A couple of years back, it would seem downright ludicrous if someone suggested that a website could rank without links. Yet, here we are, in 2023, inspecting this exact reality amidst the debris of our former understanding.
SEO strategies have always been formulated on the foundational belief that links are the golden doorways to better search rankings. The diminishing importance of links in Google Search rankings, though, has started to divert our attention elsewhere.
The rise of relevance signals and Google getting better at understanding natural language has had a massive share in this shift. In other words, Google has sped up its treadmill of tech evolution, with its ranking algorithm adapting more efficiently to the web’s natural language context.
The Declining Significance of Links: Google’s Point of View
Gary Illyes, Duy Nguyen, and John Mueller have all recently touched upon the lessening importance of links in Google Search rankings.
Illyes, in particular, sent shockwaves through the digital world when he claimed the possibility of a website to rank without links. Although he laid stress on it being an ‘edge case’, the mere possibility of that happening was enough to get the debate going.
Nguyen, from Google’s search quality team, chimed in with Illyes, stating that links’ ranking impact has become weaker as newer, more robust ranking signals have come on board. John Mueller added more spice to the mix, sharing his view that the significance of links is bound to fade away as Google’s ability to understand internet content improves.
The Rise of Stellar Content: A Case Study
We don’t need to rely solely on mere claims. A case study exists where a website garnered the number one rank, even though it had no internal or external link connections. What did this website have, you ask? It simply boasted top-notch content.
This sheds light on an ascending trend: Google is progressively placing more emphasis on the quality and relevance of content. In a digital landscape teeming with mediocre content, stellar content has indeed started turning heads.
Looking Ahead: The Future of SEO
It’s a time of great change in the domain of SEO. While links still reserve their spot in the ranking factors, the weight has tilted heavily towards content relevance and quality.
This underlines Google’s vision of providing users the most relevant and high-quality results, regardless of how many links a website has.
So, instead of relentlessly focusing on link-based SEO strategies, maybe it’s time website owners and digital marketers keyed into the vast potential of impeccable content and compatibility with Google’s technological developments.
This shift needn’t send panic waves. Instead, think of it as an evolution. An evolution that pushes us to innovate and adapt. To provide high-quality, relevant content that aligns with the user’s search intent.
In the end, isn’t that what Google always wanted?
All eyes are on what the coming years have in store. For now, remember: links still matter, but great content triumphs!
Up until working with Casey, we had only had poor to mediocre experiences outsourcing work to agencies. Casey & the team at CJ&CO are the exception to the rule.
Communication was beyond great, his understanding of our vision was phenomenal, and instead of needing babysitting like the other agencies we worked with, he was not only completely dependable but also gave us sound suggestions on how to get better results, at the risk of us not needing him for the initial job we requested (absolute gem).
This has truly been the first time we worked with someone outside of our business that quickly grasped our vision, and that I could completely forget about and would still deliver above expectations.
I honestly can't wait to work in many more projects together!
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