6 Linkable Asset Types (And EXACTLY How to Earn Links With Them)

In this article, you’ll learn what linkable assets are, why they matter for both SEO and AI search visibility, the six types that consistently attract the most backlinks, and step-by-step tactics you can use to earn links with each one. You’ll also learn how the same assets that earn traditional backlinks are now earning citations in AI-generated answers — and how to track both.

Let’s start with the basics.

What Is a Linkable Asset?

A linkable asset is a piece of content designed to attract links from other websites in your niche.

Because people rarely link to product pages or sales copy, linkable assets are almost never commercial content. They’re informational, useful, entertaining, or data-rich — the kind of content that makes a blogger or journalist think, “I need to reference this.”

Some examples: an original research study that reveals industry benchmarks, a free calculator that solves a common problem, an interactive infographic that explains a complex concept visually.

The result of building great linkable assets looks something like this:

But linkable assets are not just about backlinks. They deliver several compounding benefits:

More organic traffic to other pages on your site. Linkable assets attract a disproportionate amount of link equity. You can then distribute that equity across your site through internal links, which helps other pages rank higher.

Referral traffic from high-authority sites. When industry blogs and news sites link to your asset, their readers click through. This traffic tends to be highly qualified.

Brand exposure and trust. Having your brand mentioned on well-known sites in your space builds credibility. PR firms charge a premium for this kind of exposure, but linkable assets generate it organically.

AI search citations. This is the benefit most marketers overlook. The same content that earns backlinks from bloggers and journalists also earns citations in AI-generated answers. When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Mode a question in your niche, AI models pull from authoritative, well-cited sources — the exact kind of content that functions as a linkable asset. We’ll cover this throughout the article.

Why People Link (And Why AI Models Cite)

Before jumping into asset types, it helps to understand why people link to content in the first place. If you can build these “linking triggers” into your content, your assets will perform far better.

People link to content when it:

• Provides a solution for a specific problem they’re writing about

• Offers a unique angle or framework they haven’t seen elsewhere

• Backs up a point they’re trying to make with data or evidence

• Presents something their audience would find interesting or useful

AI models cite content for overlapping but slightly different reasons. Based on analysis of 83,670 AI citations, AI engines tend to reference pages that demonstrate clear topical authority, contain original data or unique information not found elsewhere, are structured for easy extraction (clear headings, definitions, numbered lists), and come from domains that are frequently cited across the web.

The overlap is significant. Content that checks the boxes for human linkers also tends to check the boxes for AI citation. That means your linkable asset strategy can serve both channels simultaneously.

One Important Note Before We Start

Linkable assets don’t attract links out of thin air. You need to promote them. That’s why each asset type below includes specific, step-by-step tactics for building links.

You might be thinking: “Why not just promote my regular content?”

You can. But linkable assets give you a much higher return on your promotion efforts because they’re built to be referenced. Pitching a data study to a journalist is a far easier sell than pitching a product page. The same logic applies to AI search — content that’s built to be cited gets cited more.

1. Infographics, GIFographics, and Map-o-graphics

Infographics remain one of the most popular linkable asset formats, and for good reason — they can attract links from hundreds of referring domains when done well.

A simple map-o-graphic showing search data by country or state, for example, can easily pull in 100+ referring domains. GIFographics (animated infographics) tend to perform even better because they add a layer of engagement that static graphics lack.

Here are some proven examples across different niches:

• “The Periodic Table of SEO Success Factors” by Search Engine Land — an infographic that reimagined SEO ranking factors as a periodic table. It earned thousands of backlinks because it took a complex topic and made it instantly scannable.

• “How a Car Engine Works” by Animagraffs — a GIFographic that uses animation to explain mechanical concepts. It earned links from 570+ referring domains because the visual format added genuine value that text alone couldn’t.

• “13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics” by NeoMam — an interactive infographic that earned 21K+ backlinks from 1.3K+ referring domains. It succeeded because it was self-referential — the format proved the point the content was making.

