The Ahrefs “28% link rate” is a practical visibility problem. Brands get named in answers often, but without a clickable page they lose measurable traffic. That gap matters more now that many users begin discovery in assistant-driven surfaces rather than classic web search.

Linking behavior varies by type and surface. Citation-first experiences tend to drop a URL. Action-first experiences focus on tasks and may omit links. Chat, Maps, Gmail and other Google surfaces behave differently, so presence of a name does not guarantee a visit.

Marketers should split “named” and “visited” into separate funnels. Treat mentions as awareness, and clicks as a different objective to track and optimize. This article will use a clear list-style breakdown of where links appear, why they often do not, and how brands can respond without trying to game the system.

We focus on the present moment and on India’s landscape, where Android and Google surfaces shape many daily journeys. The goal is practical: help Indian brands and SEO teams adapt content and tracking for assistant-driven discovery.

Key Takeaways

• The 28% benchmark shows mentions often lack clickable URLs, hurting measurable traffic.
• Different assistant types and surfaces affect whether a URL is shown.
• Separate “named” (awareness) and “visited” (traffic) funnels for better measurement.
• The article offers a list-style guide on where links appear and how to respond.
• Indian brands should prioritize tracking and content tweaks for Google-dominant surfaces.

Why the 28% link rate matters for brand visibility in India

When a brand name appears without a clickable page, measurement tools often record no referral, masking real influence.

Brand mentions without links vs. measurable traffic and attribution

Mentions build recall, but they do not always create a traceable session. Analytics will often mark such conversions as direct or organic without a referrer.

This gap means teams should report both mention counts and click sessions to show full impact.

What present time adoption means for search and discovery behaviors

Today, users ask conversational questions and expect instant answers. Many accept summaries and do not follow up with a visit.

In India, mobile-first browsing and multilingual queries increase reliance on short answers. Teams must keep in mind that perceived quality and trust can form without clicks, but proof requires measuring downstream behavior and mentions.

What “AI assistant links” actually means in real user conversations

“Links” can mean more than a URL. In conversational UIs the term covers clickable citations, source cards, knowledge panels, and deep links that open an app screen or brand page. These formats behave very differently in practice.

Mentions often arrive without a page to open. A reply may name a brand inside short answers but omit a visible URL unless the user asks for sources or taps for details. That makes awareness measurable but not always traceable in analytics.

Voice-first flows read a single response aloud. Even when a citation exists, the interface may hide it behind a follow-up. Users must often ask, “Where did that come from?” before a clickable item appears.

How multimodal inputs change the outcome

When a user submits an image or video, the reply focuses on interpretation rather than citation. Visual summaries cut the chance of an immediate source card.

Format and language matter too. On small mobile screens, space limits the way a page link is shown. Local language responses may prioritize short text over long citations.

User journey: a simple sequence

• Ask → receive a summary or short answer.
• Follow-up: “Show source?” or “Open page.”
• System returns citations, cards, or a deep link the user can open.

How modern assistants decide when to link, cite, or stay silent

Whether a reply includes a cited source often starts with how a user phrases a request. If the question asks for comparisons or recommendations, the system may return a short summary. If the user explicitly asks for sources, citations are more likely.

Natural language and intent: when users ask for “sources”

The system infers intent from natural language. Simple queries get concise responses. Clear verification prompts push the model to show sources.

• Ask “what’s best” → summary reply.
• Ask “show your sources” → higher chance of citation.
• Ask “give official page” → direct access to a brand page often follows.

Grounding behaviors: citations, “double-check,” and search fallbacks

“Because Gemini can understand natural language… You can check Gemini’s responses with our double-check feature, review the sources… or use Google Search for critical facts.”

Grounding happens when the system pulls from web sources or when the interface supports source cards. Some surfaces optimize speed-to-answer and skip citations unless prompted. Device access and OS-level features also affect whether a response acts (navigate, call) instead of providing a page to open.

