Link Building & Authority Building for AI Search
The one with Jana Radojcic
What we talked about
- Authority building vs traditional link building
- Link building as an extension of on-page SEO
- Niches that don't need link building
- Hiring and trusting specialists
- Link building for LLM visibility and entity coverage
- How link building changed after ChatGPT
- Reddit spam and omnichannel presence
- Planning link volume and cadence
- Why DR alone is misleading
- Choosing clients and setting expectations
- Linking to product pages via bottom-of-funnel content
- Guest posts vs link inserts
- Explaining link building ROI to founders
- Digital PR vs link building
The questions we dug into
Q1What does authority building mean to you?
Organic, contextual placements that combine authority/link equity with branded mentions and curated listicles that can drive referral traffic. The key is strategy — choosing domains and context — not paid guest posts with AI slop. Domain authority also appears to affect LLM visibility.
Asked by Nik · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q2What's it like working with Nik?
'Organized chaos' — laid-back and trusting, so she doesn't have to over-explain her approach.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q3Why does link building start with on-page SEO?
If you have nothing good to offer, it isn't worth linking to — a DR90 link pointing to AI slop makes you look bad. For earned links and digital PR, you need original content such as case studies and research that publishers find valuable.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q4Which niches don't need link building?
Two cases: very narrow niches with low competition, where on-page content is enough; and broad, highly competitive niches where the client's budget can't compete (e.g., a €5K/month budget vs a payroll processor spending €15K/month). She assesses upfront to avoid resorting to link farms or PBNs.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q5Is link building more important now, and how would you set up a campaign for LLM visibility?
First define what the client wants to appear for. Get the brand mentioned in context with that claim (e.g., 'best roofing contractor in Delaware') across multiple sources; in niche industries 5–10 such posts can be enough. Dofollow isn't required for mentions — entity coverage and surrounding context matter. Few competitors are doing this yet, so early movers can dominate.
Asked by Nik · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q6How has your link building approach changed since ChatGPT?
Before, it was about metrics — DR, traffic and rankings from dofollow links. Now clients ask about showing up in AI Overviews, Perplexity and Grok. Link building was always entity coverage; more people are just focused on omnipresence now, not only blue links.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q7What do you think about spamming Reddit to appear in LLMs?
Jana: anything overly promotional backfires; use Reddit only if your ICP is actually there, as part of an organic omnichannel system. Nik: don't spend budget on channels just for an AI citation; listicles are the most 'degenerate' way to manipulate LLMs if content and funnels aren't there.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic & Nik
Q8How do you decide how many links a client needs and which opportunities are good?
Start with how many good links are realistically available in the niche (avoiding casino/CBD/spammy sites). For new sites, 4–6 links/month looks natural. Discount backlinks with zero traffic/DR. For competitive clients, benchmark competitors — she has built 25–30 links/month just as maintenance.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q9How do you get links to important product pages?
Publishers often only allow homepage or blog links, so create bottom-of-funnel blog content about the product (reviews, best-sellers) and link to that, then funnel users to the product page. That's another reason link building starts on-page.
Asked by Sara · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q10Why do you prefer guest posts over link inserts?
Guest articles give control over the surrounding context and conversion potential. Many sites that sell inserts cram dozens of unrelated links into one old article, which looks spammy. She cherry-picks good inserts, like getting into a relevant listicle.
Asked by Nik · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q11How do you explain the value of link building to founders?
Start from their KPIs (revenue) and connect links to higher authority, rankings and LLM mentions that drive traffic — with anchors pointed at money pages. Benchmark competitors so they see why rivals earn more. Link building isn't primarily about referral traffic.
Asked by Nik · answered by Jana Radojcic
Q12When should you run digital PR alongside link building?
For most clients, link building comes first. Digital PR is time-intensive and fits brands with launches, strong research capability or quirky newsworthy ideas. A great campaign can earn thousands of links; if budget allows, do both.
Asked by Nik · answered by Jana Radojcic
Lines that stuck with us
- Jana: link building is 'an extension that complements on-page SEO throughout the process.'
- Jana: in a niche industry, 5–10 contextual posts can be enough to appear in LLMs.
- Jana: dofollow isn't required — 'the mention itself is important. The surrounding context is important.'
- Sara: 'You can't hire Ronaldo and sit him on the bench.'
- Jana: one digital PR campaign can earn thousands of links if executed well.
Note: This page was AI-generated from the podcast transcript and manually reviewed for accuracy and context. While we’ve made every effort to ensure it reflects the original conversation, mistakes or omissions are still possible. If you spot something that doesn’t look right, please reach out and let us know.