There are dozens of tactics to rank higher in ChatGPT and Google’s AI mode, but only one method delivers reliable, fast results. At TJ Digital, we’ve tested every strategy we can find, and this approach is so effective that it’s the only one you should focus on until you’ve maximized it.
We call it Brand Mention Building, and it can boost your AI visibility within 24 hours instead of the 3-6 months traditional SEO requires.
What Is Brand Mention Building?
Brand mention building is getting your business name referenced on third-party websites that AI systems crawl and trust. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI mode for recommendations in your industry, these models scan hundreds of websites before providing an answer.
Here’s the key insight: 90% of the time, AI models pull information from third-party sites, not your website or your competitors’ websites. The entire game is showing up on the websites that ChatGPT and AI mode are crawling with information that makes them confident you’re the best choice.
You don’t need a backlink to your website. Most of the time, it doesn’t even matter what’s on your website. You just need your brand mentioned on these third-party sources in a way that positions you as the top recommendation.
Why Brand Mention Building Works Better Than SEO
Unlike traditional SEO, brand mention building delivers immediate results. Here’s the difference:
Traditional SEO: You might wait 3-6 months to see your content climb to page one of Google search results.
Brand Mention Building: AI systems continuously update their knowledge base. As soon as they crawl new mentions of your brand, you can start appearing in AI answers within hours or days.
Speed of Impact: People have reported seeing their AI visibility increase within 24 hours of improving their brand mentions on key third-party sites.
Competitive Advantage: AI models don’t automatically favor the biggest brands. They recommend brands with the most relevant and recent mentions for specific queries. This levels the playing field for smaller businesses.
How to Find the Right Third-Party Websites
The key to effective brand mention building is knowing where to focus your efforts. You need to identify which external websites most influence AI answers for queries in your industry.
Step 1: Run Test Searches
Start by querying AI chatbots with prompts your potential customers might use:
- “What are the best [your product category]?”
- “Top [service] providers in [industry]”
- “[Product] comparison” or “Best [service] for [specific use case]”
Run these prompts multiple times since AI responses vary. Note which sources the AI cites or references in its answers.
Step 2: Document Frequently Cited Sources
Create a spreadsheet of websites that consistently appear in AI answers. You’ll typically find that 3-5 websites make up most of the sources. These high-priority sources are your target list for brand mentions.
Step 3: Prioritize by Influence
Focus on sources that are both highly relevant to your industry and frequently referenced by AI. According to research, certain types of third-party sites are most important for AI mentions:
Industry Directories: Sites like Clutch, G2, Capterra, or TripAdvisor that rank companies by reviews and ratings.
Forums and Q&A Sites: Reddit and Quora contain authentic discussions that AI systems trust as “organic” information.
Listicles and “Best of” Articles: AI often pulls recommendations from “Top 10” lists or comparison blog posts that already rank well on Google.
Review Platforms: Any site that aggregates reviews, including Google Business Profiles, Amazon reviews, or niche review sites for your industry.
Two Strategies for Brand Mention Building
Once you’ve identified the key sources, you can take two approaches:
Strategy 1: Get Listed on New Sites
Get your brand onto third-party websites where you’re not currently mentioned. This might involve:
- Submitting your business to relevant directories
- Engaging authentically in Reddit discussions (without being promotional)
- Reaching out to bloggers who write “best of” lists in your industry
Strategy 2: Improve Existing Mentions
For sites where you’re already listed, improve how your brand is presented:
Boost Directory Rankings: If you’re listed on Clutch or G2, focus on getting more reviews to climb from position #8 to the top 3. AI models favor top-ranked entries on these platforms.
Engage in Forum Discussions: On Reddit or Quora, contribute helpful insights in threads related to your industry. Mention your brand naturally when it adds value to the conversation.
Update “Best of” Articles: Reach out to authors of listicles where you’re mentioned with updated information about your product or new achievements.
The Immediate Impact Advantage
Brand mention building offers something traditional SEO cannot: immediate visibility. Studies show that AI visibility can increase within 24 hours of new mentions appearing on key third-party sites.
This speed advantage is crucial for businesses that need results quickly. While your competitors wait months for SEO results, you can start appearing in AI recommendations almost immediately.
Tools for Tracking Brand Mentions
Several tools can help you monitor and build brand mentions:
Free Options: Google Alerts provides basic brand monitoring for mentions across news sites and web pages.
Paid Platforms:
- Semrush Brand Monitoring (~$49/month) tracks mentions across web sources with sentiment analysis
- Brand24 (from $99/month) monitors social media, blogs, forums, news, and even podcasts
- Mention.com (from $49/month) offers real-time monitoring with historical data up to two years
AI-Specific Tools: New platforms like peec.ai offer similar features to expensive tools like Profound, but at a fraction of the cost for tracking AI visibility specifically.
Why This Strategy Works for Small Businesses
Brand mention building levels the playing field between small businesses and established competitors. AI models present 2-3 brand options for queries, and if your brand has comparable mention “buzz” as bigger competitors, the AI could list both side by side.
Unlike traditional SEO, where established players with high domain authority dominate, AI search rewards brands with the most relevant and recent mentions. A nimble small business can often out-hustle larger competitors in places they’re not paying attention to.
Getting Started with Brand Mention Building
Here’s how to begin implementing this strategy:
- Audit Your Current AI Visibility: Run 10-20 different prompts related to your industry and document where your brand appears (or doesn’t appear).
- Identify High-Impact Sources: Create a list of the 5-10 most frequently cited third-party websites in your industry’s AI results.
- Prioritize Quick Wins: Focus first on improving existing mentions (getting more reviews on directories where you’re already listed) before pursuing new placements.
- Monitor Results: Set up basic tracking with Google Alerts or invest in a paid monitoring tool to measure your progress.
- Scale Systematically: Once you’ve maximized the highest-impact sources, expand to additional third-party sites.
Unlike traditional SEO campaigns that require months of patience, brand mention building can deliver measurable results within days. It’s the fastest way to influence how AI algorithms perceive and recommend your business.
Ready to Dominate AI Search Results?
Brand mention building isn’t just about getting mentioned—it’s about getting mentioned in the right places with the right information. At TJ Digital, we’ve developed systematic processes to identify the highest-impact third-party sources for your industry and strategically build your brand presence across these platforms.
Our AI optimization services combine brand mention building with other proven strategies to maximize your visibility in both traditional search and AI-powered platforms. We start with a comprehensive audit of your current AI visibility, then create a custom strategy to get your brand recommended by ChatGPT, Google’s AI mode, and other AI platforms.
Contact us today for a free digital marketing audit and discover exactly which third-party sites are influencing AI recommendations in your industry.