Prompt examples that increase citations: “Show your sources,” “Give me the official page,” “Link to the pricing page.”

Gemini vs. Google Assistant: what changes for links, sources, and trust

Google’s newer conversational model expands the range of questions it answers, which changes when a source or page is shown. That shift matters for brands that depend on visible, verifiable pages to capture traffic.

Positioning differs: Google Assistant acts as a fast utility for simple voice tasks. Gemini handles deeper Q&A and may surface citations more often for research-style queries.

Trade-off: Gemini can take more time for short requests but produces richer responses that justify showing a source. For routine commands, the faster utility still wins.

Accuracy, verification, and feedback

Google warns Gemini may be wrong and encourages users to double-check sources or use Search. Brands should keep mind that trust is earned when facts are easy to verify.

User feedback (thumbs up/down) helps improve future responses. Monitor how brand facts appear and collect feedback signals to spot errors quickly.

Voice continuity and implications for India

“Hey Google” remains the entry point for voice-first discovery and may invoke Gemini on eligible devices. In India’s multi‑language, Android-first market, this continuity means voice brand discovery can grow rapidly.

Marketers should track voice queries, test follow-up prompts users actually speak, and make pages easy to cite so that when richer responses appear, brand pages are verifiable and findable.

Where links show up most inside the Google ecosystem (Maps, Gmail, Drive, YouTube)

Many user journeys inside Google end with a place card or app action instead of an external page visit. In practice, a “link” is often a deep action into Google apps rather than a traditional URL open.

Google Maps intent:

Navigation, local brands, and place-based visibility

For queries like “Navigate me to Big Ben” or “Show these destinations on Google Maps,” the system opens a place card. Users get directions, hours, and reviews. That card acts as the outcome—traffic flows through Maps instead of a brand site.

Drafting, summarizing, and when a brand URL appears

Workflows such as “Check Gmail for recommendations” or “Draft a short bio from my resume in Google Drive” stay inside Google apps. A brand URL shows up only when a referenced document or a shared asset contains an explicit source.

YouTube ‘ask about a video’:

Summaries that may or may not cite sources

When users ask “List the ingredients from this cooking video,” the reply often lists items verbatim from the clip. External citations are rare unless the video description or pinned content cites a page.

“Within app experiences, outcomes like directions or drafted text are treated as the result — not every mention needs an outbound page.”

Use cases that increase the chance of citations in assistant answers

Certain research tasks push systems to show verifiable sources rather than a short summary.

When citations appear naturally:

• Head‑to‑head comparisons and buying guides where readers expect proof.
• Critical facts in medical, financial, or legal contexts that require checkable sources.
• Academic or technical questions where references and dates matter.
• Workflows that demand traceability, such as regulatory checks or PR fact‑checks.

How research prompts differ from casual chat:

Research queries trigger grounding and search behaviors. The system will fetch documents, cite pages, or surface source cards when a user asks for verification.

Multi‑app tasks boost citation likelihood. For example, pulling stats from Drive, drafting an email in Gmail, and mapping locations in Maps forces the system to reference original files or pages. That increases the chance your page or asset is shown as the evidence.

Try prompt patterns that force sources: “Include 3 sources,” “link to official documentation,” or “cite the page you used.” These phrasing patterns raise the chance of a visible reference.

Practical tip for India teams: Use these workflows for competitive research and market ideas, but keep governance tight. Publish clear, factual pages so your content becomes the natural reference. If your pages are the best source, you become the page the system chooses when it needs evidence.

Assistant app ecosystems in 2026: what capabilities mean for linking behavior

The quality of conversation and the ease of checking sources together determine whether a result becomes actionable.

Conversation & reasoning vs. faithfulness & citations

By 2026, platforms rate responses on both reasoning depth and faithfulness. High reasoning yields helpful plans. Strong citations build trust and encourage follow‑through.

How integration depth changes outcomes

When apps embed the tool across mail, calendar, and maps, many tasks finish inside the app. That reduces outbound visits to brand pages.

