The Importance of Link Building: Why Backlinks Are Still the SEO MVPs in 2025

Ever wonder why some websites effortlessly rank on the first page of Google while others struggle in obscurity? It’s not magic—it’s strategy. And at the heart of that strategy lies something you might be overlooking: link building.

In this guide, I’ll break down the importance of link building, explain why links are still king, and show you exactly how they impact your website’s visibility. Whether you’re a small business owner, a blogger, or a curious marketer, this post is your one-stop shop for understanding why links matter.

Let’s make link building make sense—once and for all.

Blog Format: This Is an Informative How-To & Opinion Combo

This article is both a breakdown of how link building works and a personal take on why it should be part of every SEO strategy.

What Is Link Building? (aka “Wat is Linkbuilding?” in Dutch SEO slang)

Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. These hyperlinks—often called backlinks—act as digital votes of confidence.

When one site links to yours, it’s telling search engines:
“Hey, this content is useful, credible, and deserves attention.”

The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more trustworthy your site appears to Google.

📸 Insert an image here: “Diagram showing a website earning authority from multiple backlinks”

What’s the Job of Links When Building a Search Engine?

Great question. To understand the importance of link building, you first need to understand what the job of links is in the eyes of a search engine.

Links help search engines:

• Discover new web pages (by crawling through links)

• Index pages for future retrieval

• Evaluate authority and relevance (based on the quality and quantity of backlinks)

Think of links as streets connecting pages. The more links pointing to a page, the easier it is for search engines to find and trust it.

The 5 Core Benefits of Link Building

Still wondering why link building is important? Let’s break it down:

1. Boosts Search Engine Rankings

High-authority backlinks improve your Domain Rating and signal to search engines that your content is valuable, which boosts your rankings.

2. Increases Website Traffic

Good backlinks drive referral traffic—that is, users who click a link to your site from another trusted site.

3. Builds Brand Authority

If major websites link to you, users are more likely to see your brand as trustworthy.

4. Accelerates Content Discovery

Links help Google find and index your new pages faster.

5. Strengthens Business Relationships

Many link-building strategies (like guest posting) involve networking, which leads to long-term business growth.

Real Data: Link Building vs. No Link Building

📊 Insert a bar chart: Comparing traffic and domain rating for linked vs. unlinked websites

Advantages of Link Building Over Other SEO Tactics

While all SEO is important, here’s why link building stands out:

• Unlike keyword optimization, backlinks can’t be faked—they’re earned.

• Google’s algorithm still heavily weighs links as a ranking factor.

• Link building creates long-term compound results—a link you earn today can still benefit you years later.

Link Building in Action: A Simple Example

Let’s say you write a blog titled:
“Top 10 AI Tools for Small Businesses in 2025.”

Now imagine:

• A popular tech blog links to it in a roundup article

• A small SaaS company references it in a newsletter

• You share it on Reddit and get a few comments with backlinks

Suddenly, that post is ranking in the top 5 for “best AI tools 2025,” bringing in thousands of monthly visitors.

That’s the power of strategic link building.

How to Start Link Building (Without Being Spammy)

If you’re new to it, here are a few beginner-friendly link building strategies:

1. Guest Posting – Write a valuable article for someone else’s blog and include a backlink to your site.

2. Resource Page Outreach – Reach out to blogs with resource lists and ask to be included.

3. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) – Respond to journalists looking for expert quotes (you’ll often earn a backlink).

4. Broken Link Building – Find broken links on high-authority sites and offer your content as a replacement.

5. Create Link-Worthy Content – Stats, infographics, tutorials, and tools get the most organic backlinks.

🎯 Insert an image here: “Infographic of 5 link building strategies”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even though link building is essential, it’s easy to go wrong. Avoid these pitfalls:

• ❌ Buying links from shady sites (violates Google guidelines)

• ❌ Using the same anchor text every time (looks manipulative)

• ❌ Ignoring no-follow vs. do-follow links (both are important, but only one passes authority)

• ❌ Prioritizing quantity over quality

Link building is a long game. If it sounds too good to be true—it probably is.

Link Building & EEAT: Building Trust the Right Way

EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—a core part of Google’s quality guidelines.

And guess what? Link building directly supports all four:

• ✅ Links from expert sources increase your Expertise

• ✅ Mentions in authoritative publications boost Authoritativeness

• ✅ Consistent link-building efforts show Experience

• ✅ Earning natural links builds Trust

So if you’re aiming for long-term SEO growth, focusing on ethical link building is a no-brainer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Importance of Link Building

1. What is link building and why is it important for SEO?

Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. These links act as signals of trust and credibility to search engines like Google. The importance of link building lies in its direct impact on how well your website ranks in search results. Websites with strong backlink profiles tend to appear higher on SERPs, drive more organic traffic, and gain authority in their niche.

