Google: Most Websites Rank Without Any Link Building

Nov 24, 2017 - 8:00 am 85 by
Filed Under Link Building

Google Sleeves

Did you know that most websites listed and ranking on Google rank without building a single backlink? John Mueller of Google said on Twitter that "most" websites rank without building a single backlink.

Well, it depends on how you define "build backlinks." If you define it as building great content people want to link to, then no. But if you define it as actively asking people to link to your web site, then yes. Most websites probably never have asked anyone to link to them and they do rank in Google.

Of course, most websites my readers work on have done link building to try to help the website rank even higher.

Here are the tweets:

So yes, you can build a site, like this one, and rank just fine without asking or actively link building.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google Search Engine Optimization

Google Search Console Adding AI Visibility Reporting?

Feb 2, 2026 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Replacing Support Form With AI Agent

Feb 2, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Vastly Increases Local Pack Ads Placement

Feb 2, 2026 - 7:21 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

February 2026 Google Webmaster Report

Feb 2, 2026 - 7:11 am
Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: January 30, 2026

Jan 30, 2026 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Rank Volatility Heated, AI Overviews To Send Less Traffic, Opt Out Of It, Yahoo Scouts & Bing AI Performance Report

Jan 30, 2026 - 8:01 am
 
Previous Story: Google My Business Web Search Dashboard Now Ask You To Create Ads