The Ultimate Guide to Ranking Factors —Backlinks & Authority in the Age of AI
Why Backlinks Still Matter (But How the Game Has Changed)
🔍 What This Guide Covers
In this second installment of our Ultimate Guide to Ranking Factors series, you’ll learn:
What backlinks are and why they’re still vital for your business visibility.
How AI and search updates have changed what “good” backlinks look like.
A simple, actionable step-by-step plan.
Clear answers to the most common backlink FAQs.
💡 What Are Backlinks?
A backlink is when another website links to yours — an “inbound link” or digital vote of confidence.
“Backlinks help search engines determine how trustworthy, relevant, and authoritative your website is.” — Search Engine Journal
Each quality link signals that your content deserves to be found and trusted.
✅ Why Backlinks Still Matter for Local Businesses
Backlinks connect your site to your community and niche.
Neil Patel emphasizes that links remain a major factor in Google’s ranking systems. (neilpatel.com)
SEO.com lists backlinks among the top ranking categories for 2025. (seo.com)
However, even Google’s Gary Illyes notes links are “important but not always top three” ranking factors. (Search Engine Land)
🤖 What’s Changed in the AI Era
Context beats quantity: Relevance and intent now matter more than raw link counts.
Entity and brand signals: AI search tracks mentions and co-occurrence of your brand with key topics.
Linkless citations: Mentions without links still boost visibility as AI understands brand context.
Engagement metrics: Links that bring real traffic and interaction count far more.
“If those links bring quality traffic to your site … they’re worth keeping. If not, they’re essentially worthless.” — r/SEO discussion thread
🧭 Step-by-Step Guide: Build Backlinks the Right Way
1️⃣ Audit Your Current Links
Use Ubersuggest to see who links to you and flag low-quality sources.
2️⃣ Earn Local and Relevant Links
Get listed in local directories and Chamber pages.
Collaborate with complementary businesses for cross-mentions.
Sponsor community events for press mentions and site links. (neilpatel.com)
3️⃣ Create Link-Worthy Content
Offer value others want to share: local data, infographics, or helpful checklists. Neil Patel calls this the “free-tool backlink” method. (neilpatel.com)
4️⃣ Monitor and Maintain
Track new and lost links monthly.
Reclaim broken links by requesting updates or redirects.
Avoid buying links or participating in schemes — Google penalizes them.
🧠 FAQs About Backlinks for Local Visibility
Q1 – How many backlinks do I need?
There’s no magic number. Focus on quality and relevance, not volume. — Neil Patel
Q2 – Are all backlinks equal?
No. A single trusted local link beats a dozen random ones. Source and context matter.
Q3 – Can I buy backlinks?
Don’t. Paid links violate Google policies and can hurt your ranking.
Q4 – How long until I see results?
Usually 30–90 days, depending on crawl frequency and site authority.
Q5 – How do backlinks influence AI search results?
They help AI systems measure your credibility and determine whether your business should be referenced in AI-generated answers.
📆 Action Steps for This Month
✅ Identify five local sites that could link to you.
✅ Create one new piece of content worth linking to (e.g., “5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Contractor in Salem”).
✅ Reach out to one partner or community organization for a feature or mention.
✅ Audit your link profile and remove spammy links.
✅ Set a reminder to review your progress next month.
💬 Final Thought
Backlinks are still one of Google’s most powerful ranking signals — but now they’re part of a bigger picture.
Quality, context, and authentic relationships drive visibility across Google and AI.
Earn trustworthy links within your community, and you’ll build the kind of authority that keeps you visible no matter how search evolves.