Before using links, search engines relied on the content of the page to determine relevance. As mentioned, Google changed this with the PageRank algorithm, which employed links to determine relevance when choosing from hundreds or even millions of similar pages. Using an external factor that is largely out of direct control of a website owner meant that a better assessment of influence and credibility could be established.
Similarly, when you make decisions about companies or people that you will work with, you rely on external factors to inform your decision, such as ratings and reviews, recommendations from friends or family, consumer information, news, and other sources that help formulate an opinion. In this same way, links provide that external judgment factor. People don’t link to every website; they link to ones that they recommend, so it creates a level of trust.
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