Backlinks and brand mentions play significant roles in modern SEO strategies. As search engines evolve to prioritize brand authority alongside traditional ranking signals, the need for a balanced approach has become a pressing reality for entrepreneurs. While backlinks remain key to building credibility and securing higher rankings, brand mentions contribute to overall visibility and recognition. Creating campaigns that yield both can be tricky, but not impossible.
Let’s start with some clarity. A backlink is a hyperlink referring back from one site to another. These are direct signals of authority. A brand mention, on the other hand, happens when your business or product gets named across online spaces, even without a hyperlink attached. Search engines now consider both as rankings criteria. But how do you merge the two into one powerful strategy?
Dual Approach to SEO Campaigns
The biggest advantage startups can tap into is versatility. Combining techniques for soliciting backlinks while boosting mentions positions brands effectively in search rankings and reputational ecosystems like Google Knowledge Panels. Here’s how you can strategize for dual gains:
1. Focus on Stories That Resonate
Statistics show press releases with unique data points earn about 54% more engagement. Tailor campaigns around industry trends, innovative use cases, or unusual insights relevant to your expertise. Journalists and bloggers will talk about your brand and provide either links or mentions. Establish your niche with platforms like Resolve Marketing and programs that teach PR storytelling frameworks.
2. Pitch for Mentions First
Not every journalist will give you a link, but many will mention your brand. Make sure your website, product name, or founder profile is irresistible for citation even when it’s unlinked. Craft pitches that detail expertise in emerging fields, and highlight results where your product has positively proven itself. Pitch tools such as Muck Rack or PressRush refine outreach to match ideal mention-worthy outlets.
3. Create Authority Triggers in Content
Your site can be more than a repository of blog posts. Research from Moz suggests that pages offering answers to high-surface queries (like “What is brand mention importance?”), accompanied by downloadable case studies, trigger both mentions and backlinks from authoritative domains. Use free SEO tools like Ubersuggest to plan content that attracts dual forms of mention.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Since I’ve spent years working across this space, let me save you from falling into these traps:
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Expecting Immediate Results
Link acquisition doesn’t happen overnight, nor does brand recognition. Campaigns need layering across weeks of content and distribution, especially if you’re working with high-authority domains. -
Ignoring Metrics Beyond Clicks
Track how unlinked citations impact visibility through tools like Google Analytics and mention-tracking platforms such as BuzzSumo. Links aren’t the only measure; entity authority is broadening SEO outcomes. -
Disconnected Stories
A campaign that randomly uses statistics without real context tends to flop. Every pitch should align tightly to your broader message, including values, visions, and target audiences.
Why This Framework Works
It’s no longer about backlinks alone. Campaign leverage pivots on presence: being seen naturally across credible domains leaves entities, with links or mentions, more likely to dominate AI summaries and compete in the next-gen SEO space. For instance, you can find examples of this strategy applied successfully at Search Engine Journal's authority breakdown.
Another key point revolves around compounding benefits. As your citation network grows, so does referral traffic. Both backlinks and mentions amplify each other when campaigns integrate cross-signal targeting.
A Simple How-To Guide
Building effective SEO campaigns doesn’t have to consume budgets or months:
- Research Domains: Identify outlets with both high DA (domain authority) values and visibility within your industry niche using tools like Ahrefs.
- Initiate Conversations: Engage journalists, bloggers, and influencers early by presenting real-world data relevant to their current audience needs, then ensure follow-ups happen regularly without pressuring links specifically.
- Optimize Content for Search Intent: Ensure that landing pages are keyword-refined to maximize both discovery and apparent relevance. The higher your page is ranked, the better chances mentions connect!
- Distribute Widely: Share across both partner blogs and internal channels like welcome email packs. Brands with a wide distribution increase their reach exponentially.
Concluding Insights
Your campaigns shouldn’t force outputs but rather inspire them. Backlinks fuel visibility while brand mentions solidify reputation, both together evolve SEO success beyond functional boundaries. As you step forward, ensure that dual-strategies build recall far beyond direct clicks. Because entrepreneurs like us don’t aim merely for statistics; we aim for legacy-driven authority that’s impossible to ignore when customers search across platforms.
Ready to try it for yourself? Start with researched channels accessible to collaborations like Miro SEO Blog Generator and branch further by tie-ins enabling mentionable partnerships across mainstream blogs or niche think tanks actively collaborating digitally throughout near-global press circles. Keeping campaigns fresh isn't guesswork when modeled smart!
FAQ on Backlinks vs. Brand Mentions in SEO Strategies
1. What are backlinks and why are they important for SEO?
Backlinks are hyperlinks from one website to another, signaling authority and trust to search engines. They boost rankings and credibility of a webpage. Learn more about backlinks and authority
2. What are brand mentions in the context of SEO?
Brand mentions occur when a business, product, or website is referenced online without a hyperlink. They contribute to visibility, credibility, and entity signals for modern search engines. Discover the importance of brand mentions
3. How do backlinks and brand mentions differ in SEO impact?
While backlinks directly contribute to ranking through hyperlinks, brand mentions emphasize entity recognition and reputation, influencing broader digital authority. Understand SEO beyond backlinks
4. How can I earn both backlinks and brand mentions in campaigns?
You can implement digital PR campaigns focusing on unique data, media outreach, and compelling content to attract journalists for links and unlinked citations. Explore strategies for earning both
5. What role does content play in earning backlinks and mentions?
High-quality content, especially authoritative articles or niche studies, captures media attention, resulting in both backlinks and mentions. Plan content that attracts mentions
6. Can digital campaigns influence brand visibility in AI search results?
Yes, campaigns generating consistent mentions and links improve a brand’s likelihood of appearing in AI summaries and knowledge panels. Learn about SEO campaigns for AI
7. What tools can help track and analyze brand mentions?
Tools like BuzzSumo and Google Analytics allow you to measure visibility and unlinked citations for broad SEO impact. Explore BuzzSumo for tracking mentions
8. What mistakes should I avoid when combining backlinks and brand mentions?
Avoid disconnected stories, expecting instant results, and tracking only click-based metrics. A strategic approach with layered campaigns is key. Discover solutions to avoid common mistakes
9. Why are brand mentions becoming more relevant in SEO today?
With AI and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) rising, search engines value entity recognition from unlinked mentions to determine authority. Learn about AI-driven SEO evolution
10. What framework works best for dual SEO campaigns?
The Resolve Campaign Framework combines systematic ideation, asset creation, media outreach, and SEO alignment for scalable link and mention generation. Understand the Resolve Campaign Framework here
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.