Three Reasons Your SEO Backlinks Are Not Helping You - Episode 116

Summary

Summary of "Three Reasons Your SEO Backlinks Are Not Helping You" - Grumpy SEO Guy, Episode 116

Podcast Information:

• Title: Grumpy SEO Guy
• Host/Author: Grumpy SEO Guy
• Episode: Three Reasons Your SEO Backlinks Are Not Helping You - Episode 116
• Release Date: July 9, 2025
• Description: Everything I've learned in 14 years of running an SEO agency. Learn how to get, and keep, websites at the top of the search engines. If you listen to this podcast you will know more about how the SEO industry works than 99% of SEO "professionals."

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Introduction

In Episode 116 of the Grumpy SEO Guy podcast, released on July 9, 2025, the host dives deep into the intricacies of backlink strategies in SEO. Drawing from his 14 years of experience running an SEO agency, Grumpy SEO Guy elucidates why certain backlink approaches may fail to deliver the desired outcomes. This episode is particularly valuable for SEO professionals and website owners seeking to refine their backlink strategies to achieve optimal search engine rankings.

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1. Insufficient Authority from Backlinks

Grumpy SEO Guy begins by addressing a fundamental aspect of SEO: authority. He emphasizes that SEO is a competitive arena rather than a simple checklist of tasks.

"SEO is a Competition, not a checklist. You need backlinks."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [02:12]

He clarifies that the focus should not be on accumulating a vast number of backlinks but rather on acquiring quality backlinks that confer genuine authority to your website. The host warns against the common misconception that more backlinks automatically translate to better SEO performance. Specifically, he advises against purchasing backlinks purely for their quantity, noting:

"If you're buying backlinks based on number... they are not going to help you."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [02:34]

Instead, the emphasis should be on obtaining backlinks from reputable sources that enhance your site's authority relative to competitors.

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2. The Pitfall of Spammy Backlinks

The second reason Grumpy SEO Guy identifies for backlinks not aiding SEO efforts is the presence of spammy backlinks. He highlights the detrimental effects of low-quality, spam-infested backlinks on a website's SEO performance.

"If you get a bunch of spammy backlinks, they're not gonna help you."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [04:34]

He references previous episodes (Episodes 37 and 39) where listeners can find more detailed discussions on differentiating between valuable backlinks and those that may harm their SEO. The key takeaway is that not all backlinks are created equal, and focusing on obtaining high-quality, relevant backlinks is crucial for sustained SEO success.

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3. Underlying Website Issues Hindering Backlink Effectiveness

Perhaps the most surprising reason Grumpy SEO Guy presents is that other website issues might be preventing backlinks from being effective. He explains that even with a solid backlink strategy, existing problems within the website can negate the benefits of those backlinks.

"There might be other problems with your website that are preventing the authority from doing anything."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [04:53]

He elaborates that in approximately 40% of projects, identifying and resolving website-specific issues is a prerequisite before embarking on backlink building. For example, during site migrations, hidden SEO problems may surface once search engines start paying increased attention due to new backlinks. This scenario can lead to ranking drops if not addressed promptly.

"One of the things that we look for is potential penalties... once you start increasing authority by getting good quality backlinks, then the search engines will pay more attention to your site and those problems might become apparent."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [06:07]

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Comprehensive SEO Assessment: A Critical First Step

Grumpy SEO Guy advocates for conducting a comprehensive SEO assessment before implementing backlink strategies. This assessment typically spans three to four weeks and encompasses an in-depth analysis of various factors, including backlinks, competition, keywords, and SERP dynamics.

"We begin every project with an assessment... the purpose of an assessment is to create a 6 to 12 month roadmap for what you need to do to be successful."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [05:00]

This thorough evaluation ensures that all underlying website issues are identified and rectified, thereby laying a solid foundation for effective backlink strategies. The assessment also determines the appropriate quantity and quality of backlinks required relative to competitors, ensuring that efforts are strategically aligned with achieving higher search engine rankings.

