Let’s discuss a topic that has been making waves in the SEO community in Malaysia: the decreasing importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm, as our author, Henry Tye – BigDomain founder and chief SEO strategist provides his thoughts on the constantly shifting SEO landscape.
Recent Post by search engine journal talks about Backlinks are not important for SEO: Google Confirms Links Are Not That Important.
The Evolution of Links in SEO
Links were discovered in the late 1990s to be a good signal for search engines to use for validating how authoritative a website is. This was a revolutionary concept at the time, and it kick-started more research on ways to use links beyond as an authority metric but as a subjective metric for relevance. This has been a key focus for many SEO services in Malaysia.
What Did Gary Illyes Say About Links In 2024?
At a recent search conference in Bulgaria, Google’s Gary Illyes made a comment about how Google doesn’t really need that many links and how Google has made links less important. This statement was later confirmed by Illyes on Twitter, causing a stir among SEO experts in Malaysia.
Why Links Matter Less
The reason why Google doesn’t need many links is likely because of the extent of AI and natural language understanding that Google uses in their algorithms. This should result in a shift in focus for businesses in Malaysia, on prioritizing other aspects of SEO over link building.
What Does This Mean for Your SEO Strategy?
The decreasing importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm doesn’t mean that you should stop building high-quality links. Instead, it means that you should diversify your SEO strategy to focus on other factors, such as content quality, user experience, and technical SEO. This is a strategy that we at BigDomain, a leading SEO company in Malaysia, strongly advocate for.
Remember, SEO is not just about links. It’s about providing value to your users and creating a website that search engines can easily understand and rank. So, are you still buying backlinks? It might be time to rethink your strategy.
Go to SEO Journal to read more about backlinks.
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About the Author – Henry Tye
Henry Tye is the founder and Chief SEO Strategist at BigDomain. With years of experience in the field, Henry is dedicated to helping businesses optimize their online presence and achieve their digital marketing goals. His expertise in SEO has made BigDomain one of the best SEO companies in Malaysia.
