Why Backlinks Are Still Important For SEO
In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization, some elements remain consistently valuable despite algorithm changes. Backlinks are one of those elements, continuing to impact the visibility and authority of a domain.
While content quality and technical SEO receive substantial attention, a strong backlink profile can help a domain have an edge over a competitor. In 2025, backlinks are still a very important factor for SEO success. Let’s look at some actionable strategies to enhance link building efforts.
What Are Backlinks?
Backlinks are votes of credibility from other websites endorsing yours. At their core, backlinks are hyperlinks that point from an external domain (a website that isn’t yours) to your domain.
The number of domains linking to your website and the quality of those domains represent key elements in Google’s ranking algorithm, specifically impacting visibility and website authority. However, not all backlinks are created equal. There can be good backlinks that boost your SEO performance and bad backlinks (often purchased from link farms) that might provide a temporary spike in visibility but ultimately damage your site’s credibility.
Another name for backlinks is inbound or incoming links—connections that direct users from external websites to yours. These digital endorsements appear in various forms across the web, from mention-style links within content to resource links in directories.
Internal Links vs. External Links
While backlinks (external links) come from outside websites, internal links connect pages within your domain. This distinction is crucial to understand:
- Internal links establish site structure and help distribute page authority throughout your website. They create pathways for users to navigate your content and help search engines understand the hierarchy and relationship between your pages.
- External links (backlinks), on the other hand, serve as independent endorsements that directly impact your domain’s authority score. They are votes of confidence from the wider web that signal to search engines that others find your content valuable enough to reference.
Why Backlinks Are Still Important for SEO
In the online ecosystem, backlinks serve as votes of confidence and credibility, demonstrating to search engines that others vouch for your content. This creates both direct and indirect benefits to your website’s visibility and authority. Below are some key reasons why backlinks are still important for SEO.
1. Signals of Trust, Authority, and Relevance
Search engines use backlinks to assess how relevant and trustworthy your content is within its topic area. Links from relevant, high-authority sites in your niche carry the most weight. Acting as “votes of confidence” from one website to another, quality backlinks signal to search engines like Google that your content is credible and valuable.
2. Direct Influence on Search Rankings
Backlinks remain among the strongest ranking signals in Google’s algorithm. Pages with more high-quality backlinks consistently rank higher than those with fewer or lower-quality links. Being on the first page of Google dramatically increases your chances of being seen—studies show up to 92% of all web traffic goes to results on the first page, with the top 3 results capturing 54% of clicks.
3. Faster Indexing and Discovery
Without backlinks, new content may remain undiscovered by search engines for longer periods, delaying its appearance in search engine optimization results. When search engine crawlers follow links to your site, they discover and index your content more quickly, giving you a competitive advantage.
4. Driving Referral Traffic
When users click on backlinks from other sites, they are directed to your webpage, increasing your referral traffic. Notably, backlinks from relevant sites tend to bring in visitors who are already interested in your topic, increasing engagement and conversion potential.
Best Backlinks to Acquire
When developing your link-building strategy, remember: quality over quantity. There are harmful backlinks out there that can negatively impact what you’re trying to achieve, so focus on these types of valuable links:
1. Editorial Backlinks
These are earned naturally when other websites reference your content within their editorial material. Editorial backlinks are especially valuable because they represent genuine endorsements of your content’s quality and relevance. Examples include:
- Journalists citing your research in an article
- Bloggers referencing your expertise
- News sites linking to your content as an information source
- Industry publications mentioning your insights
2. Guest Blogging Backlinks
This approach involves creating content for other websites with the opportunity to include links back to your site. When done properly with the right sites within your niche, guest blogging can generate high-quality backlinks while simultaneously expanding your audience reach.
3. Business Profile Backlinks
These come from online directories and industry-specific platforms where you can create listings for your business. While not as powerful as editorial links, they help establish your digital presence and improve local SEO.
4. Social Media Backlinks
Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can drive significant traffic to your website and increase content visibility. While most social media links are “nofollow” (meaning they don’t directly pass PageRank), they still offer substantial SEO benefits:
- Increased content exposure leads to more linking opportunities
- Enhanced brand visibility within target communities
- Additional referral traffic that signals content popularity to search algorithms
5. Referral Backlinks
Referral backlinks come from other websites in your industry or niche. This typically requires relationship-building with other website owners, content creators, and industry influencers, but these contextually relevant links can significantly boost your search rankings.
5 Ideas for High-Quality Link Building
Building high-quality backlinks is essential to improving your website’s authority and search rankings, but how do you do it? Below are five effective strategies we’ve put together to help you generate valuable backlinks.
1. Develop and Promote Original Research
Publishing original research creates one of the strongest magnets for natural backlinks. When you conduct surveys, compile industry statistics, or produce case studies with unique insights, you create reference-worthy content that others naturally want to cite. This approach not only helps you generate backlinks but also establishes your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
2. Add Value to Other Sites' Articles
Look for articles where a reference to your brand or content could add value. Reach out to site owners with specific suggestions about how your content complements theirs. This approach is more successful than generic link requests because you’re offering genuine value rather than just asking for a favor.
3. Broken Link Building
4. Identify and Recreate Competitor Backlink Strategies
Examine where your competitors acquire links and analyze what content earns them those endorsements. Compare and contrast your strategy with theirs to discover new ways to add value to your website and gain a competitive edge. This doesn’t mean copying their approach but rather understanding what’s working in your industry and adapting those insights to your unique strengths.
5. Collaborate with Your Partners
If you have partnerships with businesses, organizations, or influencers, leverage these relationships to acquire backlinks. These connections already value your business, making them more likely to link to your content. Consider creating co-branded content or case studies highlighting your successful partnerships, giving both parties an incentive to share and link to the content.
The Long-Lasting Value of Backlinks
Despite changes in search algorithms, backlinks are important for SEO and remain a cornerstone of effective search engine optimization. They provide clear signals to search engines about your content’s quality, relevance, and authority. By focusing on acquiring high-quality backlinks through ethical methods, you can significantly improve your website’s visibility and ranking potential.
So now that you have five great ideas, get started with your link building. Want to have an expert team help you with high-quality link building? Reach out to us here.