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Prioritizing SEO Elements for Optimal Results

Grumpy SEO Guy outlines the four essential elements required for successful SEO rankings, prioritizing them to guide effective strategy development:

1. No Penalties: Ensuring the website is free from any search engine penalties is paramount.
2. Content: High-quality, relevant content must be in place.
3. Relevancy: The content and backlinks should be relevant to the website's niche.
4. Authority: Building authority through quality backlinks should follow once the above elements are secured.

"The highest priority is to not have a penalty. The second highest priority is to have content. The third highest priority is to have relevancy. And when you have all of those things, then you should try to get authority."
— Grumpy SEO Guy [11:17]

This structured approach ensures that foundational SEO elements are solidified before focusing on authority-building through backlinks.

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Conclusion

In Episode 116, Grumpy SEO Guy succinctly identifies and elaborates on three primary reasons why backlinks may not be benefiting your SEO efforts:

1. Insufficient Authority: Quality over quantity is crucial; long after the mindset of acquiring numerous backlinks, focus shifts to securing high-authority links.
2. Spammy Backlinks: The presence of low-quality or spammy backlinks can negate the benefits, making it imperative to maintain a clean backlink profile.
3. Underlying Website Issues: Existing SEO problems within the website can hinder the effectiveness of backlinks, underscoring the need for a comprehensive SEO assessment before implementing backlink strategies.

Grumpy SEO Guy's insights serve as a valuable roadmap for SEO professionals aiming to enhance their backlink strategies effectively. By adhering to his advice, listeners can navigate the complexities of SEO with a structured and informed approach, ultimately achieving better search engine rankings.

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Notable Quotes

• "SEO is a Competition, not a checklist. You need backlinks."
  — Grumpy SEO Guy [02:12]

• "If you're buying backlinks based on number... they are not going to help you."
  — Grumpy SEO Guy [02:34]

• "There might be other problems with your website that are preventing the authority from doing anything."
  — Grumpy SEO Guy [04:53]

• "Once you start increasing authority by getting good quality backlinks, then the search engines will pay more attention to your site and those problems might become apparent."
  — Grumpy SEO Guy [06:07]

• "The highest priority is to not have a penalty. The second highest priority is to have content. The third highest priority is to have relevancy. And when you have all of those things, then you should try to get authority."
  — Grumpy SEO Guy [11:17]

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For more insights and detailed discussions on SEO strategies, consider tuning into future episodes of Grumpy SEO Guy or exploring his previous episodes referenced throughout this summary.

Transcript

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

This is Grumpy SEO Guy, episode 116, three reasons your backlinks are not helping you. You're listening to Grumpy SEO Guy, the SEO podcast that doesn't waste your time with nonsense that doesn't work. I'm the grumpy SEO Guy and I'm sharing with you the strategies that have helped me successfully run my SEO agency for the last 14 years. In this podcast, I'll be sharing my knowledge and experience, discussing tips and strategies, and trying to help you cut through the confusion that permeates this industry. If you listen to this podcast, you will know more about SEO. 99% of people on the planet. Ready? Let's get started. I'm the Grumpy SEO Guy. Let me tell you why I'm grumpy today. I'm grumpy today because there is some uncertainty around why sometimes you're not getting any effect from your backlinks. So that's what we're gonna talk about today. So there's actually three reasons. But before we do that, my lawyer tells me that I have to say this right now. A quick disclaimer before we get started. Everything I say here is based on my experience and opinion from 14 years in the industry. Let me I don't officially know how Google or any other search engines work. Everything I say here is hypothetical and based on my experience, this podcast does not constitute advice or services. What worked for me may or may not work for you. Okay, back to the show. We're gonna talk about all three of them. A little reminder before we get started. New episodes come out on Wednesday at 9:00am Central Standard Time. If you are listening to the podcast, if you're playing this on YouTube, it's a little bit after that. If you leave a comment on YouTube, I try to reply on Thursday, but, you know, sometimes it's gonna be a little bit longer. If you like the pod, please subscribe. And if you like the podcast, please consider supporting us on [e-mail] grumpyseoguy and if you have a complicated question that is more than a quick little email or a Reddit chat or something like that, and you would like to book a Zoom SEO advisory call, you can email [e-mail] and we can talk about how to set that up.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

