the presence of brand mentions, especially on high-authority, relevant websites.

It’s not just about quantity. Google looks at:

• Where your brand is mentioned (e.g., niche blogs, media, reviews)
• How often those mentions appear
• The context of each mention

Add to this the growing impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s own AI systems, which process brand mentions to understand authority, relevance, and trust.

According to Semrush, 13.14% of all Google queries triggered AI Overviews in March 2025, up from 6.49% in January 2025.

That’s a clear signal: AI Overviews are growing fast, and editors feature the brands that appear most frequently.

Google has also filed patents suggesting that “implied links” — brand mentions without actual hyperlinks — can count as authority signals. That means even unlinked mentions can boost your brand’s visibility in AI-powered results.

Brand Mentions vs Backlinks: What’s the Difference?

7 Proven Ways to Secure Brand Mentions in 2025

Brand mentions — whether linked or unlinked — are powerful for building your authority, trust, and visibility in search (especially with AI Overviews on the rise). The goal isn’t just to be mentioned more often, but to be mentioned in the right places.

Below are 7 proven ways to secure valuable brand mentions across the web, along with insight into which kinds of content typically include backlinks:

1. Get Featured in Media & Contributor Quotes

Use platforms like  Qwoted or Featured to get quoted by journalists. These typically appear in news articles, expert roundups, or product features, and may or may not include a link — but if you’re offering unique data or expert commentary, a backlink is more likely.

Example: “Outreach Monks shared that 100% manual outreach now outperforms automation for niche SEO.”

✅ Usually linked in contributor bios or inline citations.

2. Publish Original Data, Reports & Case Studies

When you create content like industry reports, SEO experiments, or case study breakdowns, other websites often cite your findings. These types of references tend to include contextual backlinks, especially from blogs, journalists, or B2B SaaS companies.

✅ Highly likely to earn backlinks when cited in blogs or webinars.

3. Write Guest Posts on Niche-Relevant Websites

Guest blogging is one of the most direct ways to earn brand mentions with backlinks. Focus on niche-aligned websites where your content adds value to their audience — your brand can be linked in the content body or author bio. But to build a good reputation, you need to focus on the quality of websites rather than the number of accepted articles that mention your brand.

✅ Strong backlink opportunity if accepted on relevant, trusted sites.

4. Collaborate with Influencers, Podcasts & YouTubers

Influencers and creators may mention your brand in videos, podcasts, interviews, or reviews. While verbal mentions build authority, always ask them to add your link in the description or show notes for extra SEO value.

⚠️ Most verbal mentions lack links unless show notes or transcripts include them.

5. Post Consistently on Thought Leadership Platforms

Being active on LinkedIn, Medium, Reddit, or even Twitter (X) allows you to build a content footprint. Other creators, curators, and blogs may quote your posts later.

⚠️ Users or curators often don’t link brand mentions unless you build authority over time.

6. Run PR Campaigns, Giveaways & Product Launches

These typically spark buzz across news outlets, lifestyle blogs, newsletters, and review sites. If the story is compelling or exclusive, bloggers will often include backlinks — especially when you provide them with a press kit or media assets.

✅ Can generate both linked and unlinked mentions depending on coverage quality.

7. Get Listed on Review Sites & Aggregators

Platforms like G2, Clutch, Product Hunt, and Google Reviews frequently include brand mentions, often written by users. While many are unlinked, being featured here increases entity recognition — helpful for SEO and AI-based ranking.

⚠️ Most user reviews don’t include links, but they boost reputation and visibility.

How to Track Brand Mentions?

Tracking how often people mention your brand online is essential for measuring SEO impact, monitoring reputation, and finding new link-building or PR opportunities. Whether you’re tracking linked or unlinked brand mentions, here’s how to do it effectively.

🟢 Pro tip: Use exact match + variations of your brand name to avoid false positives (e.g. “NoLabels” vs “No Labels”).

Conclusion 

Getting your brand noticed online is no longer just about backlinks and keywords. Brand mentions are essential for building authority, boosting credibility, and increasing visibility across search results and AI-driven summaries.

If you’re ready to turn your brand into a recognized authority across the web, Outreach Monks offers specialized Brand Mentions SEO services to help you secure mentions on credible platforms that truly make an impact.

Stand out. Earn trust. Reach everywhere.

FAQs About Brand Mentions SEO