Backlinks still matter because they act as outside signals of trust, relevance, and authority.
They are not the only thing that matters, and they are not a magic shortcut, but they still help search engines understand whether a page or domain is worth taking seriously. In practical terms, strong backlinks can help important pages earn more visibility, especially in competitive spaces where many sites already cover similar topics. The mistake many teams make is assuming backlinks alone will rescue weak pages. Usually they will not. If the page is unclear, too broad, poorly supported internally, or weak on intent, more links do not solve the core issue. That is why backlinks should be treated as part of the system, not the whole strategy.