Are Backlinks Worth It for AI SEO (in 2025)?

If you are a business owner in Bangladesh or anywhere else in the world, you have probably heard the rumors. People are saying that with Google’s new AI-driven algorithms and the rise of AI Overviews, backlinks no longer matter. 

They say that links are a relic of the past, like floppy disks or dial-up internet.

That rumor is completely false!!!

In 2025 and beyond, backlinks won't be dead. They will have just gotten smarter. Google’s AI is simply forcing everyone to focus on quality vs. quantity, which will be a good thing for your brand’s long-term health. The game won't end; it will simply evolve to value trust and contextual relevance more than ever before. Ready to see what the new rulebook will look like?

Key Takeaways

• Backlinks (still) important 2025 as one of Google's top three ranking factors.
• The focus is strictly on Quality vs. Quantity backlinks that demonstrate real value.
• AEO/GEO success requires backlinks as the primary trust signal for Google AI Overviews.
• Links are the undeniable proof of Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness within the E-E-A-T framework.
• Semantic relevance of the linking source is now more critical than its raw Domain Authority/Page Authority.
• White-hat link building strategies (2025) must involve creating original, link-worthy data assets.

In 2025, backlinks are not dead. They will have just gotten smarter. 

They have just gotten smarter. 

Google’s AI is simply forcing everyone to focus on quality vs. quantity, which is a good thing for your brand’s long-term health. 

The game hasn’t ended. 

It's simply evolved to value trust and contextual relevance more than ever before.

Want to see what the new rulebook will look like? 

Here we go! 

The search engine world changed forever when Google began using sophisticated AI tools such as RankBrain and MUM. 

These programs no longer just count keywords or links. 

They understand what your website is actually about. 

What does this mean for your digital marketing? 

It means semantic relevance is king.

The Rise of Generative AI and AI Answers

Generative AI has changed how people search. 

Instead of just seeing a list of links, users now see Google AI Overviews answers right at the top of the SERP (Search Engine Results Pages).

By the end of 2025, over one billion people worldwide will have adopted AI Overviews, highlighting broad user preference.

• To generate an AI Answer, Google’s large language models (LLMs) will need to decide which sources will be the most reliable. Research shows that AI Overviews will reduce organic clicks by an estimated 25% to 35% for traditional listings, making that top AI spot crucial. 
• Backlinks are the strongest, fastest signal of that trust. If your page has strong, contextually relevant links, Google AI is likely to select your content as the trusted source to cite in its answer. This will be the heart of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).

But apart from everything above, you need to understand first what Google AI Mode is and how it will impact Search.

E-E-A-T Is Your AI Shield

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is not just a fancy acronym. It is the core framework that Google algorithms (AI-driven) use to evaluate your website. 

How do you show a machine that you are an authority?

• Experience and Expertise come from the content you write and the author bios you use.
• Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness come from backlinks. A link from a trusted source is essentially a public testimonial that tells AI, “This business knows what they are talking about.”

The shift is simple!

Backlinks are still a crucial ranking factor in 2025, but their value is now judged by context.

Contextual Relevance Over Raw Numbers

In the old days, a link from any website was considered a good vote. 

Now, AI uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze the text around the link.

• A link from a finance blog mentioning VISER X in an article about digital marketing strategies is worth 100 times more than a link from an unrelated recipe blog.
• The semantic relevance between the two pages is what matters most. This is why smart link building is essential.

The Link to Topical Authority

Topical authority means your website covers every aspect of a specific topic. 

You cannot build this authority alone. 

Backlinks from other topical experts show Google that your expertise is recognized across your industry.

• A few high-quality, relevant links build a deep web of credibility.
• This strong profile boosts your entire site’s Domain Authority/Page Authority, helping all your pages rank for important terms.

Stop sending mass emails. 

White-hat link building in the AI SEO era is about creating things worth linking to and building real relationships.

Strategy 1: The Original Data Gold Mine

Create Original data that no one else has, like a survey of Bangladeshi digital trends or a unique case study, which is naturally link-worthy.

Publish a data-driven report because other news sites and blogs will cite your data, earning you high-quality editorial backlinks.

Strategy 2: Unlinked Brand Mentions Reclamation

It is one of the easiest wins. 

Often, a news site or a blogger mentions your company, but forgets to link to your website.

That is why you need to leverage tools to find all mentions of your brand (unlinked mentions).

Result? 

Politely email the site owner asking them to turn the mention into a clickable link. 

You deserve that link, don’t you?

Strategy 3: Resource Page Hero

Find the best resource pages in your niche with pages that list great tools or articles.

Reach out to the owner and point out your content, explaining why it is a better fit than a broken or old link they currently have listed.

As a result, you provide value to their site and earn a valuable backlink in return.

Google’s AI is incredibly good at detecting fakes. 

Trying to cheat the system is a massive risk that could lead to a severe penalty. 

Don’t let short-term gains destroy your long-term success.

Buying low-quality links: Purchasing cheap links from spammy sites is an immediate red flag for AI. They add no contextual relevance and only signal an attempt at manipulation.

Link Swapping Networks: Engaging in large-scale "I link to you, you link to me" schemes is easily detectable by Google algorithms (AI-driven).

Irrelevant Guest Posting: Writing a generic post on an unrelated niche just to get a link is worthless for AI SEO. The lack of semantic relevance means the link carries no trust signal.

