Do Links Help Query Augmentation Rankings? (James Dooley Interviews Luis Salazar Jurado)
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What Does “Do Links Help Query Augmentation Rankings? (James Dooley Interviews Luis Salazar Jurado)” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast features a focused conversation between host James Dooley and SEO specialist Luis Salazar Jurado on whether backlinks still play a role in helping brands rank for query augmentation and query fan out terms. The discussion opens by establishing that while backlinks were once valued primarily for PageRank and link equity, their modern importance lies in a fundamentally different function: creating semantic connections between entities across the web that feed large language models and help Google and AI systems understand a brand's identity, products, services, location, and target market.
The conversation shifts into practical territory as James reflects on his own past approach to guest posting, which focused on domain metrics, trust scores, and toxicity rather than content quality or brand representation. Luis explains that today's link building strategy should begin with two core questions: whether the placement is genuinely good for the business, and whether the target publication reaches the brand's actual audience. He illustrates this with a real-world example involving an insurance company, where content was placed on Spanish language media outlets frequented by men over 35 who are interested in cars, encouraging branded searches that triggered query augmentation signals. The episode concludes with James summarizing the shift from raw link equity to branded signals, topical authority, and semantic expansion across third party sources.
“Backlinks are still important, but they must be strategically designed to connect data and create a map that helps Google and AI systems understand your brand, your target market, and your offer.”
— Luis Salazar Jurado
Who Are the Guests on “Do Links Help Query Augmentation Rankings? (James Dooley Interviews Luis Salazar Jurado)”?
James Dooley is a well-known figure in the SEO industry, recognized for his hands-on experience with link building, digital PR, and search strategy. As the host of the James Dooley Podcast, he regularly engages with leading SEO practitioners to explore how the discipline is evolving, drawing on his own background in guest posting and domain authority metrics to frame questions that resonate with practitioners at all levels.
Luis Salazar Jurado is an SEO specialist with a focus on semantic SEO and technical optimization, operating through seotecnico.com and publishing a Daily Semantic SEO newsletter. His expertise centers on how brands can build entity-based authority both on their own websites and through strategically chosen third party sources. His work with clients such as insurance companies demonstrates a practical, audience-first methodology that bridges traditional link building with modern AI-driven search understanding.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “Do Links Help Query Augmentation Rankings? (James Dooley Interviews Luis Salazar Jurado)”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Backlinks have evolved from a PageRank and link equity tactic into a semantic signal that helps large language models and AI systems understand a brand's identity, offerings, and market.
- The relevance of the audience on the linking platform now matters more than raw domain metrics, because user interaction with third party content creates meaningful signals between the source and the brand.
- Strategic digital PR and guest posts should be guided by two questions: whether the placement is good for the business, and whether the target source reaches the brand's actual customers.
- Expanding a brand's topical authority externally through third party content mirrors the internal semantic content network built on a brand's own website, reinforcing query augmentation signals across the web.
- Triggering branded searches through well-placed third party content, as demonstrated by Luis's insurance company example, can transfer authority and strengthen a brand's coverage of query fan out terms.
“If both answers are yes, then it is worth the investment. That backlink comes from a place where the audience is relevant. Users interact with the content, signals are created between the third party source and your brand, and you serve the user first.”
— Luis Salazar Jurado
Is “Do Links Help Query Augmentation Rankings? (James Dooley Interviews Luis Salazar Jurado)” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to for anyone who has built backlinks using traditional metrics and wants to understand why that approach is no longer sufficient in an era dominated by large language models and semantic search. Luis Salazar Jurado presents a clear and actionable framework for rethinking link building from the ground up, shifting the focus from domain authority scores to audience relevance, entity connections, and branded search signals. The insurance company case study alone provides a concrete model that practitioners can adapt for their own clients.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is the candid exchange between James and Luis, where James openly acknowledges his own past blind spots around content quality in guest posting. This honesty makes the conversation feel grounded and credible rather than theoretical. In under fifteen minutes, the episode delivers a coherent argument for why backlinks still matter, why most people are using them wrong, and what a smarter, semantically aware link building strategy actually looks like in practice.
