How to build links that work across search systems

Search is no longer a single ecosystem. SERPs and LLMs often surface and cite completely different sources, which means the links that influence rankings aren’t always the same signals that influence AI visibility.

Based on large-scale research and real client data, this deck explores why different systems reward different signals and shows how to design link strategies that perform across them.

Transcript

1. How to build links that work across search systems SearchDay 2026 Aarhus Tamara Novitović April 14 2026 bazoom.com /tamara-novitovic
2. Introduction /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 You built 200 links last quarter. Half of them don't matter anymore. You built 200 links last quarter. Half of them don't matter anymore.
3. Introduction /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 About Focus Speaking Head of SEO @ Bazoom Group Link building & agency iGaming, SaaS, fintech Tamara Novitović Head of SEO @ Bazoom Ethical link building in competitive verticals SEO strategy & reporting AI search & visibility BrightonSEO x4, AWSummit, SiGMA, SMX Advanced, Zagreb SEO, TES, etc, SEO podcasts, and now SearchDay 2026 in Aarhus!
4. Agenda /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 What the data shows Putting it into practice What we’ll cover today How search systems work The overlap most SEOs miss The overlap most SEOs miss The universal link framework The universal link framework Your Monday morning plan Your Monday morning plan
5. Section 1: The New Reality /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Search is no longer one ecosystem. Search is no longer one ecosystem.
6. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 ChatGPT ChatGPT Google Google Perplexity Perplexity Section 1
7. Traditional search AI / LLM search Google Google Crawl Crawl Index Index Rank pages Rank pages LLM LLM Retrieve from SERP / training data Retrieve from SERP / training data Synthesize Synthesize Surface answer Surface answer Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
8. SERPs rank pages. LLMs extract information. But LLMs start by googling it. SERPs rank pages. LLMs extract information. But LLMs start by googling it. Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
9. Where LLMs get their data from Training data Training data Real-time retrieval Real-time retrieval Domain-level Domain-level scraping scraping Domain-level scraping web scrapes pre-cutoff snapshots web scrapes pre-cutoff snapshots SERP results Bing API calls SERP results Bing API calls when the site is accessible /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 1
10. Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Same query, different answers = same source pool
11. LLMs are mostly using SERP and returning what they see. LLMs are mostly using SERP and returning what they see. Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
12. What each system rewards High DR backlinks Keyword-optimized anchors Link velocity Page authority High DR backlinks Keyword-optimized anchors Link velocity Page authority SERP Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 LLMs Contextual relevance Digestible content structure Source clarity Information completeness Contextual relevance Digestible content structure Source clarity Information completeness
13. The overlap is bigger than you think Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 SERP signals Winning zone LLM signals PageRank weighting, Click-through signals, Exact-match anchors Topical authority, Content relevance, Domain trust, Link equity Content digestibility, Entity co-occurrence, Source consensus
14. Section 1 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 They drink from the same well. But they drink differently. Let's kill some myths first. They drink from the same well. But they drink differently. Let's kill some myths first.
15. Section 2: Myth-Busting /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Let's talk about what's actually real. Let's talk about what's actually real.
16. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
17. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 AEO, GEO, LLMEO... AEO, GEO, LLMEO...
18. MYTH: You can track AI rankings like SERP rankings. MYTH: You can track AI rankings like SERP rankings. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
19. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
20. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
21. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 • AI answers are not as static as SERP • No fixed position to track • Tools selling this are selling snapshots, not data • AI answers are not as static as SERP • No fixed position to track • Tools selling this are selling snapshots, not data
22. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 MYTH: AEO is a separate discipline from SEO. MYTH: AEO is a separate discipline from SEO.
23. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 AEO best practices good SEO
24. Section 2 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 MYTH: You need special AI optimization tactics to get cited. MYTH: You need special AI optimization tactics to get cited.
