There have been many questions posed about backlinks and if they’re important for your website. We have the definitive answer.
Are backlinks important? Yes, but it’s not that simple.
The benefit of having people link to your content has never been in question. What has been questioned is the methods people have used to try and obtain backlinks and manipulate this part of the Google algorithm. Google put a stop to that with several major algorithm updates: Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird.
So are backlinks still valuable for a website? The answer is still yes. Backlinks that are obtained from reputable sites by creating and publishing quality content are immensely valuable for improved search engine rankings. Think of these links as being earned and not obtained and you’ll win every time. If you are creating content that earns links back to it, Google will hold your website in high regard. If you seek to obtain links via taking shortcuts or other means, you will most certainly fail at achieving better rankings. Oh, and never purchase backlinks…ever!
