IS LINK BUILDING DEAD? (15 DATA STUDIES BEHIND THE CLICKBAIT)

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Backlinks and referring domains still correlate strongly with higher Google rankings, with the top-ranking page having 3.8 times more backlinks than results in positions 2 to 10. Traditional link-building methods, such as guest posting and link insertions, have declined in value, as only 4.6% of sites offering such services were found to be high quality. Digital PR has become the most effective strategy, earning authoritative links and unlinked mentions that strengthen brand authority and visibility. AI Overviews cite top-ranking pages in over 90% of cases, but unlinked mentions are often more impactful than backlink volume for AI visibility. Link building is not dead, but it has shifted toward authority-focused digital PR and brand strategies rather than raw link quantity.