25. The reality LLMs take the quickest, most digestible path to an answer LLMs take the quickest, most digestible path to an answer They just don't process schema markup the way Google does They surface what's clear, structured, and contextually relevant They surface what's clear, structured, and contextually relevant /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 2
26. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 2 The best strategy is the one you stop investing in separately. The best strategy is the one you stop investing in separately.
27. SEO is the entry ticket. Content quality decides if you get quoted. Let's measure both. SEO is the entry ticket. Content quality decides if you get quoted. Let's measure both. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 2
28. Section 3: Link Quality & The Impact Score Framework /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 How do we actually evaluate link quality now? How do we actually evaluate link quality now?
29. Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 “A DR 80 link is automatically a good link.” “A DR 80 link is automatically a good link.”
30. Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 DR and DA were never the full picture. Now they're not even half of it. DR and DA were never the full picture. Now they're not even half of it.
31. The problem Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Teams default to DR/DA as primary quality signal Teams default to DR/DA as primary quality signal Clients expect high metrics but can't measure real impact Clients expect high metrics but can't measure real impact No standardized way to score link value across projects No standardized way to score link value across projects
32. unrelated adjacent exact match 0 5 10 15 20 Factual depth S F 85 70 90 60 50 75 Originality Originality Readability Freshness Citations Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 The Impact Score Relevance Domain trust signals Domain trust signals Topical match between source and target Content quality Depth, structure, digestibility Placement context Placement context Where the link sits within the content Where the link sits within the content Traffic, indexation, real audience (not just DR/DA) Traffic, indexation, real audience (not just DR/DA) high mid high high Footer Footer Sidebar Sidebar Author bio Author bio Editorial Editorial DR/DA indexation traffic 12m 0 5 10 15 20
33. 10 / 10 Relevance Content quality Placement context Domain trust 8 / 10 9 / 10 10 / 10 Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
34. Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Why it scales Dimensions stay the same. Weights adjust per vertical Works for 10-link plans and 200-link campaigns Defines gut-feel and gives teams confidence / clients clarity Dimensions stay the same. Weights adjust per vertical Works for 10-link plans and 200-link campaigns Defines gut-feel and gives teams confidence / clients clarity
35. Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Sorting links by DR Checking traffic too Evaluating relevance and content Using a scaled Impact Score
36. Section 3 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Wanna do it quickly? Scan the QR code at the end of my talk! Wanna do it quickly? Scan the QR code at the end of my talk!
37. Section 4: Ahrefs x Bazoom Research: SERP vs LLM Link Signals /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 What we found when we pulled the data. What we found when we pulled the data.
38. Section 4 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Nobody had compared SERP link signals vs LLM citation signals at scale. So we did. Nobody had compared SERP link signals vs LLM citation signals at scale. So we did.
39. Section 4 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Me watching LLMs completely ignore my DR 80 links Me watching LLMs completely ignore my DR 80 links
40. Backlink/referring domains counts and Domain Rating analysed per system and per position. Backlink/referring domains counts and Domain Rating analysed per system and per position. The study Top 10 URLs compared across traditional SERPs, AI Mode, and ChatGPT citations. Top 10 URLs compared across traditional SERPs, AI Mode, and ChatGPT citations. 3M URL samples. Data: Ahrefs, 2025/2026. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 4 x
41. 3,500 SERPs 2,800 AI Mode 400 ChatGPT Median backlinks per top-10 URL Source: Ahrefs 2026. Backlinks by system Section 4 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
42. Top URLs in AI Mode and SERPs have significantly more backlinks than in ChatGPT
43. Position #1 tend to have more backlinks than other positions
44. Domain rating varies more widely in ChatGPT vs SERPs and AI Mode
45. But overall, ~75% of URLs in the top 10 positions have 40 DR or higher
46. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 If LLMs cite authoritative domains it’s because they're Googling it first. That's the macro. If LLMs cite authoritative domains it’s because they're Googling it first. That's the macro. Section 4
47. Section 4 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 But which specific content gets quoted? That's a different question. But which specific content gets quoted? That's a different question.
