Do Backlinks Still Matter?
Yes, backlinks still matter.
But that does not mean you should buy links, swap dozens of partner links, or stuff keyword anchors into forum signatures.
The backlinks that matter are usually earned mentions: someone references you, recommends you, cites your work, or sends relevant users to your product in a real context.
This article references official materials:
Define the Terms First
When people say backlinks, they often mean three different things:
Another website links to your website
Another website mentions your brand or product
Another page recommends your tool, content, case study, or resource
Strictly speaking, only the first one is a backlink.
But for an early-stage product, the second and third are also valuable. Growth does not only come from rankings. It also comes from real people seeing you, remembering you, and trying your product.
So do not treat backlinks as a narrow SEO trick.
Treat them as evidence that your product is being referenced by the right corner of the web.
Why Backlinks Still Matter
Google's link best practices explain that links help Google discover new pages and understand relevance.
But that does not mean more links are always better.
Useful links usually help in several ways:
Discovery: people and crawlers can find you
Context: your page appears inside a relevant topic
Trust: someone chose to reference or recommend you
Traffic: real users click through
Conversion: those users match your product
If a link has no real audience, no relevant context, and no editorial judgment, its long-term value is weak. It may also create risk.
The Problem With Low-Quality Links
Google's spam policies define link spam as creating links to or from a site primarily to manipulate search rankings.
Common risky patterns include:
Buying or selling links for ranking purposes
Excessive link exchanges
Automated link creation
Low-quality directory and bookmark links
Guest posts or press releases with optimized anchor text
Forum comments or signatures stuffed with keyword links
Low-value content made mainly to manipulate linking signals
The issue is not only that these tactics may stop working.
They also push your team toward the wrong work. You start chasing quantity instead of product quality, useful content, and real distribution.
The result is a list of links that look like assets but do not bring users.
What Good Backlinks Look Like
High-quality backlinks usually have these traits:
The page topic is relevant
The site has a real audience
The link is editorially chosen
The surrounding context explains why you are linked
The anchor text is natural
The visitors may actually need your product
Suppose you build an AI resume improvement tool.
Good links may come from:
Career blogs recommending tools
Job search tutorials from career coaches
University career center resource pages
HR communities collecting useful tools
Founder posts reviewing the product
Open-source README files listing related tools
The value is not mysterious.
The link appears where users are already thinking about resumes, job applications, or career tools. Your product fits the context.
Do Not Worship DA or DR
Many people judge backlinks only by third-party authority scores.
These metrics can be useful, but they should not replace judgment.
Ask:
Is this page relevant to my product?
Does this site have real readers?
Would users make a trial or buying decision here?
Is the link natural inside the body context?
Can it bring referral traffic?
Does it require unnatural exchange or payment?
A natural mention from a small vertical blog can be more valuable than a link from an unrelated high-score page.
Early founders should be especially careful not to let a score become the strategy.
Anchor Text Should Feel Natural
Anchor text matters because it tells users and search engines what the linked page is about.
But you should not force every backlink to use the exact commercial keyword.
Unnatural anchor text:
best ai resume builder
cheap ai resume builder
ai resume builder online
ai resume builder free
More natural anchor text:
this resume improvement tool
this AI resume rewriting guide
their resume scoring template
the ResumeFix case study
If every backlink uses the same commercial phrase, it looks unnatural.
A healthier approach is simple: let the anchor text follow the context.
How to Think About nofollow, sponsored, and ugc
Some founders see nofollow and assume the link has no value.
That is too narrow.
Google's outbound link guidance explains:
sponsored is for ads or paid placements
ugc is for user-generated content such as comments and forum posts
nofollow is for links you do not want Google to associate with or crawl from your site
These attributes may reduce ranking-signal transfer, but they do not erase business value.
A nofollow link can still bring users, awareness, partnerships, and second-order mentions.
For founders, ask about business value first, SEO value second.
How Indie Founders Should Build Backlinks
Do not start by "building links."
Start by creating something worth referencing.
Good linkable assets include:
A free mini tool
An industry template
A data-backed case study
A high-quality resource list
An open-source project
A tutorial that genuinely solves a problem
A comparison table or calculator
A customer story people can cite
These assets give other people a reason to link.
Without a linkable asset, outreach feels like asking for a favor.
With one, you are helping someone improve their own content.
A Minimal 30-Day Backlink Plan
For a new product, use this:
Week 1: list 50 relevant sites, directories, blogs, communities, and resource pages
Week 2: create one linkable asset such as a template, tool, checklist, or data page
Week 3: contact 20 truly relevant sites and explain what value you can add
Week 4: review referral traffic, signup conversion, indexing, and useful replies
Do not send the same cold email to everyone.
Every outreach message should answer three questions:
Why this site?
Which page can your asset improve?
Why would their readers care?
If you cannot answer these, do not send the message.
Places to Start
Indie founders can start with:
Vertical directories
Tool collection pages
Open-source ecosystems
Tutorial references
Competitor alternative pages
Partner pages
Industry newsletters
Podcast show notes
Product Hunt launch pages
Real discussions on Reddit, Hacker News, and Indie Hackers
The goal is not to spam links.
The goal is to provide useful information in the right context.
For example, on Reddit, answer the question fully first. Only mention your product when it is genuinely relevant.
How to Review Backlinks
Do not only count links.
Track:
Source page
Page topic
Link placement
Anchor text
Referral clicks
Signup conversion
Second-order sharing
Partnership or media opportunities
Some links may not move rankings quickly, but they create partnerships.
Some links bring many clicks, but the audience does not fit.
Some links are quiet but come from a highly relevant resource page and convert for months.
You need data to tell the difference.
The Most Important Principle
Backlinks are not a standalone tactic.
They depend on three things:
The product solves a real problem
The content is worth citing
Distribution reaches a relevant audience
If the product has no value, backlinks are packaging.
If the content has no information gain, people have no reason to cite it.
If distribution reaches the wrong audience, links will not convert.
So yes, backlinks still matter.
But they are not a shortcut. They are a result of building useful assets and getting them in front of the right people.
Summary
Backlinks still matter, but spam-link thinking is dangerous
Good links come from real context, relevant audiences, and editorial choice
Do not worship quantity or third-party authority scores
Natural anchor text is healthier than exact-match keyword stuffing
nofollow links can still have business value
Indie founders should create linkable assets before doing outreach
Next, we will cover the Reddit cold start method.
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