Backlinks in SEO and GEO: Much More important than most people think.
- Arjan Shahani
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
Your website might look perfect... and be practically invisible.
You just launched your new website. You invested time and money, had revisions and multiple discussions, but you finally arrived at a version you liked. And you even took the precaution of ensuring it was responsive and optimized for all types of screens. It looks incredible on laptops, tablets, and mobile devices… but no one visits it. What's happening?
I'm going to confront you with a hard truth: search engines don't just rate websites based on their design and content. They also measure and use REPUTATION as an important filter. This is true for traditional engines like Google and Bing, as well as for LLMs used as search engines (ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, etc.).
And how is a website's reputation measured? One of its main indicators, if not the most important one, is called BACKLINKS.
Table of Content
What are Backlinks in SEO?
Well, first, what is SEO? Simply put, without getting into too many technicalities, SEO is everything you do to make your page more visible and "findable" for search engines without paying for ads. The goal of this is to generate intentional traffic organically. And for practical purposes, GEO is its equivalent, but for you to be more findable by the AI platforms that are increasingly being used as search engines.
Now then, a BACKLINK is a link that another site generates to yours. There are different types of backlinks with different implications and values, but for now, stick with the idea that when someone puts a link to your site on theirs, they are sending a signal to the internet that contributes to the positioning of YOUR site. It is a vote of confidence, a reference from a third party who is saying "this site offers something of value."
And the obligatory reflection: not all votes of confidence are worth the same. If Tony Hawk says "your daughter has an incredible ollie," it will be worth much more than if her godmother says it (no offense to your cheers, Eva 😊). Similarly, the source of the backlink referring to you has a significant impact on your site's positioning.
“This content is valuable, relevant, and trustworthy” – The best signal a good backlink with high authority can give us.
In the world of SEO, backlinks fulfill a function similar to the quotes included on the back cover of a book. What they say matters, but also who says them. The greater the credibility of the backlink source, the greater authority it will project onto your site.
How Do Backlinks Affect a Website's SEO Performance?
There are many ways, but practically speaking, we can summarize this into a few crucial points. The four main ways an effective backlink strategy will help your site be better identified by Google's algorithm (and its counterparts):
1. Authority building.
Search engines assign an authority score to your domain (your website address). The more quality backlinks you have, the better authority rating you will have, and your site will be categorized as more trustworthy.
2. Better positions in search results.
In organic results (non-paid), the most trustworthy pages in each category tend to occupy better places in intentional search results. Simplifying the sequence, the way Google reads it is:
This user is looking for X.
In my menu of options to offer as a response to their search, I have 10 sites that I think are what they are looking for. They have similar content and an offering related to the user's search.
Of the two best, which are similar in content, I see that "A" has 50 good backlinks and its domain authority is 74, while "B" has no backlinks. The best answer to their search is "A."
3. Faster indexing.
Search engines are constantly looking for and evaluating new content on the internet to understand how it should be indexed. Imagine a library that has very organized sections, categories, books organized according to multiple variables, but in the back, it has a huge storage room in complete disarray. The indexing process is what happens to take a book from that storage room and place it on its best shelf. In this sense, imagine backlinks as a series of light spots that are illuminating your book in that storage room and shouting: “It's best to place this book first!”
4. Trust and the E-E-A-T model.
In other articles, I've already talked about the importance of E-E-A-T and used it to encourage you not to fall into the trap of automated low-value content generation using LLMs. Now I share with you that E-E-A-T is not only a matter of authentic content but also of those who REFER to your content. Backlinks give an additional qualifier to those pieces of information that are part of your website and were put there to attract traffic... and here it's worth mentioning that this is true not only for organic traffic but also for generating cost-efficiency in your paid campaigns (for example, in Google Ads).
Why didn't my agency tell me about Backlinks for SEO when they built my website?
I'm not going to give you excuses, but blunt truths. Most websites are bought and sold with a launch logic and not a long-term growth one.
In the market (and here both client and provider are equally guilty) website projects usually start the day the client gives the down payment and end the day the site has its GoLive. Therefore, developers focus primarily on Design, Content Loading Performance, Responsiveness for different devices, and Functionality. If you're lucky and work with a serious agency that has this muscle, SEO-based structuring is also included.
