---
title: "4 million AI links: is your SEO getting you picked? · Avouch"
description: "Does good SEO help AI recommend your company? Avouch compares research from AirOps, Ahrefs and Semrush, with clear findings and practical next steps."
url: https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain
markdown_url: https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain.md
---

# 4 million AI links: is your SEO getting you picked?

You pay to be found on Google, but does AI tell buyers to choose you? We looked at the research to see where SEO helps and what your reports miss.

**Steen Stones** · Reviewed 8 Oct 2026

## Does good SEO get you recommended?

SEO is the work you do to help your website show up in search. Good Google rankings can help you appear in AI answers, but they do not tell you whether AI recommends your company. We compared research from AirOps, Ahrefs and Semrush to see where that search work helps and what your reports might miss [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

## What Google rankings can tell you

Ahrefs studied 4 million links from Google’s AI answers to web pages and found that just 37.1% also ranked in Google’s usual top 10 for the same search [\[3\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-3).

That means your page can get a link from AI without reaching Google’s first page. Good rankings still matter, though, as an earlier Ahrefs study found that pages higher up Google’s results were more likely to get a link in its AI answers [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[3\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-3).

For your business, what matters next is whether AI links to your page, names your company or suggests that a buyer chooses you. Each result tells you something different, so your report should show them separately [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

## AI can find your page and still leave you out

When AirOps looked at the pages ChatGPT pulled in to prepare answers, it found that 85% received no link in the final answer. ChatGPT had found those pages, but readers had no link to follow [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1).

The study does not show whether every page helped shape the answer, so we cannot say they were all used without credit. What it does show is that being found is not enough to earn a link [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1).

Even when AI links to your page, it may not suggest that someone buys from you. That is why Avouch checks source links, mentions and recommendations separately [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

A source link

A source link points to a page.

A mention

A mention names your company.

A recommendation

A recommendation puts your company forward as a choice.

## Why the research can sound confusing

AirOps found a clear link between good Google positions and links in ChatGPT answers, whilst Ahrefs found that few of ChatGPT’s links matched Google’s first page. These findings sound at odds until you look at what each study checked [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4).

Ahrefs checked Google’s results for the question the person asked, but AirOps also checked the extra searches ChatGPT made before writing its answer. AirOps looked further down Google’s results too, giving it more chances to find a match [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4).

Why AirOps and Ahrefs found different results

| Ahrefs checked | AirOps checked |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The question the person asked. [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) | That question and the extra searches ChatGPT made. [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) |
| Google’s top 10 results. [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) | Google’s top 20 results. [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) |

By checking more searches, AirOps found more of ChatGPT’s source pages in Google’s results. The reports also counted different things: how often found pages became links, and how often links matched Google’s results. Their figures can make sense together because they answer different questions [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4).

Our advice is to cover the questions around a purchase as well as the main search term, helping buyers compare their choices and work out whether your product suits them [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

## Will more links from other websites help?

Links from other websites to yours are called backlinks. In a study of 75,000 brands, Ahrefs found only a weak link between the number of backlinks a company had and how often AI named it [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5).

Companies that more people searched for by name tended to appear more often in AI answers, but that does not prove one caused the other. We cannot assume that increasing searches for your name would make AI mention you more [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5).

When your company appears on other websites, we would look at what they say and how that helps a buyer. Counting the links alone will not tell you whether your AI search work is paying off [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

## Check the questions your buyers ask

Semrush found that websites appearing for more Google searches also tended to get more AI links, which gives you a useful reason to keep working on search [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

A separate Semrush study looked at which company ChatGPT named most often within a topic. The company with more visitors from search did not always come first, and being named did not mean being recommended [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6).