And let's just do that. The first reason that you might be getting backlinks and they're not having any benefit for you is because you are not getting adequate authority.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

Remember, SEO is a Competition, not a checklist. You need backlinks. Yes. You need backlinks to get authority, okay? But not just any backlinks. It's not about getting more backlinks. It's not about I have to get the most backlinks ever. It's about getting good backlinks. And there are numerous episodes that talk about this. I would recommend you listen to episodes 37 and 39 if you are curious about what makes backlink good, okay? You should probably listen to those episodes. So just because you're getting backlinks doesn't mean they're going to send you to the top of the search engines, okay? It means you might be getting authority, but you might not have more authority than your competition. So you need more or better. You need. I don't want to say more because people are gonna think more backlinks, but you need more authority, which comes from backlinks, okay? So look, a lot of people just go out and they buy backlinks. And let me tell you, if you're buying backlinks based on number, you know, if you're buying like a thousand backlinks and it's like $50 or something, they are not going to help you. Please go listen to the episodes that I just told you about, okay? Like, if you think that's a good idea, okay, try to avoid buying them and go listen to those episodes that I just told you about, okay? So anyway, in order to rank, you need authority, so you might get great backlinks, okay? But if you don't have enough authority compared to your competition, they're not going to get you to the top of the search engines. That doesn't mean they don't help. That means they don't get you to the top of the search engines. Anyway, I hope, if you've been listening to grumpy SEO guy, I hope that this concept makes sense. Which brings me to the next point, and this one is probably obvious. The second reason the backlinks might not be doing anything is because they are spammy, okay? They might be spammy. If you get a bunch of spammy backlinks, they're not gonna help you. So again, listen to episodes 37 and 39. They will help you understand the difference between the kind of backlinks that you want to get and the kind of backlinks that you might want to avoid. Anyway, so those are both pretty straightforward, right? It's not about getting backlinks. It's about getting good backlinks.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

This brings us to the third reason that Your backlinks might not actually be helping you. This one might surprise some people. So let's just say it. There might be other problems with your website that are preventing the authority from. From doing anything.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

So in fact, one of the things. And I might do another episode on this later. We begin every project with an assessment.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

An assessment is like a three to four week process where we look at everything about your website. Your backlinks, your competition, your keywords, your SERPs, all the things, okay? And the purpose of an assessment is to create a 6 to 12 month roadmap for what you need to do to be successful.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

It's not just get backlinks. Get backlinks. We just need backlinks. No, because we have found in roughly 40% of the projects that we look at, there is some problem with the website that needs to be fixed before we start building backlinks.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

So it's mostly like, here's an example. So one of the things that people don't really understand is that you can. And I have an episode where I kind of talked about this. I think the episode was called something like, you might get a penalty maybe.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

You can have things that are wrong with your SEO, but you're not having any problems with them.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

And the reason you're not having any problems with them is because the search engines haven't really considered them yet.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

So you can do things wrong and not get a penalty.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

But what happens is once you start gaining authority, okay, once you start increasing authority by getting good quality backlinks, then the search engines will pay more attention to your site and those problems might become apparent.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

I actually just recently read an article about a similar topic. I think it was in. I think it was insearch engine journal.com. you guys know that I rarely mention other sources on here just because I pretty much disagree with what most people say. Anyway, it's true, but this was an article and if I can find it, I'm going to link to it in the description.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

