Semrush says backlinks still matter, now for AI search visibility too

Backlinks still matter, but the job has changed: in 2026, link building is really authority engineering. Semrush’s 2026 guide lays out 10 tactics for building authority and visibility across traditional search and AI-generated answers, and the big idea is simple: the right links still help rankings, but they also help AI systems decide who looks credible.

Why authority now matters more than raw volume

The old playbook chased as many links as possible. That is the wrong instinct now because Semrush’s AI-search research across 1,000 domains found that quality and authority matter more than sheer backlink count for visibility in AI-generated answers. That matches what search surfaces are doing in public view, especially as Google has expanded AI Overviews to more than 200 countries and territories and more than 40 languages.

Google also says AI Overviews are meant to help people discover websites and often act as a jumping-off point to visit web content. That means the link from a reputable source is no longer just a ranking vote. It is also a signal that can help an AI system decide which source to surface, summarize, or cite.

What a good backlink looks like now

Semrush’s guide defines the links worth pursuing with unusual clarity. The strongest backlinks are relevant, authoritative, naturally placed in body content, and backed by descriptive anchor text that tells both people and machines what the page is about. That combination still helps traditional search, but it also makes the page easier for AI systems to interpret and reuse.

One detail agencies still miss is that nofollow and other link attributes can still help AI visibility. Google may not pass full ranking credit through those links, but AI systems can still read them as trust or topical cues. That makes placement and context matter far more than the old do-follow obsession.

Where the practical wins still come from

Semrush’s own backlink tools point to the most reliable starting point: competitor backlink analysis. When you compare your site with a rival, you can see referring domains, top-linked pages, and anchors, then spot opportunities you have not touched yet. In practice, that can lead you to bloggers, product reviewers, and media sites that already link in your niche and are far more likely to make sense for your brand.

That is also where Semrush’s broader view gets useful. Link building now includes co-citations and brand mentions, not just conventional link acquisition. The content formats that help most are the ones AI tools can parse cleanly: body-copy mentions, resource lists, podcast transcripts, newsletter archives, and other pages where your brand appears in full sentences rather than being buried in a thin sidebar.

The tactics agencies should rethink

This is where the agency side gets uncomfortable. Purely mechanical outreach is losing its edge because it produces weak signals, and weak signals do little for either rankings or AI citation visibility. Google’s spam policies still warn that violating link-related rules can push a page or site lower in search results or remove it altogether, which is a strong reminder that risky link work can damage the very authority it is supposed to build.

The smarter shift is toward digital PR and media placement, not volume outreach. A well-placed mention in a credible article, review, podcast transcript, or newsletter archive can do more for long-term trust than a pile of low-context placements that exist only to hand out link equity.

The practical filter

• Relevance first: does the source actually belong in the same topical neighborhood?

• Placement second: is the link or mention in body content where it adds context?

• Anchor quality third: does the language describe the destination clearly?

• Distribution last: is the mention showing up in places AI tools can actually read and summarize?

Why search and AI are converging

Google Search Central’s AI features documentation is a sign that this is no longer a side conversation. Site owners are being asked to think about inclusion in AI Overviews and AI Mode as part of Search, not as an entirely separate world. Google has also kept updating its Search documentation around AI features and spam policies through 2025 and 2026, which tells you the rules are still evolving.

OpenAI adds another layer here. ChatGPT search can return timely answers with links to relevant web sources and can show inline citations or a sources panel. If your brand does not show up in the kinds of pages AI systems can parse cleanly, you are not just missing a traditional backlink opportunity, you are missing a citation opportunity.

The playbook that lasts

The durable strategy is simple enough to say and hard enough to execute: earn links and mentions that are credible, contextual, and easy for both humans and machines to trust. That means building pages worth citing, doing competitor backlink research before you pitch, and treating every placement as part of a broader authority system rather than a one-off transaction.

Semrush is right about the core point. Backlinks still matter, but the smartest agencies now think like editors and PR strategists, not link sellers. The brands that win will be the ones that build enough real authority to show up in search results and in the AI answers people increasingly use to decide what to read next.