These findings fit together when you think about the buyer’s question. A large website may be a useful source on many subjects, but that does not tell you which company AI names when someone asks about what you sell. We would check those questions directly [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

## What we would do with your marketing budget

Keep the search work that helps your useful pages compete, and make sure those pages answer what buyers need to know before they choose you [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

Check each AI service on its own, as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and Perplexity showed different patterns in the research. What you find in ChatGPT cannot tell you what the others will show [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

As you read the answers, look for links to your website, mentions of your company and reasons a buyer might choose you. Then ask new customers what helped them find and choose you, and compare what they say with enquiries and the sales your team is working on [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

## Does AI recommend your company?

Avouch’s assessment brings these checks together to show where AI links to you, where it names you and where it puts you forward to buyers. We check your competitors too, whilst your Recommendation Rate™ shows how often AI picks you as the answer [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8). You can start with Avouch’s free scan, then use the paid assessment for a fuller picture of where you stand and what needs work. That gives you a clearer basis for deciding where to spend your time and budget [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

[Start your free scan ](https://avouchedfor.com/assessment)

### The figures behind this article

Each AI service needs its own check

| AI service | What the research measured |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Google AI Overviews | Google ranking positions and links from AI answers. [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[3\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-3) |
| Google AI Mode | Company mentions and links, compared with website and brand measures. [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7) |
| ChatGPT | Links from answers and company mentions. The original question and extra searches gave different comparisons. [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5) |
| Perplexity | Links from answers compared with Google’s results. [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) |
| Gemini | Links from answers compared with Google’s results. [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) |
| Copilot | Links from answers compared with Google’s results. [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4) |

Ahrefs’ earlier Google AI Overviews study covered 1.9 million links, checking only the first three links in each AI answer. Even pages at the top of Google appeared there only about 50% of the time [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2).

For ChatGPT, Ahrefs found that 8% of links within the answer matched Google’s top 10 for the original question. AirOps found 55.8% when it checked the top 20 for both the original question and the extra searches, so the studies used different search limits and questions [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1) [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4).

AirOps also compared pages that ChatGPT had found, showing that pages at the top of Google were cited at 3.5 times the rate of pages outside the top 20. This asks how often found pages become links, rather than how many links rank in Google [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1).

For Perplexity, Ahrefs found that 28.6% of its links matched Google’s top 10, whilst Gemini and Copilot had less overlap with Google’s results. These are findings from the time of the study, so they do not tell you today’s results for your company [\[4\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-4).

In Ahrefs’ brand study, the link between searches for a company’s name and AI mentions differed by service: 0.352 for ChatGPT, 0.466 for Google AI Mode and 0.392 for AI Overviews. These correlation scores describe how closely the measures moved together, rather than percentages or proof of cause and effect [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5).

Ahrefs selected established websites with a Domain Rating above 40, its score for link strength, and a leading search term with at least 800 monthly searches. It also used different sets of questions for ChatGPT and Google’s AI services, so the findings may not carry over to a small company [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5).

Semrush’s broad website study covered the top 10,000 domains in its AI Visibility Index. The link between the number of Google search terms they ranked for and AI citations scored 0.86 to 0.87, but that does not mean SEO explains that percentage of AI results [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

Semrush compared Authority Score, its website-strength score, with AI citations and reported a correlation of 0.70 for Google AI Mode and 0.43 for ChatGPT. These scores describe a relationship, so they cannot tell you what result to expect from buying more SEO work [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

Semrush’s topic study covered 1,094 US categories, where the leading company beat the runner-up on searches for its name in 55.7% of pairs. It had more search traffic in 48.4% and a higher Authority Score in 52.5%, but only the brand-search difference passed the study’s statistical test. The authors called that edge modest [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6).

The topic study defined a clear owner through mentions: a brand had to appear across at least four of five questions and lead the runner-up, without needing to be explicitly recommended. This comparison does not prove that writing more about a topic causes AI to recommend you [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6).

### How we compared the studies

This is Avouch’s review of research by AirOps, Ahrefs and Semrush, who collected the original data. We compared what each report counted, which AI service it tested and which questions it asked.