2. What is the job of links when building a search engine index?

The job of links is to guide search engines as they crawl the internet. When building a search engine index, links help bots discover new content and understand the relationship between different pages. Links pass authority (also known as PageRank), allowing search engines to evaluate a page’s relevance and trustworthiness. Without links, pages can remain invisible to search engines.

3. What are the benefits of link building for a new website?

For a new website, the benefits of link building include:

• Faster indexing by search engines

• Improved keyword rankings

• Increased referral traffic

• Boosted domain authority

• Enhanced credibility in the eyes of users and Google

These outcomes support faster growth and help your site gain visibility in a competitive digital landscape.

4. How do backlinks help increase traffic?

Backlinks generate referral traffic—visitors who come to your website by clicking a link from another source. If a reputable blog, news site, or resource page links to your content, it can attract their audience to yours. Additionally, backlinks improve your SEO rankings, which means higher placement on search engines and more organic traffic over time.

5. Wat is linkbuilding and how is it used in international SEO?

“Wat is linkbuilding” is Dutch for “What is link building?”—and it’s a question that crosses borders. In international SEO, link building is just as essential. High-quality backlinks from country-specific domains (like .co.uk or .de) help improve visibility in that country’s Google version. Localization, language targeting, and region-based domains all contribute to SEO success globally.

6. What are the advantages of link building over other SEO strategies?

The advantages of link building include:

• Long-lasting results (a backlink earned today can benefit you for years)

• Greater authority with search engines

• Natural referral traffic

• Enhancement of brand credibility

• Support for content discovery

While keyword optimization or technical SEO are essential, link building offers compounding value over time, making it a strategic asset.

7. How many backlinks do I need to rank on the first page of Google?

There’s no fixed number, as ranking depends on your niche, competition, and content quality. In some cases, a single backlink from a high-authority site can outperform 50 low-quality ones. Instead of focusing on quantity, emphasize earning high-quality, relevant backlinks from trusted sources.

8. What types of content attract the most backlinks?

Content that earns the most backlinks includes:

• Ultimate guides

• Original research or statistics

• Infographics

• Free tools or templates

• Thought-leadership articles

When your content is unique, helpful, and easy to share, others naturally want to link to it—boosting your overall SEO performance.

9. Do no-follow backlinks still help SEO?

While no-follow links don’t pass link equity (PageRank) like do-follow links, they’re still valuable. They:

• Bring referral traffic

• Diversify your backlink profile

• Contribute to brand visibility

• May still carry indirect ranking signals (according to Google)

So yes, even if no-follow links don’t directly boost rankings, they play an important supporting role in your link building strategy.

10. What are some ethical ways to build backlinks?

Ethical or “white-hat” link building strategies include:

• Guest posting on reputable sites

• Broken link replacement outreach

• Creating linkable assets like case studies or visual guides

• Digital PR campaigns

• Answering journalist queries via platforms like HARO

These techniques align with Google’s guidelines and build long-term trust.

11. How long does it take to see results from link building?

You can start seeing measurable improvements from link building within 1 to 3 months, especially if your backlinks come from high-authority, relevant websites. However, long-term strategies can take 6 to 12 months to fully mature—particularly in competitive industries.

12. Are internal links part of link building?

Technically, internal links (links between pages on your own site) are not considered link building, which focuses on acquiring external backlinks. However, internal linking is still essential for SEO. It improves user navigation, distributes authority, and helps search engines understand site structure.

13. Can bad backlinks hurt your website’s rankings?

Yes. Links from spammy, low-quality, or irrelevant sites can negatively impact your rankings. These are considered toxic backlinks. Google may penalize websites with unnatural backlink profiles. Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify and disavow harmful links to protect your SEO health.

14. How do I know if a backlink is high quality?

A high-quality backlink generally meets these criteria:

• Comes from a reputable, high-authority domain

• Is contextually relevant to your niche

• Is placed within content, not in footers or sidebars

• Uses natural anchor text

• Drives real user engagement and referral traffic

The importance of link building lies in the quality of links—not just the number.

15. Should link building still be a priority in 2025 and beyond?

Absolutely. Even with evolving algorithms, the importance of link building has only grown. It’s still one of Google’s top-ranking signals, and it now plays a role in establishing EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

As long as search engines rely on trust signals to rank websites, link building will remain a foundational SEO strategy.

Final Thoughts: Link Building Is More Than an SEO Tactic—It’s a Trust Signal

To wrap it all up: the importance of link building isn’t just about rankings. It’s about trust, credibility, and long-term growth. In a world where digital noise is louder than ever, backlinks cut through the clutter and point users (and Google) to what truly matters.

Start simple. Reach out. Be helpful. Offer value. Build relationships.

And remember—every great SEO story starts with a single link.

Your Turn!

Have you tried any link building strategies yet? What worked, what didn’t, and what’s your biggest challenge? Let’s talk in the comments below!

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