Over the past ten years, link building has changed dramatically. While search engine optimization used to rely heavily on the number of backlinks, today search engines evaluate many more factors, including website quality, topical relevance, content value, the natural placement of links, and the overall reputation of a website. As a result, the modern approach to building a backlink profile is fundamentally different from what worked a decade ago.
According to SEO expert Andriy Soroka, who has been specializing in website promotion and link building strategies for more than ten years, the biggest change has been the industry’s overall attitude toward backlinks. In the past, many specialists focused on acquiring as many links as possible without paying much attention to the quality of the websites they came from. Link exchanges, mass link blasts, web directories, and automated submission services were widely used. Today, however, such an approach can no longer be considered effective. Google has become much better at evaluating website quality and now analyzes not only the existence of a backlink itself but also the context in which it appears. That is why earning a few highly relevant backlinks from authoritative websites is far more valuable than acquiring dozens of random placements.
The approach to building a backlink profile has also evolved significantly. While many SEO professionals once searched for a single “best” type of backlink, there is no universal solution anymore. An effective link building strategy combines multiple approaches, including editorial placements, outreach, guest posting, crowd marketing, profile links, brand mentions, and other formats. Each of these serves a different purpose, and together they create a more natural and diversified backlink profile that is better positioned to withstand search engine algorithm updates. Relying entirely on just one type of backlink usually limits a project’s long-term growth potential.
Another important trend in recent years has been the growing interest in developing proprietary digital assets. According to Andriy Soroka, over the course of his career he has acquired thousands of backlinks across projects in different industries and countries. Over time, however, he realized that although buying backlinks remains an important part of an SEO strategy, it does not create an asset that a business actually owns. This is why more companies are now considering creating PBNs turnkey as a complement to traditional link building. The goal is not to replace outreach or editorial placements but to develop niche websites that companies fully control and can use as long-term digital assets.
At the same time, it would be a mistake to assume that PBNs can replace every other link acquisition method. According to the expert, every successful SEO strategy is based on combining multiple sources. Editorial publications, outreach, crowd marketing, guest posting, and PBN links all serve different purposes and together help build a stronger, more natural backlink profile that is less dependent on third-party websites or changing market conditions.
In conclusion, Andriy Soroka emphasizes that modern link building is no longer about chasing the highest number of backlinks. Instead, it is a systematic process focused on website quality, valuable content, and a well-balanced backlink strategy. A long-term approach aimed at creating value for users and gradually strengthening a website’s authority is what delivers the most stable results, even after major Google algorithm updates.
