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Backlinks in SEO: Do Quality Backlinks Still Matter for Ranking?

Backlinks in SEO: Do quality backlinks still matter for ranking? Discover if backlinks are still an important ranking factor. Build quality backlinks for higher rankings & top ranking.

TECHNICAL SEO

Ardene Stoneman

1/23/20258 min read

How Important Are Backlinks for SEO and Search Engine Ranking?

Backlinks are still one of the most important SEO ranking factors. They help your website rank higher in search engines like Google and increase your visibility in organic search.

But not all backlinks are equal - and not all are worth chasing.

In this article, we break down why backlinks remain key for SEO, what kinds of backlinks actually help, and how to build a backlink profile that supports long-term ranking success.

If you're trying to improve your SEO strategy and get more traffic, this is what you need to know.

Index

What Are Backlinks in SEO?
Why Are Backlinks Still Important for SEO?
How Do Backlinks Affect Search Engine Ranking?
What Types of Backlinks Matter Most?
Are All Backlinks Equal in SEO?
How Many Backlinks Do You Need to Rank Higher?
What Makes a Good Backlink?
Where Can You Get Backlinks To Your Site?
How To Build Quality Backlinks Over Time
Do Backlinks Still Matter in 2025?
What Is a Backlink Profile and Why Does It Matter?
How Do Search Engines Use Backlinks?
Can Backlinks Look Spammy to Google?
Do Nofollow Backlinks Help SEO?
What SEO Tools Can Help You Track Backlinks?
How Do You Earn Backlinks Naturally?
What’s the Role of Backlinks in Technical SEO?
What’s the Connection Between Backlinks and Search Rankings?
Can Free SEO Tactics Help You Get Backlinks?
Are There Different Types of Backlinks You Should Know About?
Why Do Backlinks Help Google Understand Your Site?
What Happens If You Stop Building Backlinks?
How Important Are Backlinks Compared to Other SEO Factors?
Can You Analyse Competitors’ Backlinks to Rank Higher?
What Are Search Ranking Factors and Where Do Backlinks Fit?
Do Backlinks From Authoritative Sites Matter More?
Are Backlinks One of Google’s Key Ranking Factors?
Do Backlinks Influence the Result in Google?
Can Backlinks Be Part of an Off-Page SEO Strategy?
What’s the Link Between Backlinks and Organic Search?

1. What Are Backlinks in SEO?

Backlinks are links from one website to another. In SEO, a backlink is like a vote of trust - when another site links to yours, it signals to search engines that your content is worth reading.

Backlinks in SEO play a major role in how search engines like Google decide which pages should appear at the top of the results.

The more quality backlinks you have, the more likely you are to improve the ranking of your content.

2. Why Are Backlinks Still Important for SEO?

Despite algorithm changes and new SEO tactics, backlinks remain one of the most important search engine ranking factors.

Google’s key ranking signals still include backlinks, alongside content quality and technical SEO.

Backlinks help establish authority. If many authoritative websites link to you, Google sees your site as more trustworthy, helping you rank higher.

3. How Do Backlinks Affect Search Engine Ranking?

Search engines use backlinks to understand how trusted and relevant your content is. The presence of quality backlinks is a direct ranking factor in Google's algorithm.

Pages with good backlinks tend to get indexed quicker and rank in search engines more easily.

High-quality backlinks help your content rank in search above competing pages.

4. What Types of Backlinks Matter Most?

Not all backlinks are equal. Some carry more weight, depending on the source and context. The types of backlinks that matter most include:

Editorial links from high-authority websites
Contextual links within related content
Backlinks from news and trusted sources
Relevant backlinks from your industry

Knowing the different types of backlinks helps you build a stronger SEO strategy.

5. Are All Backlinks Equal in SEO?

Definitely not. A backlink from a high-authority site like a national newspaper carries more weight than ten links from unknown blogs.

Search engines measure the value of a backlink based on relevance, trust, and authority.

Poor backlinks can look spammy to Google and damage your SEO efforts.

