Will the search engines index and rank sites using metrics other then links. There is a futuristic fear mongering among webmaster and seo fraternity. Every day there is an article posted on authoritarian sites regarding the importance of back links and how search engines take them into account. There is also a fear that the impact has been diluted in the algorithms...yet the importance.
Even if the impact of backlinks becomes negligible building them will never come to a halt. The SE companies will never steep low to neglect them it will be a fatal mistake. They are valuable piece of information which are extremely helpful in imparting information about a page. Literary they are conversation pieces valuable since they tell so much about a web page. Even if the authority dries up in future algorithms search engines will keep on looking at these html tags connected to websites as described above. They are the back bone of the Internet information architecture and will remain so.
Therefore it is unlikely that they will be obliterated totally from the scheme of things. The major fear among the engines is they can be easily manipulated. Well not after "nofollow" attribute which most of the platforms hinge on the links placed on their social media site. The consternation amongst the consultants and webmasters should come to rest after Googles announcement that it will look into it and take a hint. Hence the links may not increase the authority score but yet deliver crucial information to the search engine for indexing and ranking. This is justified since the span of web page content is limited and the engines need external information for accuracy. The content wrapped links do this job for engines and the visitors thus fetch a powerful binary into the system.
Search engines cannot neglect associated information since they have to produce answer to the users query - accurate and informative. Visitor respect accurate answers but than they do appreciate additional information related to the query. Who does not. Switching over web pages is troublesome for users and more information through the content wrapped links and the page will always be welcome.
Links also help increase the diversity of search terms related to a page since all terms cannot be included in a page content..and yet there are hundreds of search terms related and relevant. Although they can be used to manipulate algorithms most of the venues are already blocked. Thus the impact of directory, comments etc has been relegated to a back seat. Only exceptional cases are entertained by the algos now.
Why Create Link?
We have already seen the benefit search engine wise of creating authoritative back links under editorial scrutiny. The above paragraphs also point out the benefit to the user. Internet is to a great extent about information and the content wrapped links play a crucial role. They also help saturate information or knowledge in the cyber space.
Another great advantage to website owners is the potential of referrals.These are most sought after actions for link builders and thus lead generation is a big business search engines or not. Visual stories, articles, blogs, forums and directories to name few are good source of referral and most valued by owners of websites especially eCommerce portals.
The cyber space is not limited to search engines alone for information, this super highway includes social media, videos, podcasts, emails, directories, classifieds and what not as information source thus the SERPs seem to be somewhat relegated but not totally. In fact SERPs are the major source of information and will remain so. Links whence spread across wide spectrum on social media and websites increase information availability and knowledge or information becomes easy to access.
The click leads to conversion be they transactional, navigational, informational and what not. SO do not spam building or linking to low quality sites and repeating anchor text aggressively. The site will surely be penalised. Do not bother about "nofollow" or "dofollow" just create quality content on blogs, article sites etc and reap the benefits.
=============================
