Why links still matter
Links remain one of the ways search engines judge authority and discover new pages. Mentions of your brand on respected sites also feed the picture AI systems build of who you are, which is why link building now overlaps with GEO.
What I will not do
Google's spam policies prohibit link schemes: buying links, large-scale guest posting for links, private blog networks and excessive link swaps. It has also targeted site reputation abuse and expired domain abuse. These shortcuts can work briefly and then wipe out years of progress, so I do not use them.
What works
- Linkable assets: original research, data, calculators and genuinely useful guides that people want to reference.
- Digital PR: expert commentary and stories that journalists and industry sites need, with responses to relevant media requests.
- Relationships: suppliers, partners, associations, events and communities you are already part of.
- Unlinked mentions: places that mention your brand without linking, where a polite request often works.
- Local links for local SEO: sponsorships, local media and business groups.
Quality over quantity
I judge every link by relevance, the trust of the site, whether real people would click it and whether it would still be worth having if search engines did not exist. That keeps your profile natural and durable.
Reporting
Each month you see the links and mentions earned, where they came from and the effect on rankings and referral traffic, alongside the rest of your SEO reporting.