---
title: "Links might be the new currency of the web… but cash flow is the true metric"
url: https://morecaffeineplease.com/links-might-be-the-new-currency-of-the-web…-but-cash-flow-is-the-true-metric/
description: "You hear this often: “Links are the currency of the web.” The scary part of this is I see many companies starting to judge the success or failure of a marketing program."
published: 2026-08-13
updated: 2026-08-13
---

# Links might be the new currency of the web… but cash flow is the true metric

Published 2026-08-13

[Marketing](https://morecaffeineplease.com/category/marketing/)

by Greg Digneo · filed under Marketing

You hear this often: “Links are the currency of the web.” The scary part of this is I see many companies starting to judge the success or failure of a marketing program based on the amount of incoming links it generated.

Clearly, you can see the problem here. You can’t pay your bills or meet payroll in links. Your investors more than likely won’t care solely about amount of links your business generated.

For marketing to be successful, actual cash must exchange hands – or at least bank accounts.

I would love to hear your thoughts.