You must stop tracking the number of links. 

A hundred low-quality links do not equal one truly authoritative mention. 

You start monitoring the quality and long-term impact of every link acquired.

Start monitoring the quality and impact.

1. Authority & Trust Signals (E-E-A-T)

The goal of link building is to increase your brand's perceived authority, which is directly tied to E-E-A-T.

• Domain Authority/Page Authority (DA/PA) Growth: You track the strength score of your entire site and key pages. While DA and PA are third-party metrics (Moz), their movement reflects the number of Referring Domains and the quality of those links, which Google's own algorithms use. A sudden jump in DA after one high-quality link is a stronger signal of success than a slow creep after twenty low-quality links.
• AI Citation Count / Attribution Rate: This is a new, crucial KPI. You track how often your brand or content is cited by major AI search interfaces (like Google AI Overviews) or LLMs (Large Language Models) in their generated answers. Links from highly cited sources are more valuable than those from uncited sources. A citation in an AI Answer demonstrates a new, powerful form of machine-validated authority and Trustworthiness.
• Anchor Text Relevance: You monitor the text used in the backlinks. E-E-A-T requires anchor text to be naturally diverse yet highly relevant to the linked page's content, thereby reinforcing Topical Authority.

2. Semantic & Content Relevance

AI SEO relies on understanding the topic, not just keywords. Your links must confirm your expertise in that topic.

• Semantic Score / Embedding Relevance: You measure how closely the topic of the linking page aligns with the topic of your receiving page. Tools use vector analysis to compare content embeddings and provide a Semantic Relevance Score. A link from a page with a high semantic score signals to Google's AI that your content is part of the authoritative topic cluster, boosting its Expertise signal for that subject.
• LLM Answer Coverage: You track the range of distinct user queries that your linked content helps resolve across various search features. A single authoritative page with strong links should provide "coverage" for dozens of long-tail, conversational queries, demonstrating deep topical authority to the AI.

3. Business Impact & Visibility

Link building must translate into measurable business results.

Organic Traffic Change: You check whether your organic traffic grows specifically and sustainably after acquiring a powerful, high-authority new link. You also monitor Referral Traffic from the linking domain, which means a link that sends engaged traffic is inherently more valuable. A link from a high-traffic, relevant site validates the User Experience of those who click through, signaling to Google that the link provides value.

SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) Positions & Zero-Click Surface Presence: You monitor your keyword ranking improvements and note any direct increase in AI Answers or Google AI Overviews visibility. Appearing in an AI Overview or Featured Snippet for a question-based query is a direct outcome of high E-E-A-T signals, which high-quality backlinks heavily support.

The path to getting backlinks (still) important in 2025 is clear, but it requires strategy, effort, and relationships. 

You need a digital partner that understands AI SEO and GEO, not just old-school link farming.

VISER X is a leading  SEO Service Provider that redefines link building:

Digital PR Focus: We move beyond link farming by concentrating on Digital PR, creating content so genuinely valuable it naturally earns high-authority links.

Targeted Guest Post Backlink Services: Our guest post backlink services ensure strategic placement on influential, relevant platforms, guaranteeing contextual relevance and boosting your Topical Authority.

E-E-A-T Strategy: We audit competitors and craft personalized outreach to enhance your site's E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

Keen to shift your website into an authoritative source cited by Google’s AI? 

Contact VISER X for an AI SEO strategy consultation today

Backlinks remain a vital ranking factor in 2025 and are arguably more important than ever before, but for a new reason. 

They are the trust signal that powers Google’s AI. 

By focusing on quality vs. quantity backlinks and using intelligent, white-hat link building strategies (2025), you secure your position at the top of both the traditional SERP and the emerging Google AI Overviews. 

The future belongs to those who earn their links

Do backlinks still matter with the rise of AI in search engines?

Yes, backlinks are (still) important in 2025. They are the number one signal of a site’s Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, which AI systems prioritize above all else.

How does AI change the way backlinks are valued?

AI uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to value contextual relevance over sheer volume. A link is only valuable if it comes from a site with high Topical authority that is closely related to your content.

Are pages with strong backlink profiles more likely to be featured in Google’s AI Overviews?

Absolutely. Pages with high-quality backlinks have demonstrably higher Trustworthiness and Authoritativeness, making them the most reliable sources for Google AI to pull from for its AI Answers.

What is the role of backlinks in demonstrating E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to AI?

Backlinks directly confirm the 'A' for Authoritativeness and the 'T' for Trustworthiness. They are endorsements from the internet community that your site is a legitimate expert.

Do "no-follow" or "sponsored" links still have value in an AI-driven search landscape?

Yes, they do. While they do not pass traditional ranking value (PageRank), they provide crucial Brand mentions (unlinked mentions) and Topical authority signals to AI. They confirm that your brand is being discussed and recognized in your niche.

Should I change my link-building strategy because of AI?

You must change your link building strategies (2025). You need to shift from volume-based link schemes to Digital PR and content that is so good it naturally earns links, focusing entirely on semantic relevance.

Can AI tools help with link building?

Yes, AI tools are excellent for smart prospecting, helping you analyze the Domain authority/Page authority of potential partners and find unlinked brand mentions much faster than manual effort.