Melanie Funderburk@johnmu with Google continuing to say “backlinks are becoming a less important factor”, does that mean non-linked brand mentions hold the same value as if the brand had received a link? Or, has that stance changed over the years too.
John Mueller@melanie_funderburk I don't think we've ever said anything about "non-linked mentions" (other than to say that they're not links).
Creating awareness for a website / business can be a good thing, not not every action has to be about SEO :).