The 4 million links in the headline come from Ahrefs’ larger Google AI Overview study. We have not added unrelated sample sizes together because pages, companies and questions are different things, and some study samples may overlap [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[3\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-3).

Ahrefs’ older AI Overview report found about 76% overlap with top Google results, whilst its update found about 38% when it included other search features, or 37.1% for ordinary results alone. Because Ahrefs also changed how it collected citations, this is not a clean test of how much Google rankings changed in importance [\[3\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-3).

AirOps’ extra searches also change what gets counted: of the cited pages it matched to any top-20 result, 32.9% appeared only through an extra search. That percentage applies to the matched group, not all citations [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1).

Semrush’s topic study covers the US from January to June 2026, with more than 50,000 brands and 600,000 citations. A result from that sample is not a forecast for a UK company [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6).

These reports show patterns, but they do not tell us how much of a company’s AI success was caused by SEO. A useful next test would compare similar pages or topics, change some and leave others alone, then ask the same buyer questions again. Measuring links, mentions, recommendations and sales separately would make the results more useful for deciding what to do next [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5) [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

## Common questions

### Does being first on Google mean AI will recommend me?

Being first on Google does not tell you whether AI will recommend you, because the Ahrefs ranking study measured links from AI answers rather than recommendations to buy. Avouch checks whether AI puts your company forward separately [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

### Can ChatGPT find my page without linking to it?

Yes, AirOps found that 85% of the pages ChatGPT pulled in received no link in its final answer. We know those pages were found, but the study does not prove that every page shaped the answer [\[1\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-1).

### Should I stop paying for SEO?

We would keep the search work that helps your useful pages compete, then check where that work carries through to AI answers. A rankings report alone cannot show whether AI recommends your company [\[2\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-2) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7) [\[8\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-8).

### Do these studies prove what will work for my company?

The studies show patterns across the companies, pages and questions tested, which can help you decide what to check. They do not prove that a change to your website will make AI recommend you [\[5\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-5) [\[6\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-6) [\[7\]](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/how-much-ai-visibility-can-seo-explain#insight-source-7).

### Read the sources and dates

1. [The Influence of Retrieval, Fan-out, and Google SERPs on ChatGPT Citations (opens in a new tab)](https://www.airops.com/report/influence-of-retrieval-fanout-and-google-serps-in-chatgpt), checked 8 October 2026Published 12 March 2026. Collection dates are not stated in the report.
2. [Does Ranking Higher on Google Mean You'll Get Cited in AI Overviews? (opens in a new tab)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/does-ranking-higher-on-google-mean-youll-get-cited-in-ai-overviews/), checked 8 October 2026Published 21 July 2025.
3. [Update: 38% of AI Overview Citations Pull From The Top 10 (opens in a new tab)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overview-citations-top-10/), checked 8 October 2026Updated 2 March 2026; includes a comparison with July 2025.
4. [Only 12% of AI Cited URLs Rank in Google's Top 10 for the Original Prompt (opens in a new tab)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-search-overlap/), checked 8 October 2026Published 11 August 2025; data collected in early July.
5. [Top Brand Visibility Factors in ChatGPT, AI Mode, and AI Overviews (75k Brands Studied) (opens in a new tab)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-brand-visibility-correlations/), checked 8 October 2026Published 12 December 2025.
6. [AI visibility is a topic-level game: A study of 50,000 brands in ChatGPT \[Study\] (opens in a new tab)](https://www.semrush.com/blog/chatgpt-topic-authority-study/), checked 8 October 2026Published 20 July 2026; US observations, January to June 2026.
7. [SEO is foundational for AI search visibility: Our data shows how (opens in a new tab)](https://enterprise.semrush.com/resources/article/seo-ai-search-connected-study/), checked 8 October 2026Publication date and collection window are not stated on the page.
8. [AI SEO agency for UK tech companies · Avouch (opens in a new tab)](https://avouchedfor.com/ai-seo-agency), checked 8 October 2026Service page updated 5 October 2026. Used for Avouch’s offer, not as independent evidence.

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