Would you hand your money to someone you just met?
Probably not—unless someone you already trust vouched for them.
Google works in a similar way.
It uses a system of “seed sites”—websites that are manually vetted and labeled as high quality.
These include authoritative domains like:
- The New York Times
- Healthline
- Forbes
- IBM
Getting a backlink from one of these sites sends an extremely strong trust signal to Google.
Now, you don’t need a link from The New York Times to succeed in search.
But it certainly helps—especially as Google puts more weight on E-E-A-T
(Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
In fact, according to Google representatives, many E-E-A-T signals are derived directly from link profiles.
The Washington Post, for instance,
is often cited as an example of a link source that reinforces trustworthiness in Google’s algorithm.
If you’re serious about SEO performance, prioritize earning links that build credibility, not just traffic.
Would you hand your money to someone you just met?
Probably not—unless someone you already trust vouched for them.
Google works in a similar way.
It uses a system of “seed sites”—websites that are manually vetted and labeled as high quality.
These include authoritative domains like:
- The New York Times
- Healthline
- Forbes
- IBM
Getting a backlink from one of these sites sends an extremely strong trust signal to Google.
Now, you don’t need a link from The New York Times to succeed in search.
But it certainly helps—especially as Google puts more weight on E-E-A-T
(Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
In fact, according to Google representatives, many E-E-A-T signals are derived directly from link profiles.
The Washington Post, for instance,
is often cited as an example of a link source that reinforces trustworthiness in Google’s algorithm.
If you’re serious about SEO performance, prioritize earning links that build credibility, not just traffic.
