Backlinks matter less directly for AI citation than for traditional ranking, but the third-party pages that link to you are often the same pages AI engines cite from — so backlink-building and citation-building overlap.
[01]/ the data
What we found
Top-cited companies in our study earned mentions from the same tier of sites (directories, comparison articles) that also typically link out.
[02]/ how to do it
Three steps
Prioritize backlinks from comparison/directory content over generic guest posts.
Track which linking pages are also citation sources.
Don't treat backlink count as a standalone KPI anymore.