But I'm going to tell you what it said anyway. It basically said there is a website that was ranking just fine and then they did a migration. And then after the migration, when your rankings should come back, they weren't able to get their rankings back. And the reason was because they had problems on the website that the search engines did not factor until the migration which made them look at the website again. And then all of these concerns became obvious. So we have seen cases and this is why we suggest to people when we finish up the assessment and we're meeting with them and we're providing them with the 6 to 12 month roadmap for what they need to do to be competitive, we say, here is the order in which you need to fix things, okay? Number one is fixing all the problems on your site. And an assessment is really something that takes three to four weeks. So I'm not gonna explain it in this episode, but I'm just gonna give you a super quick example, okay? One of the things that we look for is potential penalties, okay? As you maybe know from other episodes, there are different kinds of penalties. You can do these things wrong and have no problems. And then when you start making backlinks, then the penalty happens because then the search engines say, oh, we're gonna look at the site again. Oh, it's getting backlinks. Oh, it's getting more backlinks. Oh, it's having more authority. Look at all authority. We're gonna really focus more on this website now. Oh, look, penalty, okay? So the first thing usually that we tell people in the roadmap is fix these specific website problems. And again, that happens in roughly 40% of cases. Sometimes there's no problems. You know, it's all good. But sometimes there's a potential penalty or some other thing that needs to be fixed before we go on and start doing other things which may or may not involve building backlinks anyway, so. And just. Just because I know somebody's gonna ask, we get a lot of people that email us and say, hey, can you sell us backlinks? We need backlinks. Sell us your backlinks. And like, as you know, we don't sell backlinks off a menu, okay? We get asked that a lot. Part of the reason that we do the assessment is to find out if it is safe for us to link to you.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

And you know that because you've listened to grumpy SEO guy episodes that say the websites that you link to also affect you.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

So anyways, we do it and we're looking at, like, many things in the assessment. But one of those things is now, obviously the roadmap that we give you is useful, like, no matter what, right? But in order for us to consider using our portfolio of blogs to link to you, we have to make sure that your website is safe. We also have to make sure that your business will fit our portfolio, essentially. So we don't just make backlinks to whoever wants them, because that would. Now, there are people out there who will do that. But I've said before, if somebody will sell to just anyone without doing any research, you probably don't want to work with that person anyway.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

Anyways. And by the way, that keeps it safe for everybody.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

So by us not linking to, for example, shady websites, that means that when we do link to you, it will help you.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

Anyways, hopefully that concept makes sense. Anyway, look, here's the thing. We don't. There's actually a lot more to it, but anyways, we don't just sell backlinks off a menu. We don't just sell backlinks to anybody who wants them. That is an SEO model. There's no problem taking on any client who wants backlinks if they're willing to pay for their own portfolio. But if they're going to be part of your own portfolio, you're going to need to make sure that it is fine to link to them, okay? And many cases it's not okay. But we've got other episodes that explain the criteria, so we're not gonna get into it now anyways, as you know. So we're talking about this. The reason that you might get links and they don't help you is because there are problems with your website that need to be resolved before you start building backlinks.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

So if you remember the four things you need to rank, right? We've got many episodes on this. The four things you need to rank, I'll tell you what they are. One, no penalties. Two, content. Three, relevancy. Four, Authority. There's a reason we have them that way. There is a reason that authority is number four and not number one.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

