Episode
Brand Mentions Are Exploding in Value - But Do Backlinks Still Matter?
- Podcast
- The Edward Show
- Published
- Jun 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4144
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Summary
E1078: Charles Floate joins the show to talk about where SEO is going as Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI systems change how people find information. The main question: if brand mentions are becoming more important, do backlinks still matter? Charles argues that backlinks still have value, but mentions are becoming much more important because AI systems do not only look at links. They also look at where a brand is mentioned, which sources mention it, how often it appears near certain topics, and whether those sources are trusted in a specific niche. We also talk about why Charles stepped back from his day-to-day role at PressWhiz, what he thinks is happening to link building, why small teams may have an advantage right now, and how SEO work is changing as search becomes more personalized and answer-based. Topics covered: - Why brand mentions are becoming more valuable in SEO - How to acquire brand mentions - Whether backlinks still matter for AI Overviews, AI Mode, and ChatGPT - How AI systems may evaluate trust, authority, and source quality - Why different niches may have different ranking and citation signals - Why Reddit, YouTube, podcasts, reviews, PR, and community signals can matter - The difference between links, mentions, co-occurrence, and trusted sources - Why mass AI content can hurt a site long term - How small technical teams can compete with larger companies - Why Charles left the day-to-day work of a major link building marketplace - What he is building next - Why video is becoming more important for SEO - Why customer support and product quality can affect brand mentions - Why automating marketing before understanding it is usually a mistake - How AI may change SEO teams, agencies, and software companies We also discuss Google I/O, AI…