Faster features often skip citations to save time. Citation‑first flows trade speed for traceability and display more sources.

Enterprise controls and practical effects

Admin policies and security settings can block web access or restrict citations at work. That changes what users see during office work and impacts measurable referrals.

Practical takeaway for India: Make pages machine‑readable and keep place listings, video channels, and documents optimized. Be both the best cited source and the best in‑app entity.

Assistants that prioritize web answers with citations and shareable pages

When tools return structured briefs with citations, readers begin to expect a clickable page for verification. Citation-first experiences make sourcing part of the default workflow for many research tasks.

Why citation-first experiences set expectations

Citation-first platforms treat sources as first-class output. Users asking factual questions see named references and often a direct page to check claims. That behavior trains people to expect a clear source when they want proof.

Deep Research briefs and brand opportunity

Perplexity is a clear example: it provides cited-by-default answers and a “Deep Research” mode that compiles structured briefs with citations and shareable Pages.

If your page has definitive specs, pricing, policies, or data, it becomes the natural source these briefs will point to. That raises the chance your brand is the page users open next.

“Check citations and correct misattribution quickly—citations can still be wrong or unclear.”

• Prompt examples that increase citations: “Cite the brand’s official page,” “Link to the policy page,” “Show sources for each claim.”

Practical note for India: Citation-first behavior helps buyers researching high-consideration purchases. Make factual pages easy to cite and error-free so they appear in evidence-rich responses and drive verified visits.

Everyday conversational assistants: fast drafts, multimodal input, and link scarcity

In routine use, conversational tools favor quick, actionable output over detailed source lists, so users often get a draft or plan rather than a page to open.

Speed matters. Everyday helpers prioritize producing a usable draft or short plan in minimal time. That convenience reduces explicit citations and outbound references.

Multimodal chats mix text, voice, and image inputs into one thread. A user may show an image, ask by voice, then type a follow‑up. The system responds inline and usually does not pause to cite sources.

How language and intent change citation patterns

Informal phrasing or language switching signals “help me decide,” not “prove it.” That lowers citation frequency because the model focuses on usefulness over verification.

Think of the tool as a personal assistant that hands you a plan. Unless the task has high stakes, users rarely ask for proof or a source URL.

• Make your brand name distinctive so it survives short summaries.
• Keep facts consistent across pages so they are easy to restate accurately.
• Teach users simple prompts: “Include links,” “cite sources,” “give official URLs.”

“When time is scarce, convenience wins—so optimize your public facts to be the ones the system can repeat.”

Workplace assistants: email, calendar, and admin tasks where links are optional

Calendar automation and inbox triage convert intent into action more than visits. Scheduling tools like Reclaim.ai and Copilot for Microsoft 365 find available time, create events, and reschedule without sending users to a vendor page.

That outcome-driven design means many workplace interactions never produce an outbound URL. The system books meetings, sets reminders, and completes simple admin work inside corporate apps.

When do source pages appear? Links surface most often when a summary must point to a document: meeting notes, policy pages, slide sources, or a shared implementation guide.

Scheduling, reminders, and tasks: outcomes matter more than outbound links

Events are created directly in a calendar. Users accept an event invite and the funnel ends. Even if a brand or vendor is discussed, the task completes without a web visit.

Docs, slides, and meeting follow-ups: when a source page is referenced

When someone asks for a summary of a doc or a slide citation, the tool may attach a page or a file. That is the main scenario where a reference is shared inside an email or calendar event.

Admin controls matter. Organizations often restrict web access or block external fetching. That stops the system from pulling external pages and reduces visible references.

“Outcome-first workflows keep the work moving; traceable referrals often appear later as direct visits or branded searches.”

SEO takeaway for India teams: Publish concise, work-friendly reference pages—implementation guides, security statements, and compliance FAQs. Make them easy to cite so internal workflows can attach the right source when needed.

