Let’s cut to the chase. If you’re in the world of B2B PR or marketing, you’ve probably heard of backlinks and link building. And you’ve probably heard that they’re quite important for SEO.
But how important are backlinks really in 2024? And is an excessive focus on link building actually doing more harm than good?
What are backlinks and why are they important?
First of all, let’s have a very quick refresher on backlinks and why they matter.
Backlinks are links from other websites to your pages. They act as third-party votes of approval, signalling to search engines like Google that your content is credible, relevant, and trustworthy.
However, not all backlinks are created equal – those from high-authority, relevant sites carry much more weight than low-quality ones.
There’s also a distinction between ‘follow’ and ‘nofollow’ links, with the former passing authority and the latter being seemingly ignored for ranking purposes.
With that background out of the way, let’s dive into the case for why backlinks are important for SEO.
The arguments FOR the value of backlinks
It’s hard to rule out some level of correlation between high quality backlinks and higher search rankings.
Lots of studies from respected firms like Ahrefs and Backlinko consistently show that the pages ranking #1 tend to have significantly more backlinks than those in lower positions.
While correlation doesn’t necessarily = causation, these votes of approval from other sites seem to serve as powerful quality signals to Google’s algorithms. The more authoritative and relevant the linking site, the more weight that “vote” carries. As John Mueller from Google stated as recently as 2021, “over 200 factors are used in ranking, but links are among the top few.”
Earning a range of these backlinks from authoritative, relevant sources through exceptional content creation and smart digital PR remains an effective long-term SEO strategy. It’s very hard for competitors to artificially build backlinks at scale, so they show genuine endorsement of your content’s value.
Quality backlinks also help search engines discover new pages more easily and can provide usability signals about the importance of your content. Unlike some on-page factors that can be engineered relatively quickly, building a robust backlink profile requires consistent, ongoing effort over time – making it harder for others to replicate. In short, it’s not a quick win.
The arguments AGAINST the value of backlinks
There are growing arguments that an excessive focus on link building may not actually be a good thing in 2024 and beyond.
As Google’s algorithms have advanced with AI, machine learning, and natural language processing, overly relying on just backlinks isn’t advisable anymore. Factors like high-quality content aligned with searcher intent, EEAT signals, and user experience are arguably becoming much more prominent and impactful ranking factors.
Many SEO experts argue that the importance of backlinks has decreased over time as Google uses more robust relevance signals beyond just links. Some go so far as to claim backlinks are an imperfect, outdated metric that can be too easily gamed, and search engines should move away from them entirely in favour of prioritising direct user signals.
Straight from the horse’s mouth, Google’s Gary Illyes stated in 2023 that backlinks are not even among the top three most important ranking factors anymore. He even mentioned it’s possible for pages to rank #1 with zero backlinks if the content quality and other signals are strong enough.
This aligns with Duy Nguyen from Google’s search quality team saying in late 2023 that “backlinks as a signal has a lot less significant impact compared to when Google Search first started out many years ago.” Even back in 2020, John Mueller plainly stated “links are definitely not the most important SEO factor.”
The March 2024 Core Update further downplayed backlinks as a key ranking factor. Google removed the word “important” when describing how it uses links, while adding new ways to detect low-quality link manipulation tactics like creating content just for links. The update also increased scrutiny on both incoming artificial links and outgoing paid links.
It’s also worth noting that the value and importance of backlinks is relative. If your organic competitors have very strong backlink profiles, then earning authoritative links may be more crucial to compete for rankings. However, if they don’t, then an excessive focus on link building may be less important than promoting quality content optimised for other high-impact factors.
Additionally, unlinked brand mentions achieved through digital PR can also carry a lot of weight as another signal of authority and relevance. So tracking and earning those is another important consideration beyond just backlinks.
The verdict: how important are backlinks for SEO today?
Time for the verdict: are backlinks important for SEO?
Yes and no.
There’s no denying that backlinks remain a valuable signal that can still help with ranking and content discovery to some degree. A reasonable number of high-quality, relevant backlinks from authoritative sources absolutely provides authority and endorsement signals that Google considers.
However, based on the statements and actions from Google itself, it’s clear that the search engine is continuing to reduce the importance of backlinks, especially as its AI-powered systems become more sophisticated at evaluating content quality, context, and relevance through other signals.
An excessive focus on link building looks increasingly outdated and risky in 2024. Creating low-quality content just for the purposes of manipulating backlinks is being directly targeted by Google’s algorithms.
Plus, though it’s still a popular tactic, pouring lots of time and money into PR campaigns specifically aimed at building links may not be worth it, if it means neglecting other important SEO activities. Great thought leadership driven PR and media relations often results in quality links being built naturally over time anyway.
Don’t forget the core principles
The ideal approach in 2024 is a balanced one. Create ultra-engaging, ultra-useful content that will both rank well and attract links from other sites that want to reference it. Use PR where appropriate to promote those linkable assets to relevant publications. But don’t fall into the trap of chasing backlinks as an end unto themselves through shortcuts and schemes.
Google’s systems are simply too advanced for those outdated tactics to keep working. The future of SEO is delivering content that earns a lasting reputation of quality – not just getting links by any means necessary.
To work out the value of backlinks in your company’s SEO strategy, you may need to work with an expert B2B SEO agency.
Written by Matthew Robinson, Senior Digital and PR Strategist at Definition.
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