But here’s the critical point: you should only use infographics when the content genuinely benefits from being visual. A list of tips doesn’t need to be an infographic. A complex process, a geographic comparison, or a data-heavy topic does.

How to Build Links with Infographics

A. Pitch to sites that actively publish infographics

The easiest outreach targets are websites that have already published infographics in your niche. They’ve demonstrated interest in the format, so your pitch is a natural fit.

Here’s how to find them:

Step 1. Go to a content research tool (such as Content Explorer or BuzzSumo) and search for your niche keyword plus “infographic” — for example, SEO + "infographic".

Step 2. Filter results to the last 12 months and select “one article per domain” to avoid duplicates.

Step 3. Export the list. These are your outreach targets — sites that have featured similar infographics recently.

Step 4. Reach out to each site and pitch your infographic. Keep the email short: explain what your infographic covers, why their audience would find it valuable, and include a preview image.

Quick tip: Don’t limit yourself to sites that regularly publish infographics. If your asset is high quality, any site interested in the topic might feature it.

B. Find proven infographic concepts in other niches and adapt them

This is one of the most underused tactics in content marketing. The idea is simple: find an infographic concept that performed well in one niche and adapt it for yours.

For example, “Reddit’s Guide to Fitness” is an infographic that earned 50+ referring domains. The concept — curating the best advice from a Reddit community into a visual format — works in almost any niche. “Reddit’s Guide to SEO.” “Reddit’s Guide to Personal Finance.” “Reddit’s Guide to Photography.”

To find proven concepts, search content databases or sites like Pinterest and Visual.ly for popular infographics in unrelated niches. Look for formats and angles you can adapt rather than topics you can copy.

How Infographics Earn AI Citations Too

Infographics don’t just earn backlinks — they earn AI citations when the underlying data and insights are structured properly on the page.

Here’s why: AI models can’t “see” infographics the way humans do. But they can read the text that accompanies them. If your infographic page includes the data points, statistics, and key takeaways in plain text (alongside the visual), AI models can reference that information when answering related questions.

The takeaway: always include a text-based summary of your infographic’s key data points on the page itself. This makes the content accessible to both human linkers (who share the visual) and AI models (which cite the data).

You can use Analyze AI to monitor whether your infographic pages are being cited in AI answers and which specific data points AI models are referencing.

2. Online Tools and Calculators

Online tools and calculators can attract staggering numbers of backlinks. CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer, for example, has earned 16K+ links from 3.6K+ referring domains. Free tools from major software companies routinely earn tens of thousands of backlinks.

The reason is simple: tools solve problems. And problem-solving content is the most naturally linkable content on the web.

Here are some examples across different niches:

• CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer — 16K+ links from 3.6K+ RDs. It solves a specific, recurring problem (writing better headlines) with an instant, free solution.

• Coolors (color scheme generator) — 154K+ links from 5K+ RDs. Designers need color palettes constantly, making this tool endlessly useful.

• ABV Calculator (Brewer’s Friend) — 2.3K links from 190+ RDs. It replaces a manual formula that homebrewers would otherwise have to calculate by hand.

The barrier to entry here is higher than with other asset types — you need development resources to build a tool. But the payoff is proportionally larger, and in 2026, AI-powered coding tools have made building simple web-based calculators and tools far more accessible than it used to be.

At Analyze AI, we’ve built several free tools for exactly this reason — our Broken Link Checker, Website Authority Checker, Keyword Generator, Keyword Difficulty Checker, and others each serve as standalone linkable assets that attract backlinks from bloggers, educators, and marketers who recommend them in their content.

The strategy works because it simultaneously builds your backlink profile and introduces potential customers to a simplified version of your paid product.

How to Build Links with Online Tools

A. Pitch your tool to pages that discuss the problem your tool solves

Tools and calculators provide shortcuts to complex problems. That means there are already web pages out there explaining the manual version of what your tool automates.

