Backlinks are still one of the most important ranking factors in search engine optimization (SEO) and crucial for getting as far to the front as possible on Google. After all, it was the revolutionary PageRank formula by Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin that turned the search engine market upside down.
Instead of having to dig through cluttered web directories, thanks to this formula the Google user was presented within seconds with the (supposedly) best websites for their search term. PageRank determines the link popularity of a URL – the basis of calculation is the random surfer model, or its further development, the reasonable surfer model.
Put simply: the more relevant backlinks point to a page, the more valuable it is in Google's eyes. Although the algorithms keep evolving, links remain decisive – so with off-page optimization the right backlinks have to be built.