Link building is not dead—it is changing shape in AI search.
New citation data from Ahrefs’ March 2026 study gives that shift a number. The study found that 37.1% of URLs cited in AI Overviews also ranked in the top 10 organic results for the same query.
That number should reframe the 2027 conversation. Link building is not being replaced by AI search; it is being repositioned as a discovery layer for it.
AI answers still lean on ranked pages
That overlap matters. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on web pages to answer questions. A backlink does not guarantee a citation, but relevant earned links help Google discover and evaluate content. Google’s own AI search guidance points the same way: the foundational practices you use for SEO are still worthwhile for AI Overviews and AI Mode.
For performance marketers and D2C growth teams, the takeaway is straight: AI visibility is not disconnected from organic search. The pages feeding AI answers are often the pages already ranking. If your content already ranks, links can help keep it discoverable as AI answers pull from the open web. If it does not, earned links still give Google a relevance signal.
What the webinar covers
Search Engine Journal will host the free webinar “The Link Building Graveyard: What to Bury & What Still Wins” on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET. Michael Johnson, CEO of Resolve, will lead the session, moderated by Loren Baker.
The session uses real campaign examples to separate link building tactics that should be retired from off-page campaigns that can support rankings and AI visibility.
What to keep in 2027
The keep pile is built around useful content. The session’s examples include:
- Original research that gives relevant publications a reason to link.
- Practical tools that solve a specific problem.
- Guides that answer a buyer’s specific question.
When a relevant publication links to that kind of resource, readers get a route to your expertise and Google gets another path to discover your brand and its authority. Link acquisition stays connected to the questions your brand can answer.
Make a keep-or-cut list
Before you lock 2027 budgets, run every off-page campaign through a keep-or-cut test. The session promises a step-by-step approach to spot outdated link building tactics that no longer help search visibility.
The simplest test: does this campaign support discovery and relevance for a question your brand can answer? If not, it is activity, not a 2027 strategy. If you cannot attend live, register and the recording will be sent to you.
Source: Search Engine Journal