Those pages are your outreach targets.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

Step 1. Identify the problem your tool solves and search for articles explaining the manual process.

For example, if you built an ABV calculator for homebrewers, search for articles explaining the manual formula for calculating alcohol content.

Step 2. Read through the top results and identify articles where adding a link to your tool would genuinely help the reader.

Step 3. Reach out to the author. Your pitch is simple: “I noticed your article explains [manual process]. I built a free tool that automates this. Your readers might find it useful — here’s the link.”

This works because you’re offering genuine value to the author’s audience, not asking for a favor. The link makes the existing article better.

Step 4. Scale this by searching content databases for all pages that discuss the problem your tool solves, then export and prioritize by domain authority.

B. Use paid promotion to seed awareness

The best online tools attract links “naturally” because they solve real problems. But nobody can link to a tool they don’t know exists.

Paid promotion — particularly low-cost Facebook ads or LinkedIn ads targeted at your niche audience — can kickstart the process. You’re not paying for links directly. You’re paying for awareness, which leads to organic links over time.

This works especially well for tools because the value proposition is immediately clear. A single-sentence ad (“Free [tool name] — calculate your [X] in seconds”) can drive significant traffic, and a meaningful percentage of that traffic will be bloggers and content creators who reference the tool later.

Quick tip: Get resource page links. Online tools are well-suited for “resource page” outreach. Many niche websites maintain pages that curate useful tools and resources. Search for [your niche] + "resources" or [your niche] + "useful tools" to find them, then pitch your tool for inclusion.

How Free Tools Earn AI Citations

Free tools are among the most frequently cited asset types in AI search results. When someone asks an AI model “What’s the best free [tool category]?” or “How do I check my [metric]?”, AI engines frequently recommend specific free tools by name.

You can track this directly using Analyze AI’s Prompts dashboard. Set up prompts related to your tool category (e.g., “best free keyword research tools” or “free backlink checker”) and monitor whether your tool appears in AI responses.

The Prompts dashboard shows your visibility percentage, sentiment score, and average position for each tracked prompt. If your tool isn’t showing up, the Sources view can reveal which competing tools are being cited instead — giving you clear direction on what to improve.

3. Awards and Rankings

Awards, rankings, and curated lists can attract significant backlinks — but they come with a prerequisite: you need a certain level of authority and credibility in your niche for them to work.

Here’s an example. When a well-known industry blog publishes “The 50 Best Marketing Articles of All Time” and features your work, you’re likely to share it, link to it, and tell your audience about it. But if a brand-new blog with no reputation publishes the same list, nobody cares.

Authority is the engine that makes this asset type work.

Some examples of awards and rankings with significant backlink profiles:

• Forbes’ “The World’s Billionaires List” — 229K links from 10.6K+ RDs. The ultimate example of a ranking that has become an institution.

• Nomad List — 36K+ links from 3.8K+ RDs. A ranking of cities for digital nomads that became the definitive resource in its niche.

• “The Top 50 Travel Blogs” by The Expeditioner — 3.4K+ links from 320+ RDs. A curated list that people link to as a discovery resource.

No authority yet? Here’s a workaround: Survey 50-100 influential people in your industry and compile a list based on their votes. This borrows credibility from the participants. You’re not saying you think these are the best — you’re saying the industry thinks so. This approach works remarkably well even for newer brands.

How to Build Links with Awards and Rankings

A. Tell everyone who made the list

This seems obvious, but most people skip it. If someone is featured on your list and doesn’t know about it, you’ve wasted the opportunity.

Here’s the process:

Step 1. Publish your rankings or awards page.

Step 2. Reach out personally to every person or brand featured on the list. Keep the message simple: “Hey, I wanted to let you know that [your work/brand] was featured on our list of [topic]. Here’s the link.”

Step 3. Monitor for social shares and links. When someone featured on your list shares it with their audience, it creates a ripple effect. Their followers discover your list, and some of them will link to it from their own content.

