Is Your Backlink Profile Important and What to Do About It

Backlinks has to be one of the most mysterious and misunderstood ares of SEO. People (clients and agencies alike) know they’re a thing, but no-one ever seems to be able to put their finger on why and how they’re used. And, frankly, I get it – with all the talk about AI, content quality, and user experience, it’s easy to wonder if the fundamentals of link building still matter. The short answer? Absolutely. But the how and why have evolved significantly. Let’s get some clarity on this.

A backlink profile remains one of the strongest ranking signals Google uses, but the rules of the game have changed dramatically. Today’s link building is more about strategic quality than pure quantity.

What Google Actually Cares About

Google isn’t just counting links anymore. They’re evaluating the entire ecosystem around those links, focusing heavily on link quality over quantity following (and have been ever since updates like Penguin).

Think of backlinks like business referrals. A single referral from a respected industry leader carries more weight than a hundred recommendations from people nobody knows or trusts. The same principle applies to link profiles.

Google evaluates several key factors: the authority of the linking page and domain, the relevance of the linking site to your client’s industry, where the link appears on the page, and whether the link was placed editorially or artificially. Links from highly relevant sites carry more weight than generic high-authority links – a niche industry publication often outperforms a general news site, even with higher domain authority.

Why Backlink Profiles Matter More Than Ever

A strong backlink profile isn’t just about rankings – it’s about business credibility in the digital ecosystem. When a website appears alongside industry authorities in search results, it’s positioned as a trusted player in that space.

But there’s the strategic element that many miss: relevance trumps raw authority…

Common Mistakes

Walking into agency-client relationships, I consistently see the same issues.

The most common is a complete lack of link building strategy – many businesses have grown organically but never invested in systematic link acquisition. Their profiles consist mainly of directory listings, social media links, and accidental mentions.

The second issue is historical “spam” links from previous SEO attempts. Low-quality or spammy links can actually hurt rankings. I regularly find links from irrelevant directories, paid link schemes, or automated attempts that do more harm than good.

Another frequent problem is link building without context. Clients ask for “more backlinks” without understanding that a single high-quality, relevant link can outperform dozens of generic ones. It’s like asking for more business cards instead of better networking opportunities.

And lastly, I often come across swathes of lost links – where previous companies have used subscription services for links, and once that subscription ends, the links disappear (like you’re renting them).

What Actually Works: Strategic Content-First Approach

Effective link building requires a completely different mindset than in recent years. The most successful approach focuses on creating content that naturally attracts links from relevant sources – developing resources, research, or insights that industry professionals actually want to reference.

For service-based businesses, I generally focus on themes around thought leadership content. Case studies, industry surveys, and comprehensive guides attract links from potential clients, industry publications, and complementary service providers. For product-based businesses, I emphasize linkable assets like tools, calculators, or visual resources that solve real problems. (There are obviously exceptions to both of these rules).

One strategy that consistently works across industries is the “data and research” approach. Data-driven content acts as a link building goldmine because it’s easy to cite and adds credibility to other people’s arguments. When you become the go-to source for industry statistics, links happen naturally

Relationship Building

Something that many agencies miss is that successful link building is really just intentional relationship building. The most valuable links come from genuine professional connections, not email templates.

I encourage clients to think about link building as part of their broader business development strategy. Speaking at industry events, participating in professional organizations, and collaborating with complementary businesses naturally creates link opportunities. The links are just a byproduct of good business relationship building.

This approach solves the scalability challenge. Instead of constantly hunting for new opportunities, you’re building relationships that generate multiple link opportunities over time. A single strong industry relationship might result in guest posting, collaborative content, speaking opportunities, and natural mentions across multiple platforms.

The Technical Foundation

Before building new links, every client needs a backlink audit. I use SEMrush to analyze current profiles, identifying opportunities and potential issues. During audits, I look for red flags such as: sudden spikes in low-quality links, links from irrelevant domains, over-optimized anchor text, and links from known link farms.

I also analyze competitor profiles to identify opportunities. If three competitors have links from a particular industry publication, that’s probably a good place to target too.

For local businesses, the strategy looks different but remains crucial. Local citations, chamber memberships, and community involvement create the foundation, but even local businesses benefit from industry-relevant links that establish broader credibility.

Measuring What Matters

Link building ROI isn’t just about ranking improvements. Track domain authority growth, referral traffic from new links, and ultimately, lead generation and revenue attribution. Quality links should drive both ranking improvements and targeted referral traffic.

I also monitor broader impact on brand visibility. As link profiles improve, clients often see increases in branded search volume, direct traffic, and industry recognition. These indirect benefits often prove more valuable than ranking improvements alone.

Making It Work for Your Agency

For us agency owners, link building presents both opportunity and challenge. Done correctly, it provides immense value and justifies ongoing retainers. Done poorly, it becomes a resource drain producing minimal results.

The key is setting appropriate expectations and focusing on quality over quantity. Clients understand that high-quality links take time to secure, but they need to see the strategic thinking and relationship building behind the process.

Present link building as part of a broader digital strategy rather than an isolated SEO tactic. When clients understand that link building supports business development goals while improving search visibility, they’re more willing to invest in quality approaches rather than demanding quick wins.

The Bottom Line…

Your clients’ backlink profiles absolutely matter, but success requires strategic thinking, relationship building, and patience. The agencies that master this balance will find link building becomes one of their most valuable service offerings – and one of their strongest competitive advantages.

The question isn’t whether backlink profiles matter – they do. The question is whether you’re building them strategically enough to justify the investment. Get this right, and link building becomes one of your most powerful tools for demonstrating real SEO value to clients.