48. Section 4 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Strong domain/link profile → gets your site into the LLM's retrieval pool. SEO is the entry ticket Strong domain/link profile → gets your site into the LLM's retrieval pool. SEO is the entry ticket Macro (layer 1) Macro (layer 1) Digestible, relevant, chunked content → gets your page actually cited in the answer. Content quality is the differentiator Micro (layer 2) The two-layer model The two-layer model
49. Section 4 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 You need SEO to get into the room. You need content quality to get quoted once you're there. You need SEO to get into the room. You need content quality to get quoted once you're there.
50. Section 5: Case Study /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Putting it into practice Putting it into practice
51. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Strategy setup Strategy setup Crypto gambling vertical, US market Competitive niche, aggressive SERP landscape Goal: improve organic visibility through link building Crypto gambling vertical, US market Competitive niche, aggressive SERP landscape Goal: improve organic visibility through link building Section 5
52. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 We didn't build links for AI. We built links that happened to work for AI. We didn't build links for AI. We built links that happened to work for AI. Section 5
53. The approach Hybrid content. No traditional long- form SEO guest posts. Hybrid content. No traditional long- form SEO guest posts. Relevant, editorially placed links on topically aligned domains. Relevant, editorially placed links on topically aligned domains. No AEO/GEO tactics. No AI-specific targeting. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 5
54. /tamara-novitovic Section 5 SearchDay 2026
55. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 The campaign Section 5
56. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 5
57. SERP improvements post-link deployment /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 5
58. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Section 5 The surprise finding in AI citations
59. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Same links. Same content. Both systems responded. Same links. Same content. Both systems responded. Section 5
60. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 What moved the needle What moved the needle Relevant, mid-metric (DR 35–60) Content was hybrid and a bit more chunked than usual Macro layer was covered (decent link profile) Micro layer tipped AI citation Relevant, mid-metric (DR 35–60) Content was hybrid and a bit more chunked than usual Macro layer was covered (decent link profile) Micro layer tipped AI citation Section 5
61. Section 6: The Universal Link Framework /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 A framework that works for both A framework that works for both
62. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Building separately is a budget trap Building separately is a budget trap Double cost, double content, double management LLMs pull from SERP anyway, the macro layer proves it The overlap zone is where ROI compounds Double cost, double content, double management LLMs pull from SERP anyway, the macro layer proves it The overlap zone is where ROI compounds Section 6
63. Section 6 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
64. Section 6 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 The framework pipeline Build the link profile that gets your site into the retrieval pool. This is the macro layer. Hybrid, snippet-ready. Sections that stand alone as answers to real queries. Relevance-first, not DR-first. Editorial integration, real audience, topical surroundings. No sidebar or footer. Score every prospect before you build. Build, skip, or negotiate. DOMAIN SEO TARGET SELECTION CONTENT FORMAT PLACEMENT CRITERIA IMPACT SCORE
65. Section 6 /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 SERP link buiilding AI optimization $2,500/mo $2,500/mo $2,500/mo Universal link strategy Total: Total: $5,000/mo $2,500/mo Fragmented results Separate teams, separate content Double the management Compounding results Same links serve both systems One team, one workflow
66. /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026 Modern link building isn't about gaming one system. It's about being genuinely useful to both. Modern link building isn't about gaming one system. It's about being genuinely useful to both. Section 6
67. Three things to take home: Digestible, chunked content gets you actually cited Content quality is the differentiator 1 2 3 And saves budget One universal strategy covers both layers Strong link profiles get you into the LLM retrieval pool SEO is the entry ticket /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
68. Audit your last 20 links with the Impact Score Rewrite one guest post into hybrid chunked format Check if your best SERP links appear in LLM answers Audit your last 20 links with the Impact Score Rewrite one guest post into hybrid chunked format Check if your best SERP links appear in LLM answers /tamara-novitovic SearchDay 2026
69. Thank you, SearchDay! Now go build some links after this Q&A :) bazoom.com /tamara-novitovic tn@bazoom.com