Quick tip: Check for press/awards pages. Some bloggers and companies maintain “press” or “as featured in” pages on their websites. If you notify them about their award and suggest they might want to add it to their press page, they’ll almost always do it — complete with a link.

B. Target the audience of featured people with paid promotion

Sometimes the people you feature will share your list with their audience. Sometimes they won’t. Facebook and LinkedIn ads let you bridge that gap.

Under “detailed targeting” in Facebook Ads, you can target fans of the pages belonging to the people or brands you featured. This puts your awards page in front of an audience that already cares about the winners — making link acquisition a natural byproduct of awareness.

4. Studies and Original Research

Studies and original research attract links at a rate that few other asset types can match. In the SEO and marketing industry, data-driven studies consistently rank among the most-linked pages on major blogs.

The reason is straightforward: when a blogger or journalist makes a claim, they need evidence to back it up. If your study provides that evidence, they link to you. Every time someone writes “according to a study by [your brand]…” that’s a backlink.

Here are some examples:

• “How Long Does It Take to Rank in Google?” (Ahrefs study) — 1.8K links from 470+ RDs. This study answered a question thousands of SEOs were asking, using data nobody else had access to.

• “2 Million Featured Snippets: 10 Important Takeaways” (Ahrefs study) — 600+ links from 330+ RDs. Original analysis of a massive dataset that couldn’t be replicated without proprietary tools.

• “Which Types of Social Proof Work Best?” (CXL research) — 210+ links from 96 RDs. A controlled experiment that produced actionable findings.

But you don’t need a massive dataset to create effective research content. Personal case studies — where you document a specific experiment and its results — can work just as well on a smaller scale. Groove’s case study on growing their blog to 100K readers attracted significant backlinks because it shared real numbers and a transparent methodology.

The key is offering data or insights that can’t be found anywhere else. That’s what makes people link to you instead of linking to someone else.

How to Build Links with Studies

A. Reconduct popular out-of-date studies (then capture their links)

Many high-performing studies are published once and never updated. The data becomes stale, but the backlinks remain.

This is your opportunity.

Here’s the process:

Step 1. Search content databases for studies in your niche. Use queries like [industry keyword] + "study" or [industry keyword] + "survey" or [industry keyword] + "data".

Step 2. Sort results by number of referring domains and look for studies that are old (2+ years) but still have many backlinks.

Step 3. Reconduct the study with current data. Update the methodology if needed, and make your version more comprehensive than the original.

Step 4. Reach out to everyone linking to the old study. Your pitch: “I noticed you link to [old study] in your article about [topic]. That study used data from [year]. I just published an updated version with [current year] data. You might want to update your link.”

This works because linking to outdated information makes the linking site look bad. You’re doing them a favor by providing a current alternative.

B. Find people discussing ideas your study proves (then pitch the evidence)

Many articles on the web make claims without data to support them. If your study provides evidence for claims that others are already making, those authors are natural link prospects.

Here’s an example. If you conducted a study on how long it takes to rank in Google, search for articles that discuss the same topic. Many of them will give estimates based on personal experience rather than data. Your study gives them something better: evidence.

Step 1. Identify the key finding of your study and search for it in Google.

Step 2. Read through the results and identify articles that make claims your study supports (or contradicts — both are link-worthy).

Step 3. Reach out to the author and share your study. If your data supports their claim, they’ll want to add it as evidence. If your data contradicts their claim, they might update their article to reflect the new findings — either way, they link to you.

How Research Earns AI Citations

Original research is the single most powerful asset type for earning AI citations. Here’s why: when an AI model needs to answer a factual question with specific numbers, it needs a source. If your study is the primary source for a particular data point, AI models will cite you every time that data point is relevant.

This is where linkable assets and AI search visibility converge most clearly. The same study that earns you backlinks from bloggers also earns you citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini responses.