6. How Many Backlinks Do You Need to Rank Higher?

There's no fixed number. The quantity of backlinks you need depends on your competition. However, more important than the number of backlinks is the quality.

One high-quality backlink from a reputable site can do more than 50 low-value ones.

The best approach is to build quality backlinks slowly and consistently.

7. What Makes a Good Backlink?

A good backlink:

Comes from a trusted site
Is relevant to your content
Is placed naturally within body text
Uses a descriptive, non-spammy anchor

A good backlink also helps generate real traffic, which supports your overall SEO efforts and improves your backlink profile.

8. Where Can You Get Backlinks To Your Site?

You can get backlinks through:

Guest posting on industry blogs
Press mentions and PR outreach
Directory submissions and citations
Creating shareable content like tools or guides

Building backlinks to your site takes time, but each relevant backlink helps improve your google ranking.

9. How To Build Quality Backlinks Over Time

Building backlinks isn’t a one-time job. To improve your SEO, build backlinks through long-term effort:

Develop great content that others want to reference
Reach out to relevant websites and suggest your link
Offer data or insights others want to share

This helps you create backlinks from authoritative sources, which is important for SEO.

10. Do Backlinks Still Matter in 2025?

Yes. Backlinks are still a key signal in how search engines rank content. While algorithms evolve, backlinks remain one of the three major ranking factors.

If you want to rank higher in Google, backlinks still play a central role. SEO without backlinks is rarely competitive.

11. What Is a Backlink Profile and Why Does It Matter?

Your backlink profile includes all the backlinks pointing to your site. Search engines analyse your backlink profile to assess trust and authority.

A healthy backlink profile includes a mix of:

Backlinks from high-authority sites
Relevant backlinks from niche sources
A natural mix of anchor text and link types

This diversity helps you rank in search more consistently.

12. How Do Search Engines Use Backlinks?

Search engines use backlinks as a ranking factor to determine trust and relevance. The more quality backlinks you have, the stronger your site appears.

Backlinks also help search engines crawl and index your pages.

A well-linked site is easier for bots to navigate and is more likely to rank in search results.

13. Can Backlinks Look Spammy to Google?

Yes. Not all backlinks help - some can harm your SEO. Spammy or manipulative backlinks can lead to algorithm penalties or reduced visibility.

Avoid backlinks from:

Irrelevant or low-quality sites
Link schemes or paid networks
Over-optimised anchor text (e.g. exact match keywords repeatedly)

These can look spammy to Google and damage your site’s trustworthiness.

14. Do Nofollow Backlinks Help SEO?

Nofollow backlinks don’t pass authority like follow links, but they’re not useless. They can:

Drive referral traffic
Help build brand awareness
Diversify your backlink profile

Google treats nofollow links as hints, so they may still support your SEO strategy indirectly.

15. What SEO Tools Can Help You Track Backlinks?

There are many SEO tools that help track backlinks and analyse your link-building progress:

Ahrefs - great for tracking backlink profiles and finding link opportunities
SEMrush - excellent for audits and competitive backlink analysis
Google Search Console – a free tool to view backlinks to your website
Moz - useful for domain authority metrics
SOEJet - Scan you website witht free audit tool
Ubersuggest - a solid free SEO tool for monitoring basic backlink data

These tools are essential for understanding your backlink strategy and finding ways to improve it.

16. How Do You Earn Backlinks Naturally?

Natural backlinks come when other websites choose to link to your content because it’s genuinely useful.

Here are a few ways to earn backlinks:

Publish in-depth guides or resources
Create original research or data
Produce helpful visual content like infographics
Share expert insights on trending topics

This is one of the most sustainable ways to build backlinks for your website.

17. What’s the Role of Backlinks in Technical SEO?

While technical SEO focuses on site performance, structure, and speed, backlinks play a supporting role.

Backlinks help:

Signal content importance
Improve crawl frequency
Connect deeper pages to the wider web

A technically sound site with strong backlinks performs better in the search engine results.

18. What’s the Connection Between Backlinks and Search Rankings?

Backlinks influence where your content appears in the search results. The more relevant and trusted backlinks you have, the more likely you are to get higher rankings.

