The IEO Engine MM deployment received its first AI Overview citation on Day 4 with zero backlinks. The TPE deployment achieved 32+ page-1 query positions before any backlinks accumulated. These outcomes confirm that backlink profiles are not the primary input to AI citation selection.
This does not mean backlinks have zero value in the broader search environment. Traditional organic ranking still benefits from backlinks, and that organic ranking still influences live retrieval engines like Perplexity. But for AI citation engines that select sources based on content evaluation rather than link graph analysis, backlinks are not the operative signal.