This question has been running in my mind for a while now!!

[Vinyas Gowda]

Everyone knows how important backlinks are when it comes to ranking a web page.

But do you guys think, will Google remove backlinks as a ranking factor anytime soon in the coming years?

What will happen if backlinks are no more a ranking factor?

What BHW's experts think?

 

[SunnyLeon]

How could they? They canțt just rank good-sounding content and they can't know if all content is the right content or not. So they have to rely on what authority website say about pieces of content. It won't happen anytime soon

 

[pepeneo]

and rely on what metrics to rank a website? social signals? they will just make it easier for us

 

[xReminisce]

Google shall do what google shall do which is what google shall to do make our lives miserable.
Saying that, they will get smarter about backlinks, but I personally don't believe they will remove it as a ranking factor.

 

[EMAOneBillion]

How could they? They canțt just rank good-sounding content and they can't know if all content is the right content or not. So they have to rely on what authority website say about pieces of content. It won't happen anytime soon

Links can be easily manipulated. User engagement and social presence have a better reflection on the content quality.

I would say that Google will start to care less (if it hasn't already) about standard backlinks (web 2.0, guest posts from non-authority sites, etc.)
and will only count backlinks from authority and legit sites but they'll weigh much less than it did a year ago. My 2cent opinion.

 

[tazarbm]

if backlinks won't do it something else will. You just have to hierarchize websites somehow, and no matter what that somehow is, SEO will stay for as long as search engines exist. As for backlinks, they're still important and will be so for at least the next 10-15 years if you asked me

 

[OccultKingdoms]

Brother, that's like asking "will facebook remove groups, so people stop spamming" or "will youtube stop looking at view and sub counter because there are people who use panels"?

Nothing in the past has ranked my websites other than backlinks.

I saw countless failed journeys cause people believed they don't need any backlink.

But in reality even a generic backlink from website dictionary would boost their presence greatly.

 

[SunnyLeon]

Links can be easily manipulated. User engagement and social presence have a better reflection on the content quality.

I would say that Google will start to care less (if it hasn't already) about standard backlinks (web 2.0, guest posts from non-authority sites, etc.)
and will only count backlinks from authority and legit sites but they'll weigh much less than it did a year ago. My 2cent opinion.

They already do. They even say you can ignore low quality backlinks and not disavow them as they ignore them as well. But Google brags that it only shows reliable content, especially since YMYL has been launched. So just because people read and engage with a piece of content, doesn't make is as valid as the same content getting linked to from high authority websites

 

[OccultKingdoms]

They already do. They even say you can ignore low quality backlinks and not disavow them as they ignore them as well. But Google brags that it only shows reliable content, especially since YMYL has been launched. So just because people read and engage with a piece of content, doesn't make is as valid as the same content getting linked to from high authority websites

Elaborate on the "low quality backlink". What is this? If it's human created and human approved, I think it's the only factor to qualify a backlink as more quality than automated spam.

If something is truly low quality, they won't even index it.

 

[SunnyLeon]

Elaborate on the "low quality backlink". What is this? If it's human created and human approved, I think it's the only factor to qualify a backlink as more quality than automated spam.

If something is truly low quality, they won't even index it.

How about company website on a profile page? It is manually created, I still consider it low quality and it usually isn't inside pieces of content. How about directory listing? How about a guest post on a website under one years of age with low stats and low traffic? Quality is subjective, but Google isn't stupid.

 

[breakcode]

Google relies on backlinks to understand which articles are quality and which are not.
If they no longer want to use backlinks as a metric they should start reading all the articles.

 

[IM Dude]

No it will not , it wants to rank websites based on natural backlinks.
Will it be able to identify natural backlinks and with what % of accuracy.

 

[OccultKingdoms]

How about company website on a profile page? It is manually created, I still consider it low quality and it usually isn't inside pieces of content. How about directory listing? How about a guest post on a website under one years of age with low stats and low traffic? Quality is subjective, but Google isn't stupid.

In many niches the types of backlinks you listed are enough to rank.

For me they're better performers than web 2.0 and sarkar links.

 

[MisterF]

Everyone knows how important backlinks are when it comes to ranking a web page.

But do you guys think, will Google remove backlinks as a ranking factor anytime soon in the coming years?

What will happen if backlinks are no more a ranking factor?

What BHW's experts think?

Google will just make the front page ads only if they wanted to do that, then make people pay to get seen.

 

[Starblazer]

Backlinks are the backbone of Google algo. I don't think if they'll walk without a backbone unless they have a replacement. I don't think if we see any replacement for website authority anytime soon.

 

[SunnyLeon]

In many niches the types of backlinks you listed are enough to rank.

For me they're better performers than web 2.0 and sarkar links.

Everything is better than sarkar links. And I`m sure even sarkar links can still rank in some really weird niches. At the same time, even a website with no backlinks and no age or authority can rank in some underperforming niches. So that's nothing to guide by. But I am not talking about the present. We were talking about a future with or without backlinks.

 

[PTWWAAA]

Everything happens for a reason. Google will not make any weird things to happen all of sudden. If it happens, there will be an alternative option.

 

[HustleTong]

I don't see that happening anytime soon
Links are by far, the best metric to gauge authority of a domain
Without prioritization, spammers will dominate

 

[Vinyas Gowda]

Hope it will be a ranking factor for atleast next 5 years.

 

[c0ma]

IMO Backlinks to individual URLs will somewhat loose relevance. Your Domain Authority and overall backlink profile will play a much larger role. It becomes more and more about your brand and how credible you are regarding specific topic. At least thats how i feel.