Are internal links becoming more important than backlinks for smaller sites?

i think both are still super important, a small site should likely focus on internal linking, then when ranking hits a plateau, it can focus on backlinking for more growth
 
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Server Agency US said:
Lately I've noticed some smaller content sites getting decent ranking with very few backlinks, but strong internal linking and better topic structure.

Feels like Google is rewarding content organization and relevance more than before, especially for informational keywords.

Anyone else seeing similar results recently?
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Are they new websites or old websites? How old are the domain names?
 
I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen a few sites with barely any backlinks outperform bigger competitors simply because their content is better organized and answers the topic more completely.
 
jrbalbino said:
I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen a few sites with barely any backlinks outperform bigger competitors simply because their content is better organized and answers the topic more completely.
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Are they informational keywords or money keywords? How old is the domain? Are they new websites or old websites?
 
spencer2011 said:
Are they new websites or old websites? How old are the domain names?
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From what I've seen, it's a mix. Some are fairly new sites, but a few also look like older domains that were already sitting with some authority.

The interesting part is that even newer sites seem to move faster when the structure and internal linking are done well.
 
I've noticed the same trend. Strong internal linking and clear topical structure can have a huge impact on smaller sites, especially early on, but backlinks still matter—internal links help Google understand your content, while backlinks help build authority.
 
skyar said:
I've noticed the same trend. Strong internal linking and clear topical structure can have a huge impact on smaller sites, especially early on, but backlinks still matter—internal links help Google understand your content, while backlinks help build authority.
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Yeah, that makes sense. Internal linking definitely helps with clarity and indexing early on, especially for smaller sites.

But I agree, backlinks still seem to be the main factor when it comes to building real authority in competitive spaces.
 
johnson2233 said:
i think both are still super important, a small site should likely focus on internal linking, then when ranking hits a plateau, it can focus on backlinking for more growth
Click to expand...
Yeah, that makes sense. Internal linking builds a strong base, and backlinks help push things further when you want more growth.
 
Orangereview said:
Interesting! Are you focusing mostly on informational content, or have you seen similar results with transactional keywords too? I noticed topic depth plays a huge role lately.
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Mostly I've seen it with informational content so far. Haven't tested much on transactional keywords yet, but topic depth definitely seems to matter in both cases.
 
I've noticed that too. For smaller sites, improving internal linking and topical coverage often delivers quicker gains than chasing backlinks, but backlinks still play an important role when it comes to building authority and competing in tougher SERPs.
 
youarehacked-error-000 said:
I've noticed that too. For smaller sites, improving internal linking and topical coverage often delivers quicker gains than chasing backlinks, but backlinks still play an important role when it comes to building authority and competing in tougher SERPs.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been seeing too. Internal linking seems to move the needle faster early on, while backlinks become more important as competition increases.
 
Server Agency US said:
Lately I've noticed some smaller content sites getting decent ranking with very few backlinks, but strong internal linking and better topic structure.

Feels like Google is rewarding content organization and relevance more than before, especially for informational keywords.

Anyone else seeing similar results recently?
Click to expand...
Totally different ranking factors
 
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