Backlinks were supposed to matter less once AI started answering search questions directly. Harley Helmer says something closer to the opposite is happening: brand mentions that never earned a link at all are becoming one of the strongest signals a company can send to ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI Mode.
Harley leads SEO at Americaneagle.com, where his team is building AI-search tracking from scratch, since no platform currently reports how often a given prompt gets asked.
In this episode, Harley details a four-quadrant framework for tracking branded and non-branded AI prompts, explains why repeating the same brand message across social, Wikipedia, and third-party sites now outweighs saying it once on your own site, and covers Google's new crackdown on exact-match anchor text backlinks. He also makes a call: Gemini and AI Mode will out-use ChatGPT by year's end.
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3 Takeaways:
- Track AI visibility the way you'd design a research study: split every question into branded vs. non-branded and aware vs. unaware, then watch the trend line over months, not weeks.
- An unlinked brand mention used to be worthless for SEO. For AI search, getting your brand named in the same context across multiple sites is now one of the strongest signals you can send.
- Google is cracking down on exact-match anchor text backlinks. A link that reads "Americaneagle.com did great SEO work" now carries more weight than one that just says "SEO services."
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:16) Why Prompt Tracking Matters Now
(03:06) A Framework for Tracking Prompts
(05:17) Offsite Signals for LLMs
(06:43) How to Make Your Site Agent-Friendly
(08:10) Backlinks Still Win
(09:14) Google's Crackdown on Link Spam
(10:42) Gemini vs. ChatGPT: Who's Winning?
(11:35) Who to Follow in MarTech Right Now
About the Guest:
Harley Helmer's path into SEO wasn't a straight line — he trained as a pastry chef and ran the pastry program at a well-known Chicago-suburb restaurant before deciding kitchen life wasn't the long-term fit. He moved into internet marketing and built a career on the same standard: prove real value for the people he's working for, not just theory. Today he works as a SEO Team Lead, AmericanEagle.com, where he helps clients define what their marketing strategy should actually look like and backs it up with hands-on execution experience.
Connect:
Harley Helmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harley-helmer/
Sara Faatz: www.linkedin.com/in/sara-faatz-b67213
Progress: www.progress.com
Americaneagle.com: http://www.americaneagle.com
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