Why Backlinks Still Matter in 2025?

In this episode of e-Coffee with Experts, host Ranmay sits down with Jean-Guy Leconte, Director of SEO at AT&T, to dive into the evolution of SEO over the past two decades and where it’s heading in 2025 and beyond. With 24 years of hands-on experience, Jean shares his journey from the early days of AltaVista and Ask Jeeves, to leading SEO at global enterprises like Verizon and now AT&T.

He reveals how enterprise SEO teams handle millions of pages, why building SEO as a foundational layer is critical, and how hygiene metrics can be just as important as growth metrics. Jean also unpacks how to translate technical SEO into business language that resonates with executives, boiling it all down to one question: “Are we making money?”

The conversation dives deep into AI, large language models, and the growing role of generative engines. Jean offers his take on whether AI will replace Google, why SEO is still alive, and how brands should prepare for future shifts in search behavior. Plus, he shares his candid thoughts on backlinks, brand authority, and why AT&T’s approach to link building is very different from smaller companies.

If you’re curious about the future of SEO, enterprise strategies, and how AI is reshaping search, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.