Google has been downplaying the importance of links in its ranking algorithm for the past couple of years now. But last Thursday, at PubCon, Gary Illyes from the Google Search team said he wouldn't even put links into the top three ranking signals Google Search uses.
Gary was quoted saying this in several posts on X during his Q&A session at PubCon.
Here are those tweets:
One big takeaway from my AMA with @methode is that links are no longer in the top 3 for ranking factors. #pubcon
— Jennifer Slegg (@jenstar) September 21, 2023
Are links still one of the most important ranking factors?
— Patrick Stox (@patrickstox) September 21, 2023
I think they are important but I think people overestimate their importance.
I don't agree that it's the top 3 and it hasn't been for some time.
The top ranking factor is content. @methode #pubcon
Without content you wil not rank, top 1 ranking signal. #pubcon
— Ben Fisher (@TheSocialDude) September 21, 2023
Links not even in top 3 as a ranking factor
You can rank within links. pic.twitter.com/5EsmY2SXEn
Danny Goodwin also covered him saying this at Search Engine Land, "Links are not a “top 3” ranking signal and hasn’t been “for some time,” Illyes said, adding that there really isn’t a universal top 3. It’s absolutely possible to rank without links, Illyes said, citing an example of a page with zero internal or external links that he knew of that was ranking Position 1 on Porsche cars – and Google had only found the page via a sitemap."
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