You can track this using Analyze AI’s Sources dashboard, which shows every URL and domain that AI platforms cite when answering questions in your industry.

The Sources view reveals which content types AI engines reference most (blogs, product pages, reviews, etc.) and which specific domains dominate citations in your space. If your research pages appear here, they’re doing double duty — earning both backlinks and AI citations.

To see exactly which of your pages AI models are citing, check the AI Traffic Analytics landing pages report:

This report shows which pages on your site receive AI-referred traffic, which AI engines send it, and how those visitors behave. If your research study pages show up here with high engagement and low bounce rates, that’s a strong signal that your content is being cited effectively in AI answers.

5. Definitive Guides and Tutorials

Most things worth learning are complicated enough that people appreciate having everything explained in one place. That’s why definitive guides and tutorials attract so many backlinks — bloggers and journalists would rather link to one comprehensive resource than piece together five separate articles.

But to create a definitive guide that earns links, you need genuine expertise on the subject. Surface-level content won’t cut it. The guide needs to be the most thorough, most accurate, most useful resource available on the topic.

Here are some examples of definitive guides with significant backlink profiles:

• “How To Do Keyword Research for SEO” — a start-to-finish guide that earned 1.4K+ links from 400+ RDs because it covered every angle of the topic in a single, well-organized page.

• “The Noob Friendly Guide To Link Building” — 450+ links from 180+ RDs. It worked because it made an intimidating topic accessible to beginners.

• “HTML Tutorial” (W3Schools) — 1M+ links from 4.4K+ RDs. The ultimate example of a tutorial that became the default reference for an entire discipline.

The pattern is clear: definitive guides earn links not because of clever promotion but because they’re genuinely the best resource available. People link to them because it serves their audience.

How to Build Links with Definitive Guides

A. Keep your guide updated and re-promote it regularly

The best definitive guides are living documents. When you update them with new information and re-promote them, you stay on the radar of potential linkers.

Here’s the process:

Step 1. Publish your comprehensive guide.

Step 2. Set a schedule to review and update it (quarterly or every six months, depending on how fast your niche evolves).

Step 3. When you make significant updates, re-promote the guide through your email list, social media, and paid promotion.

Each update creates a new wave of awareness. Subscribers who forgot about the guide rediscover it. New people in your niche encounter it for the first time. And the cumulative effect is a guide that continuously attracts links over months and years.

Step 4. Tell your subscribers. If you have an email list of any size, notify them about major updates. This is one of the highest-ROI email sends you can do.

Step 5. Run a fresh round of outreach. Let relevant industry contacts know about the update. This isn’t about asking for links directly — it’s about staying on their radar.

B. Capture links from less comprehensive guides

If your guide is truly definitive, it’s almost certainly better than most other guides on the same topic. And those other guides have backlinks pointing to them.

Here’s how to capture those links:

Step 1. Search for the main keyword your guide targets and look at the top 10 ranking pages.

Step 2. Check the backlink profiles of each ranking page. Note which pages are less comprehensive than yours and why.

Step 3. Export the referring domains pointing to each less-comprehensive guide.

Step 4. Reach out to those referring domains. Your message: “I noticed you link to [guide] in your article about [topic]. I recently published a more comprehensive guide that covers [additional topics/angles]. You might find it useful — here’s the link.”

Don’t be pushy. These people have already demonstrated willingness to link to similar content. Your job is simply to make them aware that a better alternative exists. If your guide is genuinely more comprehensive, a meaningful percentage will update their link.

How Definitive Guides Earn AI Citations

Definitive guides are the second most powerful asset type (after original research) for AI citations. AI models frequently cite comprehensive guides as sources because they contain dense, well-organized information across an entire topic.

The structure of your guide matters for AI citation. AI models extract information more easily from content that uses clear heading hierarchies, includes concise definitions and summaries at the start of each section, presents information in scannable formats (tables, numbered steps, key takeaways), and covers the topic comprehensively enough that the AI model doesn’t need to pull from multiple sources.