This makes backlinks a direct factor in search engine optimisation.

They are one of the strongest indicators of authority and trust.

19. Can Free SEO Tactics Help You Get Backlinks?

Absolutely. You don’t have to pay for backlinks to improve your SEO. Free tactics include:

Guest posting
Commenting on relevant blogs
Submitting business listings
Creating free tools or calculators
Sharing content on Reddit, LinkedIn, or Quora

These methods help increase the number of backlinks to your site without spending on ads or link schemes.

20. Are There Different Types of Backlinks You Should Know About?

Yes. Different types of backlinks affect SEO differently:

Dofollow - pass full SEO value
Nofollow - used for citations and comments, less direct value
Sponsored - disclosed paid links
UGC (user-generated content) - links from forums, comments, etc.

A natural-looking backlink profile includes a mix of these types.

21. Why Do Backlinks Help Google Understand Your Site?

Backlinks help Google and other search engines understand how your content relates to other content on the web.

When authoritative sites link to your page using relevant anchor text, it gives context to your content.

It also acts as a signal to search engines that your site can be trusted.

22. What Happens If You Stop Building Backlinks?

If you stop building backlinks, your site may:

Lose momentum in the rankings
Get overtaken by competitors who continue link building
Appear less active or relevant over time

While older links still count, new backlinks help maintain freshness and authority in the eyes of search engines.

23. How Important Are Backlinks Compared to Other SEO Factors?

Backlinks are still one of the top three SEO ranking factors, alongside content and technical SEO.

Even with perfectly written pages and fast load times, you need backlinks to show authority and relevance in competitive industries.

24. Can You Analyse Competitors’ Backlinks to Rank Higher?

Yes. Competitor backlink analysis is one of the most effective ways to improve your SEO.

Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush let you:

View where your competitors get links
Identify gaps in your own strategy
Discover outreach opportunities

This helps you build better backlinks and rank higher.

25. What Are Search Ranking Factors and Where Do Backlinks Fit?

Search ranking factors include:

Content quality
Mobile usability
Technical SEO
On-page optimisation
User behaviour
Backlinks

Backlinks remain one of the most reliable signals in Google's ranking algorithm.

26. Do Backlinks From Authoritative Sites Matter More?

Yes. A single backlink from a high-authority site can have more impact than dozens of low-quality links.

Search engines use authority as a trust signal.

Backlinks from high-authority sites show that your content is worth referencing.

27. Are Backlinks One of Google’s Key Ranking Factors?

Yes. Google has confirmed that backlinks are among its top three ranking factors, alongside content and user experience.

This makes backlinks essential for any SEO strategy aiming for top ranking results.

28. Do Backlinks Influence the Result in Google?

Definitely. When comparing two similar pages, the one with better backlinks will usually appear higher in the search engine results.

Backlinks help influence position, visibility, and how quickly a page gets indexed.

29. Can Backlinks Be Part of an Off-Page SEO Strategy?

They are the biggest part of off-page SEO. While on-page SEO happens on your website, off-page SEO is all about signals that happen elsewhere - primarily backlinks.

A strong off-page SEO plan will focus on:

Link building
Brand mentions
Social sharing

Backlinks are central to this strategy.

30. What’s the Link Between Backlinks and Organic Search?

Backlinks help increase your visibility in organic search. Sites with a strong backlink profile tend to rank higher and attract more long-term traffic.

Without backlinks, your pages may struggle to reach the first page - even if the content is solid.

Summary - Key Takeaways on Backlinks for SEO

Backlinks are still one of the most important ranking factors.
Not all backlinks are equal - quality beats quantity.
Relevant backlinks from trusted websites help your SEO most.
Spammy backlinks can hurt your rankings.
Tools like Ahrefs and Google Search Console can help you manage your backlink profile.
Backlinks remain essential in both technical SEO and off-page SEO.
They directly affect your visibility in organic search.
A strong backlink profile supports long-term SEO performance.
Want to rank higher? Start earning better backlinks.