How SEOs Would React To Google Dropping Links As A Ranking Factor

Apr 21, 2014 - 8:12 am 17 by

Google Webmaster Tools Bug in LinksAs you know, Yandex, the popular Russian search engine, officially dropped link factors from their ranking algorithm within specific sectors.

Google's Matt Cutts said dropping links in Google's ranking algorithm would make for worse search results - so they likely won't be doing that any time soon.

But what if they did? That is the questioned we asked you and with 330+ responses, I wanted to share the results.

If Google dropped links from their ranking algorithm you would be:

  • 35% said, very excited
  • 32% said, curious
  • 18% said, very concerned
  • 8% said, just be...
  • 6% said, they would be over and done with

Here is the pie chart:

google algo link poll

Disclaimer: Please see my poll disclaimer post before coming to any conclusions on these results.

Forum discussion continued at WebmasterWorld.

Note: I am offline today and this post was pre-scheduled to be automatically posted. So if I am delayed in responding to issues or comments, I apologize in advance.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: February 27, 2026

Feb 27, 2026 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Discover Core Update Done, Search Volatility, Search Serving Bug, AI Prompt Injection, Google Ads, Local & Bing

Feb 27, 2026 - 8:01 am
Google

Videos: Google Search On HTML & Google Ads On Search Experiences

Feb 27, 2026 - 7:51 am
Bing Ads

Microsoft Advertising Rolls Out Self-Service Negative Keyword Lists

Feb 27, 2026 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Text Guidelines Rolling Out To All In AI Max

Feb 27, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google

Google Tests Web Mentions In Retailer Store Pages

Feb 27, 2026 - 7:21 am
 
Previous Story: A Stuffed Panda Boarding A Train