A backlink is simply a link from another website that points to yours. That is the whole definition. But to Google, a link is more than navigation — it is a recommendation. When a respected website links to you, it is effectively vouching for you, and Google has counted those votes since its very first algorithm. Two decades later, backlinks are still one of the strongest ranking factors there is.
Why links still matter
Google's job is to rank pages by trust and relevance. Reading the words on a page tells it what a page is *about*; counting who links to that page tells it whether anyone *trusts* it. A genuinely useful page tends to get linked to naturally. So a page with strong, relevant backlinks almost always outranks an equally-good page with none. That is why backlinks sit at the centre of any serious SEO programme.
Not all links are equal
This is where most people go wrong. The value of a link depends on:
Authority
a link from a publication Google already trusts passes more value than one from an unknown site
Relevance
a link from a site in your industry counts more than a random one
Placement
a link inside the body of an article beats one buried in a footer
Whether it is indexed
a link on a page Google never indexes passes nothing
One link from a real, indexed publication can be worth more than a thousand throwaway links.
The links that hurt you
In the 2010s, "buy 10,000 backlinks for $5" actually worked for a while. It does not any more — Google's spam systems now detect and discount (or penalise) obvious link schemes. Avoid:
- PBNs (private blog networks) — fake sites built only to sell links
- Bulk link blasts — thousands of identical links overnight
- Link farms and irrelevant directories
We do not sell these, and we tell clients honestly when a cheap link package is a liability rather than an asset.
How backlinks should be built
Good link building is slower and more deliberate. Our approach has two layers: Tier 1 sponsored placements — real articles on publications Google indexes — reinforced with Tier 2 supporting links that help those placements get found and pass their value through. If you want the difference explained, we wrote a separate guide on Tier 1 vs Tier 2 backlinks.
So — do they still matter?
Yes. The methods that work have changed, but the principle has not: earn (or place) links on pages people actually trust, and your rankings rise. Chase volume from junk sites, and you risk a penalty. If you want links built the safe way, see our backlinks service or get a free audit.