And I want to be very clear in saying that ALL of that is important for having a good website... but a void remains in discussions and strategies not planned to generate Backlinks. They are not part of a site's deliverable because it is not something that is built "on the site"... Furthermore, their generation is the result of continuous and constant work, which has a beginning but truly no clear end (you can always be chasing one more backlink) and they are easily displaced by considering them "a pending task for later and for someone else."
And although I maintain that there is a co-responsibility between client and provider, I return to something I have said many times: "the client does not know what they do not know and does not have to know what they do not know." As I write these lines, I think about the additional effort that those of us in the position and with the knowledge must make to correctly instruct the client to see that a good website build is only the beginning of its success. We have to be more effective in generating awareness about the importance of backlinks first... and then, helping clients develop strategies to capture them and elevate the authority of their sites. By doing so, we will truly be supporting their business objectives. Colleagues from other agencies, we have work to do.
Quality over Quantity: Not all backlinks are equal
Many times, cheap comes at a high price, and apparent shortcuts lead us to hit a wall. When it comes to backlinks, it is important not to fall into the temptation of the "easy solution."
I can already imagine you, who are reading this, asking Google or some LLM, “how can I buy backlinks?” and seeing search results with lists and lists of services promising “1000 backlinks for 25 dollars.” PLEASE, don't fall into the trap.
These services were born to deceive. In the worst cases, they are sites of dubious origin that you wouldn't want to trust your credit card data to... and in the BEST cases, they are mechanisms that will generate a vast quantity of backlinks... that will DAMAGE your ranking.
Let me explain: what these services do is link your page to sites that, without any relevance or context, are willing to generate the backlink because they were created for that purpose. There is no reason for the backlink, and these are sites that, for the same reason, have a very poor domain authority rating. Don't try to trick Google… Google hates when you do it and takes it into account. If it notices that your site starts being illogically referred to by irrelevant sites, it will tag it as spam and put a red flag on it.
Google wants to give its users the best search result. Interpreting that your site is trying to “cheat” to appear does not inspire confidence.
Instead of buying 100 weak, illogical, and low-domain authority backlinks, focus your efforts on figuring out how to achieve ONE good, high-authority backlink. Focus on relevance in your industry, contextualization, and earning that reference instead of generating it artificially (more on how to do this below).
Backlinks are a marathon, not a sprint
I know it's a cliché, but it's also true. Achieving good positioning via backlinks takes time… but the good news is that although the beginning can be difficult, with a good strategy behind them, they usually gain momentum and accelerate.
Think of it as developing a professional reputation. At first, it's difficult because no one knows you, but through consistency, networking, and value generation, you can reach a point where another cliché becomes reality: “Make a name for yourself and you can rest.” A good reputation reaches a point where it has natural traction, and what used to take titanic efforts becomes almost automatic.
And for that reason, I want to help encourage you to run the first kilometer of this marathon, knowing that as you progress, you'll pick up more pace.
Quick Wins (not shortcuts) for Building Backlinks. Start Today.
We already know: high-quality backlinks are not something a developer codes into your site, but a resource that needs to be chased out there. It's not in your territory but in that of others. Even so, there are things that fall into YOUR field of action to start capturing them. For example:
Add your business to relevant directories.
In your industry, whatever it may be, there are relevant communities. There are Chambers, Associations, Councils, Forums, and other types of groups.... And they are not just isolated directories without context. They have a REASON FOR BEING and intrinsic value. Often, precisely because of their nature, they are hosted on high-authority domains. Registering your site, your company, your business, in these relevant spaces is a quick win that, in addition to generating a good backlink, lets a community—which is surely visited by your potential customers—know that you exist. It is a double success.
Leverage your business's natural relationships.
Every company has clients, suppliers, and/or collaborators. Each of them represents a potential backlink. Think about who is easy to access to ask them to put a link to your site on theirs and give them relevant reasons to do so. A very natural way is even a link exchange (I reference yours in exchange for you referencing mine, and we both win).
Publish valuable content.
In addition to addressing a well-structured CONTENT strategy for SEO, publishing high-value "shareable" pieces makes it much easier and promotes backlink generation. Give the world out there REASONS to refer to you. Think of articles, quick references, guides, and/or downloadable resources that others would want to share with THEIR audiences. Earn the privilege of a backlink through the quality of your content.
Generate content for others.
