Over 100 search engine marketing experts were consulted by Moz, formerly SEMoz, and the below charts shows the outcome based on Algorithm and Brand Metrics:
These results come as no surprise to me, however, what I must stress is that even though these guys all say that links are still really really important, which they are. As SEO’s we must also ensure that there are some social signals going on. If not, my testing has shown that no amount of new backlinks will get BELIEVED if there is not a small amount of social activity and BRAND/Business Name citations in the Social Sphere.
This later point is for longevity.
For example, Google –> “We have found 1000 new backlinks, but no social signals, DO WE BELIEVE THESE BACKLINKS ARE NATURAL THEN?”
