SEO Myth Busting #5: “Backlinks Are Dead”

Hey founders 👋

You’ve probably heard this one recently:

It feels nice to believe. No outreach, no effort, just “let the content speak for itself.”

The only problem? It’s wrong. And it’s costing you traffic.

❇︎ Why the “Backlinks Are Dead” Myth Persists

It’s true that Google has gotten better at evaluating content quality.

But here’s what hasn’t changed:
🔗 Backlinks are still one of the strongest signals for authority and trust.
🧠 Especially in saturated markets like SaaS, Google uses backlinks to decide which good content to rank.
📉 Sites without links rarely earn page-one rankings—no matter how well-written the post.

In fact, most of the top-ranking pages for competitive keywords still have dozens or hundreds of referring domains.

❇︎ What to Do Instead (Low-effort Link Building)

You don’t need a huge team or budget to build backlinks. Here’s how to start right now:

1. List Your Startup on 10 High-DA Directories

Start with trusted platforms:

• Product Hunt

• Indie Hackers

• BetaList

• G2 / Capterra

• Hacker News “Show HN”
  → These links are legit, fast to submit, and get indexed quickly.

2. Answer 1 HARO Request Per Week

HARO = Help A Reporter Out. You get daily emails with expert quote requests. Respond, and you might land a backlink from a top-tier site.

Pro tip: Write a 2–3 sentence quote + offer to elaborate. Be fast.

3. Pitch a Guest Post (No Cringe Needed)

Don’t cold email random bloggers. Instead:

• Find niche blogs in your space

• Comment on 1–2 posts

• DM or email:

→ Simple, no spammy “Dear webmaster” templates.

❇︎ Quick Win: Add 3 Internal Links Today

Not all backlinks need outreach. Internal links help distribute authority between your own pages.

→ Find your 3 most authoritative pages (usually your homepage + highest traffic blogs).
→ Add links from those to your new or underperforming blog posts.

You're done in 10 minutes—and you just gave Google a clearer content structure.

Hands-Off SEO for Founders

If you want backlinks but not the grind, we’ve got you.
We’ll handle content, link building, and technical SEO—while you build your product.
→ Book a free call

✨TL;DR
Backlinks aren't dead—they're just less visible.
You don’t need 1,000 shady links. You need 10 strategic ones.

Start small. Stay consistent. And stop waiting for Google to “just know” your content is great.

See you next week – we’re busting the long-tail keyword myth 👊
Liked this? Forward it to a founder still praying for “organic” traffic.

Have questions about link building? Just reply—I read and answer every one.

— Xavier