It is easy to focus your efforts on generating valuable content in your own articles and news section. Because of course, we want them to come to OUR website. But what would happen if, in addition to generating content for your site, you do the work for others and "gift" them valuable content for their spaces? Although it may seem counterintuitive, with a good selection of other spaces, publishing content outside your site can actually become a way to extend your reach to other channels. And in the process, generate natural backlinks. Imagine, for example, that you write an Op-Ed in an informative medium in your industry and include a link in it to get a downloadable or an executive version of the article... BAM! Immediate backlink and possible referral traffic from an audience that didn't know you. Additional positioning, amplified reach, and better SEO ranking. The effort was worth it.
Testimonials and Success Stories.
On your website, you probably included a section where past clients speak well of you... What if you spoke well of them? Think of content like articles and/or success stories that you can put together that not only showcase your good work but also project your clients positively. If you put these pieces on your website and make sure your clients know that content exists, they will likely want to refer THEIR audiences to the piece at some point. Give them reasons why THEY want to generate traffic to your site by telling THEIR clients: “Look how well they speak of us in this space.” Here is just one example of this type of tactic.
Public Relations and Earned Media.
Media outlets, newspapers, specialized magazines, etc., usually have high-authority domains. Although this effort may be more laborious than other tactics I share, it's worth considering: How can you earn a space in their publications? In what spaces can you be to achieve their coverage? And when you achieve it, be sure to take the time and care to ask that they include a reference to your site in their publication (in most cases, doing so is not just a favor for you, but part of publishing a better, higher-value deliverable for their readers).
If your website is an island that no one knows about, it's time to turn it into a tourist destination.
Having a good website that no one knows exists is like being sure that somewhere in the world there is a paradise island that we have not discovered. It is useless.
In the current digital ecosystem, well-qualified visibility is key, and in that sense, every good backlink is a bridge stretched to your island that connects it with your audience and inserts it into a functional, high-trust network.... And when your island is well-connected, travel agencies (search engines and AI agents) have no problem promoting it as an ideal destination.
References
FAQ
What is the difference between SEO and GEO regarding backlinks?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focuses on optimizing your website so traditional search engines like Google or Bing rank you in their organic results. On the other hand, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is its equivalent for AI platforms (like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity) that are increasingly used as search engines. In both worlds, high-authority backlinks act as a critical reputation metric: they prove to both Google and AI agents that your content is trustworthy, relevant, and worth recommending to users.
Why is it dangerous to buy cheap backlinks for my website?
Buying cheap backlink packages (like those promising thousands of links for a few dollars) is a trap that will damage your rankings. These services connect your page to low-authority websites that lack any relevance or context. Google hates when you try to cheat the system ; if it notices your site is being weirdly referenced by irrelevant portals, it will label it as spam and red-flag it. In modern SEO, quality always beats quantity.
How do backlinks help speed up my content indexing?
Search engines constantly crawl the internet to evaluate and index new content. If you imagine a bookstore with a massive, completely disorganized warehouse in the back, indexing is the process of taking a book from that warehouse and putting it on the right shelf. Backlinks act as spots of light shining on your book inside that dark warehouse, shouting: "You should index this book first!".
How do backlinks relate to Google's E-E-A-T model?
The E-E-A-T model (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) isn't just about creating authentic content and avoiding low-value automated AI text. It also evaluates who refers to your content. When a reputable website links to yours, it acts as an external vote of confidence. This grants your domain an extra trust qualifier, which improves organic rankings and drives cost-efficiency in paid campaigns like Google Ads.
What are the fastest and most ethical ways to build quality backlinks?
To earn natural, high-authority backlinks without cheating, you can implement direct strategies:
Relevant Directories: Register your business in industry-specific chambers, associations, or councils that already hold high domain authority.
Guest Blogging: Write valuable content, such as an Op-Ed or guide, for third-party media outlets in your sector and include a link back to your site.
Natural Partnerships: Leverage existing relationships with clients or suppliers to naturally exchange links.
High-Value Assets: Publish downloadable resources, guides, or shareable articles that give others a genuine reason to reference you.
About the author
Arjan Shahani
Managing Partner at Werko Marketing Solutions and co-founder of Shahani Initiatives. He has over 20 years of experience in consumer and B2B marketing, as well as business consulting. His primary focus is business profitability through strategic marketing.
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