SEOs agree that while there are a large number of ranking signals for modern search engines and links are not dead. SEMRush lists different link signals as 4 of the top 8 ranking factors in search results. A study by Backlinka found that the average #1 Google Search has 3.8x more backlinks and 3.2x more referring domains than #2-#10. Good linking will always be vital to building your startup’s web presence.
Proceed with caution; not every link signal is a good one. Quality matters. Google penalizes websites who use doorway pages, hidden links, thin affiliates, or other dishonest tricks to increase their site’s ranking without also increasing its quality or relevance. Search engines never want spam to have a positive influence on rankings. Working with spam can bring down a good site’s reputation; bringing poor-quality links together creates a bad neighborhood in the virtual world, tanking the reputation of every site caught in the chain.
Look for ways to increase your website’s link signals’ quality as well as number. Domain age works in a website’s favor; it shows that the website has stood the test of time. Content that answers questions is valuable: posts discussing the “what” or “why” of things get 26% more links than videos and how-tos. Long-form content gets more shares than short articles do. Follow links always rank above NoFollow links because the former vouches for the linked site’s authority.
Tips like these are just places to get started. At the end of the day, what’s important is to maintain a high quality website and only provide external backlinks to websites of equal or better quality. So long as your page and the external backlinks it attracts have good Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-A-T), you will be able to climb in search rankings.
In the words of Google itself: “Creating good content pays off . . . the more useful content you have, the greater the chances someone else will find that content valuable to their readers and link to it.”
Do you still see the value of links? Check out this visual resource guide to link building for more info:
Also published on: https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2021/01/how-links-live-on-in-search-engine.html