Do Links Still Matter for SEO in 2026?
Yes, but less than they used to. For link building today, quality counts far more than volume. Links still help Google find pages and judge which ones other people trust.
Google has been open about the shift. In 2023, Google’s Gary Illyes said links had not been a top-three ranking factor “for some time”. In 2024, he said Google needs “very few links” to rank pages.
That doesn’t make links worthless. It means one relevant link from a respected publication in your field can beat hundreds of weak ones. In my view, chasing raw link counts is a poor use of budget.
- Links help discovery: Google finds new pages by following links.
- Links carry context: anchor text (the clickable words of a link) and the words around it tell Google what a page is about.
- Links signal trust: editorial links from relevant sites still act as a vote of confidence.
What Google’s Spam Policies Say About Link Schemes
Google’s spam policies for web search define link spam as creating links to or from a site mainly to push up rankings. Breaking the policy can lead to lower rankings, a manual action (a penalty set by a Google reviewer), or links that are simply ignored.
The policy lists these practices as link spam:
- Buying or selling links for ranking. This covers paying with money, goods or services, including sending free products in exchange for a linked write-up.
- Too many link swaps, or partner pages that exist only to link to each other.
- Automated programs or services that create links to your site.
- Requiring a link in terms of service or a contract without letting the other site owner mark it.
- Text ads or text links that pass ranking credit.
- Advertorials or native ads paid for with followed links, and keyword-stuffed anchor text in articles, guest posts or press releases.
- Low-quality directory or bookmarking links.
- Hidden or keyword-rich links in widgets spread across many sites.
- Footer or template links spread across many sites.
- Forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature.
Here is the key line for anyone doing this work. Paid links are allowed, as long as you mark them with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”. The money isn’t the problem. Passing ranking credit for it is.
Related Policies That Catch Link Builders
- Expired domain abuse: buying an expired domain and reusing it mainly to push up rankings. An example is putting casino content on a former school’s domain.
- Scaled content abuse: mass-producing low-value pages, with AI or otherwise. Private blog networks (groups of sites built only to link out) often break this rule as well as the link spam rule.
Google ran four spam updates in 2026 (March, June, August and September). Google said the August update did not target link spam, which is handled separately. Our report on Google’s June 2026 spam update covers that rollout. For the wider ranking picture, see our guide to Google core updates in 2026.
Site Reputation Abuse: What Changed in 2026
Site reputation abuse is about where content lives, not links directly. But it hits many “pay to publish” link tactics. Google’s August 2026 update also changed how it’s enforced in Europe.
The policy covers third-party content published on a host site mainly to take advantage of that host’s ranking signals. Google’s examples include an educational site hosting a sponsored payday loan review, or a medical site hosting an unrelated “best casinos” page.
What Isn’t a Violation
- Press release and wire sites.
- Syndicated news and editorial columns or opinion pieces.
- User-generated content such as forums and comments.
- Third-party promotional content that’s clearly shared with the publication’s own readers.
- Affiliate links and ad units used properly.
When human reviewers check a page, they look at whether it has enough “editorial oversight, or contribution from the host site” to count as part of that site. Presentation, quality, authorship and whether the same piece appears elsewhere all play a part.
The EEA Change
In its August 2026 update to the site reputation policy, Google said manual actions under this policy no longer affect results shown to users in the European Economic Area (EEA), from 30 August 2026. Reporting linked the change to European Commission concerns.
- Outside the EEA, affected pages can still get a manual action.
- In the EEA, Google may separate such sections from the main site so they rank on their own merits. This is automated, not a manual action.
