Backlinks Remain a Pillar of SEO Despite AI-Driven Search Evolution
▼ Summary
– Links remain crucial for SEO, with 73.2% of professionals believing they influence visibility in AI search results like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
– Link building costs are rising, with 80.9% expecting further increases; high-difficulty niches require monthly budgets averaging $8,406.
– Digital PR is the most effective link-building tactic (48.6%), and 66.6% prioritize unique opportunities over copying competitors.
– Key risks in link building include avoiding spammy sites (89%) and low-quality content (86.3%), though 63.1% are open to paid links if quality is high.
– Link building is considered the hardest part of SEO by 55.2%, with challenges like high costs (75.1%), scaling quality (67.2%), and measuring ROI (52.9%).
A recent Search Engine Land survey of 518 SEO professionals, spanning agencies, freelancers, and in-house experts, confirms that backlinks still play a crucial role, even in AI-powered search environments. About 75% of surveyed experts believe backlinks significantly impact results in AI-driven formats like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT-integrated answers. Despite rising debate over AI-first search strategies, old SEO signals are far from obsolete.
Rising Costs and Persistent Challenges
Link-building is becoming increasingly competitive and expensive. According to the same study, 81% of SEO professionals expect backlink prices to climb through 2025. Unsurprisingly, competitive sectors such as gambling lead in expenditures. Across the board, nearly all marketers believe competitors are purchasing links to gain an edge, the survey found over 90% suspect paid backlink tactics .
Acquisition challenges remain a critical hurdle: 52.3% of SEO professionals say link-building is the toughest aspect of their job. Meanwhile, expenditures vary widely, with around 38% of businesses allocating $1,000–$5,000 per month toward link strategies.
Quality Over Quantity: Strategy and Risk Management
Tactics continue to evolve: nearly half of link builders find digital PR campaigns effective, while approximately 61% incorporate social media into outreach. However, risk aversion remains high, with 89% actively avoiding sites with questionable outbound links.
Focus has shifted even more toward quality. Recent data reveals that 94% of link experts believe link quality outweighs quantity, and premium guest posts can cost an average of $609 a piece. The emphasis on authoritative backlinks is key: top-ranking pages often have nearly four times as many backlinks as their lower-ranked counterparts.
Context: AI Isn’t Replacing SEO Fundamentals
While AI search, through approaches like Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), is reshaping how content is discovered and presented, traditional SEO levers such as backlinks remain fundamental. These signals still carry weight in AI-derived search experiences, reinforcing the importance of tried-and-true SEO practices.
Key Takeaways for SEO Teams
- Backlinks still matter. Three-quarters of experts report a direct impact of backlinks on AI-generated search visibility.
- Budget pressures are increasing. With rising costs and aggressive competition, especially in niches like gambling, link acquisition remains a major investment.
- Quality and safety are priorities. The trend is toward authoritative, relevant links, coupled with vigilance against risky sites.
- Adapt, don’t abandon. SEO teams should integrate AI-centric tactics (like AEO and GEO) without overlooking link-building fundamentals.
As search evolves, SEO success still hinges on trusted signals like backlinks, strengthened by new AI optimization strategies, not replaced by them.
Inspired by (Search Engine Land)
