In today’s digital landscape, you might hear conflicting opinions about whether links are still important for SEO success. Many ask “are links still important for SEO?” as Google’s continuous algorithm updates and the emergence of AI-driven search features raise questions about traditional ranking factors like backlinks.
The verdict? Links are not just still important—they’re essential. Despite the evolution of search algorithms, quality backlinks continue to serve as powerful votes of confidence that help your website climb search rankings and build authority. Anyone wondering “are links still important for SEO?” should understand that link building remains a foundational strategy for search visibility.
This comprehensive guide explores six evidence-backed reasons why links remain crucial for your SEO strategy in 2025, complete with practical examples and actionable advice to improve your link profile. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of why links are still important for SEO and how to leverage them effectively.
Google has consistently confirmed that links are still important for SEO, ranking among their top three ranking factors alongside content quality and RankBrain (Google’s machine learning algorithm). According to a recent Semrush study analysing over 600,000 keywords, pages ranking in the top 3 positions had an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than those ranking in positions 4-10, proving links are still important for achieving high rankings.
Real-world impact: A mid-sized UK e-commerce site in the home furnishings niche saw a 43% increase in organic traffic after a focused three-month campaign to earn quality links from home décor publications and interior design blogs. Wondering how your link profile compares to industry standards? Our team can help with a complimentary review.
Why this matters for you: Each quality backlink serves as a digital endorsement telling search engines your content deserves visibility. Without these endorsements, even exceptional content can struggle to rank for competitive terms.
Search engine crawlers follow links to discover new content across the web. Without a solid link structure—both internal and external—your valuable content might remain invisible to search engines.
Consider this example: A recently launched recipe blog struggled with poor visibility until implementing a targeted outreach campaign that secured features on established food websites. Within two weeks of gaining these quality backlinks, Google’s indexing of their content increased by 67%, and organic visibility followed suit.
Pro tip: Use Google Search Console to monitor your site’s crawl statistics and indexing status. This helps you identify if link-related crawling issues might be hampering your visibility.
Domain authority remains a crucial metric in SEO, with links serving as the primary means to build it. For those questioning are links still important for SEO, research from Ahrefs shows that 90.63% of content gets zero traffic from Google, and the differentiating factor is often the strength of the site’s backlink profile.
How authority transfer works:
Case study highlight: A UK financial advice blog focusing on pension planning increased their domain rating from 34 to 61 over 12 months through strategic link building, resulting in a 212% increase in organic traffic and first-page rankings for several highly competitive terms like “pension tax relief advice”.
Beyond pure SEO value, strategic links create valuable referral pathways. Data from ContentMarketingInstitute shows that referral visitors from relevant, authoritative sites typically have:
Practical application: When seeking link opportunities, evaluate not just the domain authority but also the site’s audience alignment with your target market. A link from a smaller site with highly engaged, relevant visitors often delivers more business value than one from a higher-authority site with unrelated traffic.
Modern search algorithms analyse the context surrounding links, not just their existence. This context helps search engines understand your site’s topical relevance and expertise. The question “are links still important for SEO?” can be answered by examining how search engines use these contextual signals in ranking decisions.
Key contextual factors search engines evaluate:
Expert insight: Google’s link analysis has grown increasingly sophisticated in evaluating contextual signals. Links embedded within content closely related to your target keywords provide significantly stronger ranking signals than those from topically irrelevant pages.
Examine any competitive search results page, and you’ll notice a clear correlation between ranking position and backlink profiles. A recent analysis of 100,000 search results showed that the number one ranking result had an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than positions 2-10.
Visualization of link impact: When tracking 50 competitive keywords in the health and wellness sector, websites gaining quality backlinks at a rate of 4+ per month showed average position improvements of 5.7 places over a six-month period, while those with stagnant link profiles showed minimal movement.
Action point for you: Conduct a competitive backlink analysis using tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Majestic to identify gap opportunities where competitors have secured valuable links that you haven’t yet targeted. Not sure where to start? Our experts can perform a free competitor link analysis to uncover your best opportunities.
Understanding that links are still important for SEO is one thing; building them effectively requires strategic thinking and execution. Here are proven tactics that deliver results in today’s competitive landscape, ensuring you can capitalize on the continued importance of links for SEO success:
Develop original research, surveys, or industry reports that naturally attract citations. For example:
Modern link building often overlaps with public relations techniques:
Collaborate with complementary businesses or influencers to create valuable resources:
Help webmasters fix broken links while earning quality backlinks:
Success rate insight: While response rates average 4-6%, focusing on recently broken links (within 30 days) can increase success rates to 11-14%, according to outreach data from Pitchbox.
While nofollow links don’t directly pass link equity, they contribute to a natural link profile and can drive valuable referral traffic. For those asking “are links still important for SEO?”, it’s worth noting that Google considers nofollow links as “hints” rather than directives, meaning they may provide some SEO value in certain contexts.
There’s no universal number, as quality always trumps quantity. Research shows the average #1 ranking page has 3.8x more backlinks than positions 2-10, but what matters most is earning relevant links from authoritative sites in your niche.
Absolutely. Toxic backlinks from spammy sites, link farms, or irrelevant sources can trigger Google penalties or algorithmic filtering. Regularly monitor your backlink profile and use Google’s Disavow Tool when necessary to distance your site from harmful links.
New backlinks typically take 10-14 days to be discovered and processed by Google, with ranking impacts observable within 4-12 weeks depending on your site’s authority and update frequency. Higher authority sites generally see faster results from new links.
Links definitely still matter for SEO success in 2025—perhaps more than ever as competition for visibility intensifies. To anyone asking “are links still important for SEO?”, the evidence clearly shows they remain fundamental to search success. The key difference today is that effective link building focuses on quality, relevance, and natural acquisition rather than quantity or technical manipulation.
By investing in a thoughtful link acquisition strategy alongside other SEO best practices, you’ll build sustainable search visibility that drives genuine business results. Remember that the most valuable links come from creating exceptional, useful content that others naturally want to reference and share.
Your next steps:
Struggling with any of these steps? Our team offers a no-obligation link profile assessment to help you prioritise the most impactful actions.
Are you making links a priority in your SEO strategy? If not, you’re likely missing crucial opportunities to improve your search visibility and drive more targeted traffic to your website. The data confirms that links are still important for SEO in 2025 and should remain a central focus of your optimization efforts.
Need to dive deeper into advanced link building strategies? Bookmark this guide and check back for our upcoming series on ethical link acquisition techniques that deliver sustainable results.
