Should brands care more about being linked or mentioned?

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• Part 1How AI search is reshaping visibility: from rankings to mentions

  AI search responses prioritize brand mentions over traditional link citations. Thomas Peham, CEO and co-founder of Otterly AI, demonstrates how brands achieve greater business impact through strategic mention optimization rather than conventional link-building approaches. The discussion covers mention-first optimization strategies that position brands directly within AI-generated product recommendations and the framework for evaluating business impact between citation-based visibility versus brand mention prominence in search responses.

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• Part 2The biggest myth about AI search visibility

  Enterprise AI search visibility faces a 70% misconception rate among SEO teams. Thomas Peham, CEO and co-founder of Otterly.AI, shares insights from building a product-led AI search optimization platform that serves enterprise clients through strategic partnerships. The discussion covers founder-led sales methodologies for AI startups, scalable enterprise deal frameworks before hiring sales executives, and product-first go-to-market strategies that validate market fit through direct founder engagement.

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• Part 3Lessons from AI startup mistakes

  AI-generated responses prioritize brand mentions over traditional link citations for business impact. Thomas Peham, CEO and co-founder of Otterly.AI, demonstrates how strategic brand positioning in AI answers drives higher attention and conversion potential than conventional SEO linking strategies. The discussion reveals why optimizing for product mentions in commercial queries delivers superior business outcomes compared to content-based link acquisition, and explores the fundamental shift from link-centric to mention-centric optimization strategies for AI search visibility.

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  Part 4Should brands care more about being linked or mentioned?

  Wikipedia pages remain underutilized by enterprise brands despite their AI model influence. Thomas Peham, CEO and co-founder of Otterly AI, shares how creating a Wikipedia presence drove measurable visibility improvements for his company within eight months of launch. The discussion covers Wikipedia's role as a trust signal for AI models and practical strategies for brands to establish authoritative presence on the platform.