Backlinks have long been the strongest signal to demonstrate to search engines that your website is trustworthy and important. However, in 2025, many marketers are questioning whether backlinks are still important as AI-powered searches is changing the traditional ways of doing SEO. 

In their recent study, “Do Backlinks Still Matter in AI Search? Insights from 1,000 Domains,” SEMrush examined this issue, and the results are very interesting.

The study took a close look at 1,000 domains across different industries to see how backlinks influence visibility in search results generated by AI. The main takeaway? Backlinks are still incredibly important, but their quality is even more crucial than the sheer number. Moving forward, the emphasis should be on the topical relevancy and the authority of the website, rather than just counting links.

Another interesting finding from the study is that AI visibility can also be affected by no-follow links and image-based backlinks, such as charts or infographics. This means that links do not have to be regular text links to be useful. Content that is innovative and easy to share can also help you build your authority.

What does this mean for marketers? To help your brand perform well in AI search, focus on creating valuable, shareable content, target authoritative and topically relevant websites, and think long-term. Even in an AI-driven world, backlinks remain a crucial part of the SEO strategy.

For a closer look at the data and insights, check out the full SEMrush study here.