What Backlink Strategies Actually Work Today

About This Episode

Backlinks still matter, but the rules changed, so what does a good link actually look like now?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Devin Pfromm (Spirra Digital), Wojciech Urban (Delante Agencja), and Jay Mcleod (Ferocious Media) to discuss what three agencies accept, reject, and pay for when they build links.

The panel explores where their thresholds diverge sharply. Devin runs the strictest filter, looking at domain rating, sustained organic traffic, referring domain ratios, and whether the traffic comes from the right country. Jay refuses every link seller who lands in his inbox and argues DA and DR are manufactured numbers, preferring a low authority site with real traffic over an inflated one without. Wojciech takes the opposite view, saying a good backlink is simply one that works, and in competitive niches the sky is the limit on links even when it is not on content.

They also discuss why brand mentions now matter more than the link tag itself, how a link bought two years ago becomes a liability today, why thin AI content damages a site faster than a bad backlink ever could, what happened when HubSpot took a major hit, whether GEO and AIO are real disciplines or temporary noise, and why differentiation matters more now that everyone has access to the same AI tools.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

– The metrics one agency requires before accepting a backlink

– Why DA and DR alone tell you almost nothing

– Why real traffic beats a high authority score

– Why brand mentions now matter more than the link itself

– How a good backlink turns into a liability two years later

– Why thin AI content tanks a site faster than a bad link

– When backlinks are worth the risk and when they are not

– Why the sky is the limit on links but not on content

– Why a typo now reads as credibility rather than sloppiness

– How to future proof a link strategy against the next update

Whether you’re an agency owner, SEO professional, link builder, or business owner paying for backlinks, this episode provides actionable insights into vetting link quality, weighing risk against speed, and deciding which approach you can still defend to a client in two years.

Because the right backlink strategy won’t be the one with the cleanest metrics.

It will be the one whose risk you can still defend to your client in two years.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Introduction to SEO On-Air & Meet the Guests

03:58 Are GEO and AIO Real Terms or Temporary Noise?

10:23 How to Differentiate a Client When Everyone Uses AI

16:25 Why Video Gives You an Edge Over Text

22:40 Do Backlinks Still Work Today?

27:10 Why Agencies Refuse the Link Sellers in Their Inbox

29:57 The Metrics That Make a Backlink Worth Buying

35:45 The Quality Signals Worth Checking Before You Buy

39:45 Fast Rankings vs Long Term Safety

40:58 What HubSpot’s Traffic Drop Taught Everyone