Who Should Listen to “Do Links Help Query Augmentation Rankings? (James Dooley Interviews Luis Salazar Jurado)”?
This episode is ideal for:
- SEO professionals who want to understand how backlinks function within modern AI-driven and semantic search systems
- Digital PR practitioners looking to align their outreach and content placement strategies with current search engine signals
- Business owners and marketers trying to build brand awareness and query coverage beyond their own website
- Content strategists interested in how third party publications can extend a brand's topical authority and entity map
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What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“This episode completely reframed how I think about link building. The point about asking whether your audience is actually present on the linking site before pursuing a placement is something I am going to use with every client going forward. Short, practical, and immediately applicable.”
“Luis's insurance company example was exactly what I needed to understand how query augmentation and external semantic networks work together. I have been building links for years but never thought about them as feeding LLMs. This changes my entire approach to digital PR.”
“I appreciated James being honest about how he used to focus only on domain metrics and toxicity scores without thinking about content relevance. That kind of self-reflection makes the lesson hit harder. The idea that backlinks now create a map for Google and AI systems is a concept I keep coming back to.”
James Dooley: Hi, today I am joined with Luis Salazar Jurado and today’s topic is whether backlinks help you rank for more query augmentation terms, or what some people now call query fan out terms. Do backlinks help you rank for more of those terms?
Luis Salazar Jurado: First of all, thank you for having me, James. Related to your question, in the past backlinks were very important because of PageRank and link equity. Nowadays, backlinks are still important, but for a different reason. They help create connections between all the information on the internet about a brand or an identity, and those connections feed large language models. LLMs can then understand much better what your brand is about, what products or services you offer, where your customers are, and where you are located. In my opinion, backlinks are still important, but they must be strategically designed to connect data and create a map that helps Google and AI systems understand your brand, your target market, and your offer.
James Dooley: For sure. Personally, when I used to do guest posts, I focused on domain metrics, trust scores, toxicity, and link equity rather than the content itself. I was not thinking about feeding LLMs or helping Google understand who I am and what I do. Now I see how important third party content is. When you work on digital PR, guest posts, or press releases, are you now giving content briefs or writing content that focuses on micro semantics and covering all the attributes of a brand?
Luis Salazar Jurado: Absolutely. I usually start with two questions. First, is this going to be good for the business. If it is good for the business, it will also be good for SEO. Second, is the source where you want to publish helpful for your audience. Are your customers actually present on that website, newspaper, or social network. If both answers are yes, then it is worth the investment. That backlink comes from a place where the audience is relevant. Users interact with the content, signals are created between the third party source and your brand, and you serve the user first. That creates brand awareness, brand mentions, brand recognition, and strong semantic connections.
James Dooley: So to simplify the original question, backlinks do help you rank for more query augmentation terms, but not in the old school PageRank way. It is now about branded signals, trust, and repeating semantically who you are, what you do, and which entities you connect to. Quality matters more than ever. You build topical authority on your website using a semantic content network. Have you started expanding that same topical map to third party sources so brands cover attributes externally as well?
Luis Salazar Jurado: Yes. I will give you an example. I worked with an insurance company. We identified where their potential customers were. In this case, men over 35 who like cars. We selected three strong Spanish language media outlets where that audience already existed. We created content and ads for those platforms. The content encouraged users to search for the brand combined with insurance related terms. That triggered brand searches, transferred authority through backlinks, and strengthened query augmentation signals.
James Dooley: That is a great example. You are doing far more than just passing link equity. You are expanding the semantic content network externally. For anyone wanting to improve their backlink strategy and rank for more queries, where can they follow you?
Luis Salazar Jurado: They can reach me at seotecnico.com, search for my name on Google, connect with me on LinkedIn, or subscribe to my Daily Semantic SEO newsletter.
James Dooley: Brilliant. The key takeaway is that backlinks have changed. It is no longer just about PageRank. Collaboration and semantic expansion on third party sources is what helps brands rank for more query augmentation terms. Thanks again for joining me.
Luis Salazar Jurado: Thank you for having me.
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.
Guest
Luis Salazar Jurado is a semantic SEO expert who works across eCommerce and SaaS because his background in web development shaped a precise understanding of how platforms operate under the…