
The Truth About Backlinks in 2025: What Actually Works
Backlinking seems to be this black art in SEO that everybody either doesn't understand or is suspiciously quiet about. The truth is that backlinks are still very relevant in today's SEO strategy – and they absolutely should be.
Why Backlinks Still Matter
Fundamentally, backlinks are Google's way to verify whether you're trustworthy. When other websites link to yours, they're essentially vouching for you. This makes perfect sense as an important ranking metric – the more sites that trust you, the better your content probably is, so the higher you should rank. In competitive niches, if you don't have a clear backlinking strategy, good luck getting anywhere.
The Reality of Google's Stance
Google states they don't condone buying backlinks, which sounds nice on paper, but reality tells a different story. If buying backlinks didn't work, the backlinking industry wouldn't be worth billions of dollars. Services like The Hoth, Get Me Links, Rhino Rank, plus thousands of Fiverr gigs wouldn't exist. Backlinks work, and buying them (if you know what you're doing) absolutely works too.
How to Actually Get Backlinks in 2025
The "Write Great Content" Myth
Google likes to sound like a Boy Scout by saying "just write valuable content and the links will come." Sometimes this works, but mostly it's bullshit. Great content alone rarely attracts backlinks naturally.
Manual Outreach
One legitimate approach is manually reaching out to websites, saying: "Hey, I noticed you discuss X topic. I've written a detailed post about that – linking to my article would add value to your readers." This is how Google wants you to do it, but it rarely works well and requires massive manpower to implement effectively.
Featured.com and Expert Platforms
A quicker solution without spending money is using sites like Featured.com. These platforms connect publications with subject matter experts. Featured.com lets you browse questions from publishers looking for expert answers. If you provide great answers, you'll be rewarded with a backlink to your website. The free tier allows three questions monthly, though only one or two might get published due to competition.

Create Interactive Content
Building fun, useful content can attract backlinks naturally. Free tools are particularly effective. On our website, we have a free keyword research tool created specifically to drive traffic and generate backlinks. Yours doesn't need to be as sophisticated – if you sell jewelry, a simple ring size calculator could work. These tools can bring in high-quality backlinks with minimal effort.
Buying Backlinks
You can simply buy backlinks through services like The Hoth or Rhino Rank. But you need to know what you're doing – specifically how to analyze what makes a good versus bad backlink:
- Is it contextually relevant? A dog training website getting links from computer gear sites makes little sense.
- Do you want a guest post or link insertion?
- What about domain authority?
Speaking of domain authority, this metric is somewhat made up. Yes, Google has its own internal domain ranking system, but we don't know it. The domain authority scores from Ahrefs or SEMrush are their own metrics that may not match Google's evaluation.
Generally, look for websites with consistent backlink growth and organic traffic increases rather than fixating on a specific domain authority number. If they've had relatively steady growth and have a higher domain authority than yours (despite what I just said about these metrics), it's probably a decent backlink.
What If You're Clueless But Need Backlinks?
If you don't know what you're doing but need backlinks and lack time, I personally recommend GetMeLinks. Full disclosure: I know these guys and have worked with them extensively.
Unlike The Hoth or RhinoRank, Get Me Links offers human interaction without requiring huge budgets. You can schedule a 15-minute call to discuss strategy, making it a collaborative process. They provide monthly reports showing what backlinks they've secured, and regular meetings keep you involved in the strategy.
Do You Actually Need a Backlinking Strategy?
It depends on your niche's competitiveness. In the wedding industry in Sydney, Australia? You'll need serious backlinks to rank well in such a competitive space with established players. Your options are spending on backlinks or Google Ads – either way, your wallet will feel it.
But if you're a dog trainer in a small Idaho town with only one competitor, you can probably rank without an extensive backlink strategy.
I hope this has been valuable. If you want a full video tutorial on building backlinks yourself, check out my recent guide linked below.