Backlinks/Brand Mention are important, then why??
Everyone knows quality backlinks matter. So why are most founders still stuck paying agencies and getting nothing?
Just got back from Ahrefs Evolve in Singapore — and yes, Tim Soulo said it again. Backlinks and brand mentions are critical. Nothing new.
But here's what nobody's talking about: most founders and marketers *already know* this. They've heard it a hundred times. Yet they keep throwing budget at random agencies, watching their SEO content sit flat, and hoping something eventually clicks.
We've been running a SaaS backlink agency from 3+ years, and the pattern is pretty clear:
The ones who move the needle fastest are doing two specific things:
Building quality backlinks to their MoFu and BoFu pages — not just the homepage or blog
Getting brand mentions where their competitors are already mentioned — same publications, same communities, same roundups
This isn't just about Google anymore. It's search everywhere optimization — your brand showing up across forums, newsletters, AI overviews, and social platforms.
The gap isn't knowledge in 2026. Its execution.
Curious — what's the biggest blocker you've hit when trying to actually build backlinks consistently?