Brand Mentions are one of the core signals for AEO. AI systems (especially LLMs) learn from vast amounts of internet text. If your brand is mentioned by many high-quality websites, AI is more likely to recommend you.
Brand mentions come in two types: linked mentions (traditional backlinks) and unlinked mentions. In AEO, unlinked brand mentions are equally important because LLMs learn from text, not links.
Strategies to increase brand mentions: digital PR, guest posting, industry report citations, podcast interviews, and social media engagement.