- Jan 4, 2021
- 2,181
- 790
Backlinks still matter in 2025, but pairing them with strong topical authority and fast, quality content works best now.
- Dec 2, 2015
- 6,377
- 2,971
I have a confession to make.
My first big SEO project was a complete disaster, and it was because I bought a package of 500 backlinks for what I thought was a steal. (My stomach still does a little flip just typing that). The client's site tanked. Hard. That expensive mistake taught me everything about the one question I still get whispered: "Are backlinks dead?"
Dead?
Nope. But the brain-dead strategy of just chasing quantity for the sake of quantity? That game is over.
The entire playbook has been flipped on its head. It’s not about how many links you have; it’s about who they're from. A quiet nod of approval from a respected voice in your industry is worth more than a thousand screaming ads on a billboard. It’s not volume; it’s a vote of confidence.
In a world now drowning in AI fluff, that single human endorsement is one of the only signals that truly cuts through the noise. It’s a real person telling Google, "Hey, this over here? This is the good stuff."
That’s a signal you just can’t fake. So you stop asking how to get links, and you start asking how to earn them.
Quality over quantity.
My first big SEO project was a complete disaster, and it was because I bought a package of 500 backlinks for what I thought was a steal. (My stomach still does a little flip just typing that). The client's site tanked. Hard. That expensive mistake taught me everything about the one question I still get whispered: "Are backlinks dead?"
Dead?
Nope. But the brain-dead strategy of just chasing quantity for the sake of quantity? That game is over.
The entire playbook has been flipped on its head. It’s not about how many links you have; it’s about who they're from. A quiet nod of approval from a respected voice in your industry is worth more than a thousand screaming ads on a billboard. It’s not volume; it’s a vote of confidence.
In a world now drowning in AI fluff, that single human endorsement is one of the only signals that truly cuts through the noise. It’s a real person telling Google, "Hey, this over here? This is the good stuff."
That’s a signal you just can’t fake. So you stop asking how to get links, and you start asking how to earn them.
Quality over quantity.
nathanVibe
Newbie
- May 5, 2025
- 24
- 7
Backlinks definitely still matter, but pairing them with strong topical authority and content velocity is the winning combo in 2025. It's about balance, not abandoning link-building entirely.
- Apr 30, 2022
- 124
- 39
I totally agree with this point of view. The relevance of the backlink to the target website's content is also very important.
Boostwebsite
BANNED
- Apr 20, 2025
- 59
- 44
Backlinks still matter, but Google’s focus is shifting—topical authority, content freshness, and user intent are definitely leading the game in 2025.
calebBoost
BANNED
- Apr 28, 2025
- 11
- 0
Backlinks still help, but good content matters more now.
- Nov 25, 2017
- 11,570
- 7,545
As long as there are search terms, backlinks will count as much as always.
jennykumar
Senior Member
- Nov 14, 2012
- 926
- 480
some types of backlinks are dead. the PBN backlinks from non-authority sites. I have had purchased those and my money site didn't even rank for it even after 6 months because they were PBN links from site which had articles in every niche on the earth.
then I moved to create my own pbn (fully private, no selling) which had published articles ONLY related to topics about my money sites. Then after they got indexed for at least 2 year I didn't insert any backlink. Slowly when google warmed up, I insterted backlinks to it thus my sites now rank for backlinks within 8-9 days. The sites DA/DR is 90+ and my PBN is 23 DA.
so if you want to add backlinks, either create your own pbn, or get one or two links from very high DA/DR sites but not news or general sites, but sites ONLY related to your niche. If your money site is on casino, get link from casino site.
then I moved to create my own pbn (fully private, no selling) which had published articles ONLY related to topics about my money sites. Then after they got indexed for at least 2 year I didn't insert any backlink. Slowly when google warmed up, I insterted backlinks to it thus my sites now rank for backlinks within 8-9 days. The sites DA/DR is 90+ and my PBN is 23 DA.
so if you want to add backlinks, either create your own pbn, or get one or two links from very high DA/DR sites but not news or general sites, but sites ONLY related to your niche. If your money site is on casino, get link from casino site.
- Apr 24, 2025
- 1,661
- 138
Interesting question. Backlinks still seem to matter, but not in the same way as before. The way Google’s shifting toward topic clusters and AI summaries, content strategy feels more important than ever.
Jack Charlie
Newbie
- Jun 18, 2025
- 20
- 5
AI Overviews changed the surface, but authority (both link-based and topical) still drives visibility.
embossitworld
Elite Member
- Jul 16, 2013
- 1,516
- 150
Link building is still valuable especially for building trust and authority but it’s no longer the only game. Topical authority and consistent, high-quality content (content velocity) now play a major role in ranking. Google’s AI Overviews favor sources with depth and expertise across a niche. A smart SEO strategy blends both: strong links and topical relevance.
River Rocky
BANNED
- Jun 24, 2025
- 17
- 4
Link-building remains important but combining it with strong topical authority and consistent content truly boosts SEO. Both strategies work best when balanced together.
Builder Dave
Power Member
- Nov 4, 2017
- 653
- 654
I don't think you can be competitive without good backlinks. Spamming backlinks is what is problematic.
Marin Valencia
BANNED
- Apr 13, 2025
- 1,631
- 160
Backlinks aren’t dead — they’ve just evolved. In 2025, it's more about where and how you get them. Relevance, context, and content alignment matter more than raw numbers. That said, content velocity + topical authority is clearly taking the lead,. The best results I’m seeing come of both.
- Jul 20, 2024
- 1,692
- 153
Backlinks definitely aren’t dead, but their role is evolving in 2025.
Google still uses them as a trust signal, especially for competitive niches, but they now work best when paired with topical authority and well-structured internal linking.
Google still uses them as a trust signal, especially for competitive niches, but they now work best when paired with topical authority and well-structured internal linking.
uniquelydull
Junior Member
- Oct 2, 2023
- 142
- 95
Get a handful of backlinks for just 1 page and see what it does. It still matters!
- Apr 1, 2025
- 141
- 30
Great question, and one a lot of SEOs are wrestling with right now. Here’s the messy truth: it’s not either-or. It’s “depends,” and honestly, it’s shifting faster than most can keep up with.
Lura Gunter
Newbie
- Jun 19, 2025
- 10
- 1
No, backlinks are still important in 2025. Quality links from trusted sites help your website rank better.