The highest priority is to not have a penalty. The second highest priority is to have content. The third highest priority is to have relevancy. And when you have all of those things, then you should try to get authority, okay? But if you do it a different way, it doesn't work. I mean, it can work, but it's weird. And it would not look like a normal website. So that's the reason we do it that way. So the answer to your problems once you have those first things correct is authority, okay? Once you have those things fixed, then the answer to your problem is authority, okay? But it might not be beforehand. And we don't want to start providing you backlinks. And then a couple months down the road, like, they don't work. And you're like, well, they don't work. We're not ranking any higher. And it's like, well, hold on, hold on. Remember when we Said we have to do an assessment first. And you said you didn't want to do an assessment. We don't know what's going on with your backlinks. We don't know what's going on with your competition. We don't know what's going on with your website. We don't know what's going on with your keywords. We don't know what's going on with your SERPs. We don't know how many backlinks. Backlinks you need. And of course, this is an approximation because it's not about number, but, you know, you can estimate a range. Sometimes we don't know how many you need. We don't know if they're gonna help. We don't know how quickly to build them. We don't know what anchor text to use. Because remember, you didn't wanna do an assessment, okay? We don't wanna take that chance and just start randomly building things and maybe they work and maybe they don't. And they probably won't work because we don't know anything about anything anyway. Because you didn't wanna do an assessment. That's part of the reason. We don't just sell backlinks to anybody who wants them anyway. And by the way, just to put this out there, the assessment, as I said, takes three to four weeks, and it costs you three to four weeks worth of money to do it, okay? And I say this, I often get messages from people that say, hey, can you take a quick look at my website and tell me what I should do? If you listen to grumpy SEO guy, you know that SEO is not about your website. It is about how your website relates and compares to every other website on the Internet. Okay, maybe in your niche, but it is not about your website. So even if it was possible to take a quick look, which it's not, but even if it's possible to take a quick look, your website would not be how we would do it, okay? Because most of SEO is a competition. Most of SEO is looking at what your competition is doing and why it's working for them and not for you.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

Much of the assessment, which again, takes three to four weeks, involves looking at your competition and seeing what they're doing. And very proportionally speaking, very little of it is about your website. I mean, obviously, obviously. Some of it is obviously okay, but it is impossible to look at a website and know why it's not ranking unless you look at the competition, okay? And a lot of other things anyway. So I just I might actually do an episode on this because I really. I really do get a lot of people. And no disrespect to any of these people, but because, like, honestly, they don't know better. And I'm be honest with you, I would probably ask the same thing. If I found somebody who's good at SEO, I would probably email them and say, hey, can you take a quick look at my website? Because that question makes sense. But I want to be very clear, that question doesn't actually make sense because it's not possible, okay? The reason an assessment takes three or four weeks and not like a couple minutes is because that's how you do SEO, okay? Like, there's a lot of stuff that you have to look into. It's not really possible to take a quick look at anything, least of all somebody's website, because that doesn't even involve their competition, and tell them what the problem is, because it's not about you and your website. It's about how your website relates to the other websites on the Internet.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

Anyway, people disagree with that, and that's fine, But I have a whole other episode on that anyways. But anyway, so I'm going. So I might do an episode on that, But I might do an episode on that because I really. The purpose of this podcast is to help people, okay? And so the logical conclusion from that is that anybody who is willing to offer to do a really quick look at your website probably isn't gonna be helping you with anything, because, I mean, unless you're looking for, like, one specific website thing. But it's impossible to do SEO without studying competition and examining your competition and seeing what they're doing. And that takes a long time, okay? That's why part of why an assessment takes three or four weeks to do. Anyway, let's review one more time. There are three reasons that your backlinks might not be doing anything for you. One is that you do not have the amount of authority you need. Doesn't mean the backlinks are bad. It means your competition just has more authority than you.

[Listener]

You need more.

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

More backlinks and better backlinks.

[Listener]

Okay?

[Grumpy SEO Guy]

Number two is because they are spammy and they're not doing anything. Number three is because you have other problems on your site that need to be fixed before you start building backlinks. I hope this episode was helpful. Let me know what questions you have. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe. And if you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review. It would really help the show out. I hope this episode was helpful. If you have any questions or want to suggest a subject for a future episode, you can contact me on Reddit. My username is Grumpy SEO Guy. You can visit the Grumpy SEO Guy subreddit or you can email [e-mail] if you email me, please either whitelist my email address or check your junk folders because I've been told that my replies are going into the junk folder and it's probably because we're talking about things like SEO and backlinks and I think those words will classify an email as spam. And if you want to support the podcast because it's the best source of SEO information on the planet and it's free, you can do [e-mail] grumpy SEO guy and I will talk to you later. You're listening to Grumpy SEO Guy, the SEO podcast that doesn't waste your time with nonsense that doesn't work. Join us next Wednesday for another episode. Sam.