When “Just Publishing Content” Isn’t Enough Anymore: Why Backlinks Still Matter (Yes, Even Now)

Right now, there’s a wave of energy in SEO and content marketing, and a lot of it is centered around one thing:

“We don’t need backlinks anymore. LLMs changed everything.”

You have probably heard it from consultants, seen it on LinkedIn, or read it in half-baked hot takes masked as thought leadership. And sure, it sounds compelling as the AI age is here.

Google is rewriting how search results are built. LLMs are pulling content from everywhere.

So why bother building backlinks?

We will tell you why: Because just publishing content and hoping it gets picked up by Google, by AI, and by customers, isn’t a strategy. It’s a bet.

And it’s one we have seen go wrong far too often over the last 20 years.

The Backlash Against Backlinks Is Missing the Bigger Picture

Here’s what we are really seeing right now:

• What it is: Companies are rushing to pump out “LLM-optimized” content at scale.
• Pro Tip: Writers are being told to “focus on semantics” and “forget links.”
• SEO Benefit: Founders asking if backlinks are “still a thing.”

And it’s understandable. Everything feels like it’s in flux. But let’s be clear:

Backlinks aren’t dead. They are just evolving, and quietly becoming more important in ways that aren’t obvious unless you have been watching this space closely.

What we are seeing isn’t the death of link-building, it’s the death of lazy link-building. And that’s a good thing.

Still confused about how links work today? This video explains it in under 20 minutes.

Why This Still Matters, Especially If You Are Building a Trust-Based Brand

Let’s speak directly to the B2B and SaaS leaders here.

If you are running a business where reputation, expertise, and trust drive conversions (not viral hacks), you can’t afford to ignore how LLMs (and search in general) assess authority.

Whether it’s Google’s SGE, ChatGPT’s web browsing, or Perplexity’s real-time citations, one pattern is clear:

These systems lean on content that’s linked, cited, and contextually supported by other reputable sources.

In fact, the #1 result on Google has 3.8 times more backlinks than results in positions 2 through 10, reinforcing just how much authority links still signal in search. (Source: AIOSEO)

Backlinks don’t just drive “rankings” anymore. They signal legitimacy in a world where algorithms are desperate to filter signal from noise.

And if your content has no backlinks? No votes of confidence?

Then AI, like search, quietly skips over you.

“Backlinks don’t just drive rankings anymore. They signal legitimacy in a world desperate for trust.”

The Part No One Puts in Their Webinars

We have run hundreds of content campaigns over the last two decades.

We have watched SEO rise, crash, and rise again.

We have seen link farms, content spinning, domain flipping, all the shortcuts.

But we have also seen something else: the companies that win long term are the ones that understand backlinks aren’t a technical trick. They are proof.

• Proof that someone else thinks your voice matters.
• Proof that your brand is part of a trusted ecosystem.
• Proof that your content isn’t just well-written, it’s worth citing.

And when you remove that proof from the equation? You don’t just lose rankings. You lose relevance.

Real-World Red Flags We See Way Too Often

Let’s not talk theory. Here’s what it looks like in practice when businesses assume backlinks don’t matter:

• You publish great content… and it goes nowhere.
• Your competitor shows up in AI summaries. You don’t.
• Your team is writing guides, articles, and whitepapers, but Google won’t surface them.
• You are cited in zero “best of” lists, roundup posts, or expert blogs.

And then the CMO wants to know why the organic numbers are flat despite “all this content.”

The problem isn’t the content. It’s the lack of authority.

And while user signals (like clicks, bounce rates, time on site, etc) are gaining importance, they aren’t replacing backlinks, as discussed in this Reddit thread on SEO trends.

Is SEO becoming more about user signals than backlinks?
byu/OliverPitts inseogrowth

What’s Actually Working in the Age of LLMs

Let’s break down what we are seeing work, right now, for clients who want to earn visibility, not just publish content:

Contextual backlinks from relevant sources

The old shotgun outreach model is dead. Backlinks from trusted, topic-aligned sites? Still golden.

Citation-worthy content

Think unique data, original insights, frameworks. LLMs and writers pull from things they can reference, not just regurgitate.

Human relationships behind digital links

Our most successful backlink wins in 2025? Still coming from conversations, collaboration, and mutual value. Not templates.

Structured formats and clear topical authority

If your content is organized, focused, and consistent, you get linked. And when you get linked, you get surfaced.

If you are wondering how backlink tactics are evolving, check out this short take on What Still Works in Link Building Today

What We Have Learned from 20 Years of Watching This Play Out

We have been through enough SEO cycles to know when a trend is real and when it’s just fear wearing a new outfit.

The AI wave is real. The rise of LLM-powered search is happening.

But the need for authority hasn’t changed.

In fact, it’s more important now.

Why?

Because when everyone’s using the same tools and publishing the same generic content, the only thing that separates you is what others say about you.

That’s what backlinks really are: the web’s version of a professional reference.

And in the age of LLMs, you need all the credible references you can get.

Curious how other marketers are approaching this in 2025? This Reddit discussion explores how backlinks are still valued in the modern search landscape.

Do backlinks still matter as much in 2025?
byu/lacie_SEOExpert inDigitalMarketing

What We are Telling Clients Right Now

Here’s what we are telling SaaS and B2B clients who want to adapt smartly (not just follow trends blindly):

• Don’t abandon backlink building. Evolve it.
• Prioritize earned authority, not “link juice.”
• Use AI for efficiency, but keep human relationships at the heart of your outreach.
• Measure visibility, mentions, and citations, not just traffic.
• View backlinks as brand reputation infrastructure, not a one-off tactic.

Because in a few months, when AI summaries are deciding who gets seen and who gets skipped, it won’t matter how good your content is…

If no one’s pointing to it, it doesn’t exist.

Let’s Not Wait Until You are Invisible

We have seen too many brands come to us after their visibility flatlined. After their traffic dropped. After they realized AI wasn’t “finding their stuff” no matter how well it was written.

Backlinks might not be the trendiest part of digital strategy right now, but they are still one of the most consequential.

And when the algorithms are trained on authority?

Your reputation, your real one, built link by link, is your edge

Got questions? Want to know where your authority actually stands in the new search landscape? Wondering how to earn links that matter, not ones that just look good in a report?

Let’s talk.

DM us on LinkedIn, send the tough questions, or throw us your “here’s what my last agency said,” and we will unpack it together.

We are not here for vanity metrics. We are here for visibility that lasts.

And that starts with the authority you have earned, not guessed at.