- So a sponsored section can still lose its borrowed strength in Europe. I’d treat this as a change in enforcement, not a loophole. For the wider picture, see Google’s DMA search changes in Europe.
rel=”sponsored”, “Ugc” and “Nofollow”: When to Use Each
Use sponsored for paid links and ugc for links that users submit. Use nofollow when neither fits but you don’t want to vouch for a page. Google’s guide to marking outbound links explains each one.
| Attribute | Use it for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| rel=”sponsored” | Ads, paid placements, sponsorships, gifted-product reviews | Google’s preferred value for paid links; nofollow is still accepted |
| rel=”ugc” | Comments, forum posts, community Q&A | You can drop it for trusted, long-standing contributors |
| rel=”nofollow” | Links you don’t want to endorse, when the others don’t fit | Use it with care, not on every external link |
You can combine values, for example rel=”ugc nofollow”. Since 2019, Google has treated these attributes as hints, not strict commands. So a marked link may still help Google find a page.
Affiliate links aren’t named on that page, but they’re commercial links. Most sites mark them sponsored to stay safe, and that’s what I do too.
Link Building Tactics That Still Work
The tactics that last earn links because a journalist, blogger or partner truly wants to cite you. Each one takes effort, but none puts your site at risk.
Digital PR
Pitch stories journalists actually want: expert comments, quick reactions to news, or campaigns built around a surprising angle. Coverage brings links, brand mentions and referral traffic at the same time. For campaign ideas, see our guide to digital PR campaigns that earn coverage.
Original Data and Research
Surveys, studies of your own anonymised data, or yearly benchmark reports give writers something to cite. Publish the method, sample size and dates so people trust the numbers.
Linkable Assets
Free tools, calculators, templates, glossaries and in-depth guides attract links over time. Build for a real gap. Then promote the asset to the people who write about that topic.
Broken Link Building
Find dead pages in your niche that still have links pointing to them. Create a better replacement, and tell the sites linking to the dead page. You’re fixing a problem for them, which is why it works.
Unlinked Brand Mentions
Set up alerts for your brand, products and staff names. When a site mentions you without linking, a polite note asking for a link to the right page often works. In my experience, this is the easiest win most brands ignore. For how mentions compare with links in AI search, see brand mentions vs backlinks.
Partnerships
Suppliers, integration partners, associations and event organisers often list their partners. These links are fine when the relationship is real. But avoid mass link swaps.
Local Links
Local news, chambers of commerce, community sponsorships, local events and business associations are strong signals for local businesses. I share practical ideas in my guide to local link building. Pair them with a solid Google Business Profile.
Guest Posting Done Right
Guest posts are allowed. What Google penalizes is guest posting at scale with keyword-rich anchors, mainly to get links.
- Write for sites your customers actually read.
- Offer expertise the host’s readers can’t get elsewhere.
- Use a natural author bio link, ideally to your homepage or a useful resource.
- Never pay for a followed link, and accept rel=”sponsored” if the host asks for payment.
Link Building Tactics Compared: Risk vs Effort
Most safe tactics take a lot of effort. Most fast ones are risky. Use this table to plan your mix.
| Tactic | Policy risk | Effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital PR | Low | High | Authority links and brand mentions |
| Original data and research | Low | High | Links that keep coming for years |
| Linkable assets (tools, guides) | Low | Medium to high | Steady, natural links |
| Broken link building | Low | Medium | Niche-relevant links |
| Unlinked mentions | Low | Low | Quick wins for known brands |
| Genuine partnerships | Low | Low to medium | Relevant B2B links |
| Local links and sponsorships | Low (if sponsorships are marked) | Low to medium | Local businesses |
| Editorial guest posts | Low to medium | Medium | Expertise and new audiences |
| Guest posts at scale with exact-match anchors | High | Medium | Avoid |
| Buying followed links or link insertions | High | Low | Avoid |
| Private blog networks / expired domain redirects | High | Medium | Avoid |
| Directory, comment and forum signature links | High | Low | Avoid |
Risk here means risk under Google’s spam policies. A tactic can be safe under the rules and still fail if the content isn’t good enough to earn coverage. If I had to pick just one tactic to start with, I’d choose original data, because it keeps earning links long after you publish it.
