How much do backlinks really matter these days?

[zacatictac]

I am more and more getting the feeling that google ranking factors are determined by much more than backlinks and content quality. Listen to this question and answer:

To me the answer very much alludes to the fact that google is very interested in bounce rate, time spent on the page, does the user share the page? does the user bookmark the page in their browser or comment on it?. All your backlinking when nobody is actually sharing, bookmarking or staying on your page long is just red flags to google. I'm not saying backlinks are dead, but I feel like there is a ton more than meets the eye here. Just making backlinks without mimicking real user interaction seems like its dead or dying. Thoughts?

 

[asap1]

Links are becoming less important every year. They are still the most important but Google is looking at other things.

 

[RuthSam]

I don't care how many videos or threads there will pop up from now on. backlinks are important and the core in any SEO optimizing /ranking if you don't have backlinks forget about ranking just less difficult keywords. I know people claim they can rank a website just by onsite! but it won't work!

 

[Guestwriting]

Google had started considering contextual links for any website a decent priority to boost with the ranks!

Backlinking technique as such is working fine but not for too long as you could see the current Penguin update that is slowly wiping out the links built just for Backlink purposes ie for SERP Boosts (PBN/Blog Posts).

Practises like Blogger Outreach/Real Guest Posts, Press Releases are one other way of getting backlinks in a passive way. These techniques enables you to show the Google bots that you are contributing to the Internet society and the active, unique internet users show their support and interest by sharing and engaging with the posts.

Keep them real and you'll get the SERP real!

Backlinking as such is not dead, it pretends to be and runs the entire show in other ways

 

[staypositive]

if backlink less important now, so what is?

 

[mirrorer]

LOL.
Everyone answers what's best for his BST signature.

Sick.

Links continue to matter & will continue till google changes core algos.

Personally I continue to enjoy top 10 ranking with my own private pbn for 2 years now without any penalty so far.

 

[Guestwriting]

Haha, It is a healthy discussion to share and learn

If someone emphasizes the answers relevant to their BST Signatures, it is pretty clear that they hold knowledge on the same practices and have some reports to back them up

Like said, Links are always important for SERP boosts. The question is what practices do you follow that Google loves endorsing you than to keep a wide eye for getting hit sometime

 

[Nonilol]

Backlinks are the most important ranking factor and will probably always be.
I don't think there is any other way to determine the authority of a website.

By the way: Social signals are backlinks as well.

 

[We Bring Rank]

Backlinks are not just for real users.. It mainly consider to increase your sites authority and also it is helpful to boost up your ranking

 

[gottapays]

Backlinks will count always , just not spammy ones

 

[nodyguy]

Backlinks/offpageseo will always be the number one factor simply because without ranking you don't have traffic and without traffic you can't track the onpage factors you talk about like time spent on page, bounce rate etc (Talking about organic SE traffic).

 

[validseo]

Backlinks... the #1 ranking factor of all time. Nothing has changed.

 

[bahus]

Don't expect google to come out and make a statement which ranking factor counts the most. To confuse webmasters they spread fake news. And no matter what they say, links do matter a lot.

 

[cyberkiller]

Back links will always play a role

 

[ZhoronoX]

In my opinion it's unreal to rank up without any backlinks. Why? Take a look on the top of your comeptitor wesbites in google and you'll get an answer

 

[seo dean]

Backlinks are the important factor to increase your rankings.It will helps to improve the authority of your site and to gain more traffic.

 

[onlineonly]

Backlinking technique as such is working fine but not for too long as you could see the current Penguin update that is slowly wiping out the links built just for Backlink purposes ie for SERP Boosts (PBN/Blog Posts).

I have to ask you how in the world would google or anyone else for that matter know if a link is from a PBN or a real website? If done correct you can't know if a website is part of a PBN or just some random website.

 

[sub001]

Backlinks remain important, but other factors are gaining fast.

How important are backlinks becomes harder and harder to evaluate, because Google discounts a great many of them. So, doing a link audit (especially for large sites) takes a LOT of time to get right.

Overall, using backlinks as a ranking factor has always been Plan B for Google. Plan A is AI together with their continually increased amount of information about each individual user. In other words, the SERPs are increasingly becoming personalized for each individual user. Backlinks play a second fiddle in that (at best).

 

[Street Fighter]

backlinks are very important for SEO

 

[Guestwriting]

I have to ask you how in the world would google or anyone else for that matter know if a link is from a PBN or a real website? If done correct you can't know if a website is part of a PBN or just some random website.

You could run through the Link profile for the site to understand if the site is a legit PBN or just another network of blogs that sell links There are many who develop and run their own PBN and had not been affected over any Google updates till date. To determine a real website - Social Signals can also be used to validate its authenticity and real traffic. I hope I'm right with my answer.