Off-site SEO, Digital PR, and link building campaigns have grown rapidly in recent years, largely because Google has continued to place increased emphasis on backlinks from authoritative third-party websites, a focus that was further reinforced by the Google leaks in 2024.
The problem is that, heading into 2026, building links purely for Google rankings is no longer enough. Search is no longer a simple act of “Googling” something. Instead, it has evolved into a far more fragmented and complex landscape that spans Google, Reddit, LLMs, and social platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.
This shift is already reflected in user behaviour. An Adobe report found that 24% of Americans now start their search journey on ChatGPT. Among younger audiences, discovery is increasingly social-first, with 67% turning to Instagram and 62% to TikTok for information. Even Google has recognized the change, noting that AI-driven search sessions tend to last two to three times longer than traditional searches.
So, the question as we head into 2026 becomes this: how do we create off-site campaigns that not only build links but also drive visibility across multiple platforms?
Well, to answer this, we firstly have to address the challenges this new way of search is having on brands:
The rise of AI search has led to fewer clicks, meaning off-site campaigns need to work harder than ever before
Let’s start with the obvious. AI-driven search is becoming increasingly popular, and that comes with one major consequence: fewer direct clicks.
A recent Seer Interactive study highlighted the scale of this shift. Their data showed that CTR is down 65% when an AIO is present in the SERPs and you are not cited, and down 49% when an AIO is present but you are cited, compared to 46% when no AIO appears.
As zero-click searches continue to rise, off-site campaigns need to work harder than ever, not just to support Google rankings, but to drive traffic and visibility from social platforms and LLM-powered search experiences as well.