How to Judge a Linking Site’s Quality
I always ask one question first: would you want this link if Google didn’t exist? If it would send relevant visitors or build trust with your audience, it’s probably worth having.
Then run through these checks:
- Relevance: does the site cover your topic or serve your customers?
- Real traffic: does it rank for real queries and get visitors, or does it just have a high score from a third-party tool?
- Editorial standards: are there named authors, edits and a clear purpose?
- Outbound link patterns: are posts stuffed with commercial links to unrelated sites?
- “Write for us” pages with price lists: treat these as a warning sign for paid, followed links.
- Topic sprawl: a site covering casinos, CBD, crypto and home loans is usually a link farm.
- History: check archived versions for a sudden change of owner or topic. That is a common sign of a reused expired domain.
Authority scores from SEO tools are estimates, not Google data. Use them to make a shortlist, never as the final decision.
Outreach Tips That Get Replies
Good outreach is short, specific and useful to the person reading it. Generic templates sent to thousands of addresses rarely get links. They can also damage your reputation.
- Research the person: mention a recent piece they wrote and why your asset fits it.
- Lead with value: a data point, a fixed broken link or an expert quote, not a request.
- Keep it brief: three or four sentences and one clear ask.
- Write a clear subject line: say what you’re offering.
- Follow up once: one polite reminder after about a week is enough.
- Never offer payment for a followed link: it’s link spam, and many editors will blacklist you.
- Build relationships: journalists you help with good sources come back.
How to Measure Link Building
Measure results, not just link counts. The goal is better visibility, traffic and trust for the pages that matter to your business.
Metrics Worth Tracking
- Number of relevant referring domains (separate sites linking to you) earned per campaign, not total links.
- Referral traffic and conversions from linking pages in your analytics.
- Ranking and click changes for the target pages in Search Console.
- Brand mentions, linked and unlinked, in coverage tracking.
- Branded search growth over time, a sign people remember you.
Use Search Console’s Links Report
The Links report shows top linked pages, top linking sites and top linking text. It’s a sample, not every link. It also doesn’t flag nofollow, so pair it with a third-party tool.
Should You Disavow?
Usually not. Google’s disavow help page says most sites don’t need it. Use it only if you have many spammy links and they’ve caused, or are likely to cause, a manual action. I rarely recommend it.
If you’re cleaning up after a link audit, our technical SEO audit checklist helps you find broken internal links and redirect chains too.
How Links Relate to AI Search Visibility
Honestly, nobody outside Google or OpenAI knows exactly how links feed AI answers. What we do know is that AI features build on normal search systems. So the basics still apply.
Google’s help page on AI features says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page must be indexed and allowed to show a snippet, and normal SEO best practices apply.
Google also says these features may use “query fan-out”, running related searches to find supporting pages. So pages that rank well for related queries have more chances to be picked, and links are still part of how pages rank.
What the Evidence Suggests
- An Ahrefs study of about 75,000 brands (May 2025) found branded web mentions correlated more strongly with AI Overview visibility (0.664) than backlinks did (0.218).
- The author stresses that correlation isn’t causation. The study only covers Google’s AI Overviews.
- For ChatGPT search, OpenAI says sites must allow its OAI-SearchBot crawler to appear in search answers. It doesn’t publish how links affect which sources are picked.
My practical takeaway: digital PR and original research earn both links and mentions. That helps classic rankings and probably AI visibility too. For more, read how to get cited in AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT search.
Next Steps
Good link building in 2026 is slow, honest work. Here is the order I would follow:
- Audit your current links and stop any paid, followed placements or link swaps.
- Mark sponsored, affiliate and gifted links with rel=”sponsored”.
- Pick one data or asset idea your audience would truly cite, and build it properly.
- Set up brand mention alerts and claim links from unlinked mentions each month.
- Make a short list of 20 relevant, high-quality sites and pitch them with outreach written for each one.
- Track referring domains, referral traffic and target-page rankings each quarter.