You can use Analyze AI’s Competitors dashboard to see whether your guides are outperforming competing guides in AI search. The Competitors view shows how often each competitor appears in AI answers for your tracked prompts, letting you identify which guides are winning citations and where you’re falling behind.

If a competitor’s guide is getting cited in AI answers but yours isn’t, check the Sources view to see which specific URLs the AI models are citing. That tells you exactly what you need to improve in your own guide to earn those citations.

6. Coined Terms and Frameworks

This is the hardest linkable asset type to pull off, but when it works, it works spectacularly. Coined terms are concepts, frameworks, or methodologies that didn’t exist before you created them.

The most famous example in SEO is Brian Dean’s “Skyscraper Technique.” Before Dean coined the term, the concept (find content with lots of links, create something better, reach out to the linkers) existed as a general practice. But by giving it a memorable name, Dean turned it into something people could reference, teach, and link to. The Skyscraper Technique page earns 50-100 new referring domains every month.

Other examples:

• “The Briefcase Technique” (I Will Teach You To Be Rich) — 370+ links from 90+ RDs. A negotiation framework with a catchy name.

• “The Dark Playground” and “Instant Gratification Monkey” (Wait But Why) — 23K+ links from 1.6K+ RDs. Coined terms embedded in a viral article about procrastination.

• “Pain Point SEO” (Grow and Convert) — a content strategy framework that became a widely referenced methodology because it gave marketers a specific, actionable vocabulary for prioritizing content by conversion potential.

The pattern: coined terms work when they give a name to something people already experience or do but haven’t had language for. The term crystallizes an idea and makes it shareable.

How to Build Links with Coined Terms

A. Set up alerts for related terms and pitch your unique approach

Here’s the counterintuitive truth about coined terms: anyone mentioning your exact coined term is probably already linking to you. So setting up alerts for the coined term itself isn’t where the value is.

Instead, set up alerts for related terms — the broader concepts your coined term fits within.

For example, if you coined a framework related to procrastination, set up alerts for terms like “stop procrastinating,” “productivity tips,” and “time management strategies.” When someone publishes content on these related topics, reach out and introduce your framework. Some of them will add it to their article and link back to you.

Step 1. Identify 5-10 related terms that people who would benefit from your coined term might be writing about.

Step 2. Set up alerts using a tool like Google Alerts or a backlink monitoring tool. You’ll receive notifications whenever someone publishes content mentioning those terms.

Step 3. When you receive an alert, read the article and assess whether your coined term would add value to their content.

Step 4. Reach out with a brief introduction of your framework and a link to the original article. Don’t ask for a link — just share the concept.

B. Popularize your term through guest posts on high-traffic industry blogs

Guest posting is often used solely for backlinks. But for coined terms, the real value of guest posting is exposure. If you mention your coined term in a guest post on a high-traffic industry blog, thousands of people in your niche learn the term. As they internalize it and start using it in their own writing, the backlinks follow organically.

Step 1. Find high-traffic blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. The easiest way: identify someone in your industry who guest posts frequently, then search for their bylines across other sites.

Step 2. Pitch a guest post that naturally incorporates your coined term. The post should provide value on its own — the coined term should be a component of the post, not the entire focus.

Step 3. Mention your coined term with a link to the original article where you define it. Readers who find the concept useful will visit your site, bookmark it, and eventually reference it in their own content.

Step 4. Repeat on multiple high-traffic sites to build momentum. Coined terms gain traction through repeated exposure across different audiences.

How Coined Terms Earn AI Citations

Coined terms have a unique advantage in AI search: once an AI model learns your term, it associates the term with your brand permanently. When someone asks ChatGPT “What is the Skyscraper Technique?” the answer will always reference Brian Dean and Backlinko. That attribution is essentially permanent.

To track whether AI models are picking up your coined terms, use Analyze AI’s Ad Hoc Prompt Searches. Run a search for your coined term as a prompt and see whether AI engines mention your brand in the response.

