You have probably heard the news by now “Links are dead! Google doesn’t care about them anymore!” But I bet you did not, this is just a rumour. Yes! The biggest scandal of 2025 SEO Market.

It’s true, Google has been downplaying their importance. And it’s tempting to think, “Phew! One less thing to worry about.”

But if you carefully look at the websites consistently ranking at the top of search results getting all the traffic. You can surely notice one thing in common i.e. strong, natural link profiles from reputable sources.

So, what’s really going on here? Let’s understand why links still matter in 2026 even if Google seems to downplay them.

But first let’s know the history behind the importance of links in the past and how it mattered.

Back in the early days of search engines, links were everything. If other sites linked to yours, it meant you were trustworthy, a digital vote of confidence. Google’s entire PageRank algorithm was built around this idea.

As brilliant as it seems it was equally exploitable.As few of the marketers began exploiting the system with link farms, paid backlinks and shady tactics.

But Thank Goodness! The rules have changed as Google started refining it’s algorithms in response. The days of collecting links like Pokémon cards are over. Google’s gotten really good at spotting that stuff introducing updates like Penguin to penalize manipulative linking practices.

Now it’s about quality over quantity. One genuine, contextual link from a respected industry site is worth more than 100 random links. It’s like the difference between having one heartfelt recommendation from an industry leader versus 100 generic LinkedIn endorsements.So standing today when Google says links matter less, what they really mean is they are watching how people interact with your content rather than just noticing how many sites link to you.

But here’s the secret: links are still on that grading rubric, they’re just not the only thing anymore. Think of it this way: In a room full of shouting voices, we naturally listen to the people we know and trust. Links are how the internet does this.

5 Reasons Why Links Still Rule

1. Links Are Digital Word-of-Mouth

When another website links to yours, that’s the online version of a friend recommending and that personal recommendation means more than any advertisement could ever say. Links may not mean as much as they did to Google in the past, but Google is now checking how helpful your content is and whether your website feels like a trustworthy source.

2. They Help People Actually Find You

Beyond Google, links are how humans explore the web. That click from someone else’s popular blog or newsletter? That’s warm genuinely interested traffic coming to your website who will surely like what you offer because they trust the source that sent them.

3. They Make You Look Like an Authority

Authority isn’t something you can claim on your own, it’s something others grant you. When respected sites in your industry link to you, it tells the audience and even the search engine that your information is trustworthy, valuable and worthy of attention. As a result, both users and search engines see you as someone who genuinely knows what they’re talking about.

4. Don’t Forget Your Own Backyard

While everyone is obsessing over external links, they often forget the kind of power their own websites hold. Thoughtfully linking between your pages-in other words,i.e strategic internal linking alone can significantly boost your rankings, help pages get indexed faster, and increase the overall authority of your site, it’s like strengthening your foundation before trying to build outward. It helps people find more of what you have to offer and tells Google which of your pages are most important.

5. Links Prove You’re Doing Real, Trustworthy, High-Quality Work

Google uses E-E-A-T which is Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness to judge content quality and credibility. While many factors contribute to this, backlinks from reputable sites are one of the strongest signals that real users consider you trustworthy and authoritative.

So What Should You Actually Do?

Instead of chasing link numbers, focus on:

• Creating content that people naturally want to share and reference.
• Building genuine relationships in your industry.
• Doing things that are actually link-worthy: unique research, helpful tools, amazing content.
• Making your site the kind of place other experts would be proud to reference.

Links are not the only key to eCommerce SEO success anymore but they’re still one of the strongest trust and authority signals on the internet.If you want your store to rise above competitors, attract qualified traffic and build lasting credibility, investing in the right ecommerce SEO services can make all the difference. Because while the rules have changed, one thing hasn’t: brands that create value and get recognized for it win.