Link building in the AI search era focuses on earning high-quality, contextually relevant links that signal credibility and authority to AI-driven algorithms. It emphasizes digital PR, expert mentions, and trustworthy citations over volume-based backlink strategies.

Search Engine Journal has published ‘2026 Guide To Hiring A Link Building Agency In The AI Search Era’.

Jeremy Moser says, “Traditional link-building isn’t dead. But the old methods are broken.

For years, SEO agencies focused only on domain authority (DA) or domain rating (DR).

They built backlinks from any site with a high number of backlinks. They ignored readership and content quality.

But that approach is dangerous now.

Because search engines have evolved, links now serve two masters: Google’s algorithm and AI model training data.

Ignoring this means losing search engine rankings (and watching your bottom line suffer).

In fact, uSERP’s 2025 State of Backlinks Report, which surveyed 800 SEO professionals, found that 67.5% believe backlinks influence overall search results (a rise from 2023).”

2026 Guide To Hiring A Link Building Agency In The AI Search Era

Search Engine Journal