Measurement note: influence from workplace flows often surfaces later as branded search or direct visits, not clean referrals. Track search lift and event-driven conversions alongside traditional analytics.

Browser and “all-in-one” assistants with real-time web access and summarization

Browser-based tools that read the page you are on change how brand pages get treated. When a tool summarizes the open page, the source is implicit: the user is already viewing it. That reduces the need for an outbound page citation and often removes a measurable referral step.

Instant video and page summarization

Extensions and apps that summarize videos deliver timestamps and key points instantly. Users grasp the main ideas without visiting a brand site for context. That behavior lowers click-throughs even when a brand is mentioned prominently.

Translate, rephrase, and explain on-page text

Real-time translation and rephrasing boost comprehension across India’s many languages. A user can read or hear an explanation without leaving the current page, increasing visibility without visits.

Model switching and citation consistency

Platforms that let users switch models or change settings show different citation habits. One model may cite sources; another may prioritize brevity. That inconsistency affects which page gets credited for a fact.

Templates and drafts that embed URLs

When users create a draft—an email, landing copy, or brief—templates can insert requested URLs. If the prompt asks for official pages or product links, the resulting draft will include those URLs and restore a traceable path to the brand.

Governance note: Define settings for citation-required research workflows versus quick-summary modes to keep evidence consistent across teams.

What brands can do to earn more links from assistants (without gaming the system)

Brands can earn more visible citations by shaping pages that answer real user tasks directly. Start with clear titles and factual headers so a system can grab exact lines for citations.

• Align H1 with common queries and keep key facts in the first 100 words.
• Use scannable sections, dated updates, and simple, quotable tables for pricing and specs.
• Publish PDFs and transcripts that are machine-readable so the system can quote verbatim.

Design for task-first answers

Build pages around tasks users ask about: price, compatibility, how-to steps, warranty, and nearest location.

Strengthen Google surfaces

Keep a verified google maps listing, post YouTube videos with detailed descriptions, and ensure docs in google drive are shareable and labeled for discovery.

Voice discovery and smart home guidance

Map content to voice commands like “near me,” “navigate,” “compare,” and “call.” If you sell connected devices, document setup and troubleshooting so a smart home query can cite your official steps.

How to measure assistant-driven visibility when links are inconsistent

Focus on signal layers: direct citations, plain name drops, and the user actions that follow. Build a measurement plan that accepts missing URLs but still captures influence.

Track citations, mentions, and referral patterns

Measure visibility in three layers:

• Citations: record when a cited page or URL appears in a response.
• Mentions: capture plain brand name drops inside short replies.
• Downstream actions: track branded search lift, direct visits, calls, and conversions.

Test prompts users actually speak

Create a matrix across devices and accounts: Android vs iOS, logged‑in vs logged‑out, local languages, and different apps. Run short, spoken prompts and realistic follow‑ups like “source?” or “link?” to see when citations appear.

Governance, cadence, and feedback loops

Admin controls and privacy settings limit what you can log. Align measurement with what each account permits. Re-test monthly: model updates change outcomes over time.

“Use feedback mechanisms (thumbs up/down) to flag errors, then fix the source page so future responses match fact.”

Operational tip: Log misstatements, push feedback where available, and update canonical pages. Over time, this reduces incorrect responses and improves measurable visits.

Conclusion

D. With multimodal replies on phones and home devices, users often get an answer before they decide to click.

Core insight: conversational discovery shapes decisions, yet mentions and citations do not always produce measurable visits. Brands must optimise for both name recall and verifiable pages so the right page is cited when a source is needed.

For India, treat these surfaces as discovery layers across apps and devices. Many common tasks — navigation, drafting, scheduling — finish inside the interface and reduce clicks but still drive intent.

Platform shift: as Gemini expands and “Hey Google” stays familiar, hands-free help on home devices and phones will grow. Features are still rolling out and coming soon, so measure mentions, test prompts, and iterate content over time.