Google Now Requires Fewer Links for Page Ranking: SERP Conf Update

Gary Illyes from Google revealed at the SERP Conf that Google values links a lot less today than it did in the past. He stated that Google Search needs very few links to rank pages and that over the years, they've made links less important in their ranking algorithm.

The trend has been that links are weighted a lot less in Google's ranking algorithm than they were in the past. This has been a consistent message over the years, with Google indicating that links would likely become even less important in the future. Eight years ago, Matt Cutts, a former Googler, also suggested that links were becoming less significant, and this trend continues.

Many SEOs think Google lies about the importance of links for search ranking because there is a common belief within the SEO community that links still play a significant role in ranking pages. This skepticism may stem from the historical importance of links and the lack of transparency in Google's ranking algorithm.