If AI models aren’t yet associating your coined term with your brand, that’s a signal to increase promotion efforts: more guest posts, more visibility on social media, more backlinks to the original article defining the term.

How to Measure the Success of Your Linkable Assets

Creating linkable assets is only half the equation. You also need to measure whether they’re working — both for traditional SEO and for AI search visibility.

Traditional Link Building Metrics

For traditional SEO, the metrics are straightforward. Track the number of referring domains pointing to each asset over time, the domain authority of sites linking to you, organic search traffic to the asset page, and the keyword rankings the asset page holds.

Use a backlink checking tool to monitor referring domain growth. A healthy linkable asset should show a steady upward trend in referring domains, with periodic spikes when you promote or update it.

AI Search Visibility Metrics

For AI search, you need different metrics. Traditional SEO tools can’t tell you whether AI models are citing your content. This is where Analyze AI fills the gap.

The key metrics to track for AI search:

Visibility share. What percentage of AI responses in your niche mention your brand? The Overview dashboard shows this at a glance, broken down by AI model and over time.

Citation count. How many of your specific URLs are being cited in AI answers? The Sources dashboard tracks every URL that AI platforms cite when answering questions in your industry.

AI-referred traffic. How many real visitors are arriving at your site from AI engines? The AI Traffic Analytics dashboard connects to your GA4 and shows exactly which AI platforms are sending traffic, which pages they land on, and how those visitors behave.

Competitive positioning. Are your linkable assets outperforming competitors in AI answers? The Perception Map gives you a visual snapshot of where you stand relative to competitors on two axes: visibility and narrative strength.

If your linkable assets are performing well in traditional SEO (backlinks, rankings) but not in AI search, that’s a signal to optimize the content structure for AI readability: clearer headings, more concise summaries, better-organized data points.

If they’re performing well in AI search but not in traditional SEO, that’s a signal to invest more in promotion and outreach to build the backlink profile.

The goal is to build assets that perform across both channels — and that’s increasingly achievable because the same content qualities that earn backlinks (originality, depth, data, usefulness) also earn AI citations.

Choosing the Right Linkable Asset Type for Your Situation

Not every asset type is right for every brand. Here’s a quick framework to help you decide:

If you’re a SaaS company with development resources, start with free tools. If you’re sitting on proprietary data, start with research studies. If you’re building thought leadership in your niche, start with definitive guides and work toward coined terms.

The most effective long-term strategy is to build a portfolio of different asset types. Each one serves a different function and attracts a different profile of backlinks and citations.

Final Thoughts

The six asset types above — infographics, tools, awards, studies, guides, and coined terms — represent the vast majority of linkable assets that earn significant backlinks. But the principles behind them are more important than the categories themselves.

Those principles:

Create content that can’t be found anywhere else. Original data, unique tools, and coined frameworks all share one trait: they give people something they can’t get from any other source. That’s what makes them linkable.

Make your content easy to reference. The easier it is for a blogger or journalist to link to your content (because it supports a point they’re making), the more links you’ll earn. Structure your content for this purpose: clear data points, quotable takeaways, scannable formats.

Promote aggressively. The best linkable asset in the world won’t earn a single link if nobody knows it exists. Build promotion into your plan from the start.

Optimize for both channels. In 2026, your content lives in two ecosystems: traditional search and AI search. The same asset can earn backlinks from bloggers and citations from AI models. Track both, and optimize for both.

Play the long game. Linkable assets compound. A research study published today might earn 50 links in its first month and 500 over the next two years. A free tool might start slow and become a link magnet as more people discover it. The brands that build sustained link velocity are the ones that invest in linkable assets consistently — not the ones that run one campaign and move on.

If you want to measure how your linkable assets are performing across both traditional SEO and AI search, Analyze AI gives you the visibility, citation, and traffic data you need to see what’s working and where to invest next.

Now go build something worth linking to.