The mechanism changed, the principle didn’t
Links were a proxy for the web vouching for you. That signal still matters, but a model reasoning over sources cares less about the count and more about whether independent, credible sources say consistent things about you.
Mentions can matter without a link
A model reading a page that describes your company learns from the text whether or not there is an anchor tag. That reframes the goal from acquiring links to being accurately described in places worth reading — a different and more durable activity.
The question is no longer how many sites link to you. It’s how many independent sources describe you the same way.
Consistency across sources is the real signal
Three sources describing you identically is stronger than thirty describing you differently. This is why keeping one consistent self-description everywhere does more than any campaign, and why contradictory directory listings quietly cost you.
Bought links fail differently now
Paid placements on low-quality sites contributed a number that used to be counted. A model weighing source credibility gains nothing from them, and pages built purely to host links tend to describe you vaguely, which adds no usable information.
Where to spend instead
Being genuinely written about — by publications, partners, customers, and communities in your field — produces accurate description at credible sources. It is slower than buying links and it is the part competitors cannot replicate in a quarter.
Audit what already exists
Before pursuing anything new, check what the existing mentions of your company say, because outdated ones are actively working against you. That is the same trail you follow when an assistant states something false.