Is Google going to stop counting backlinks?

No, Google isn't ever going to stop counting backlinks at any point. The main reason for this is because backlinks are the #1 ranking signal in competitive industries. They are the entire basis for the Google algorithm, meaning that they'd have to change their entire infrastructure if backlinks didn't matter.

Why You Will Always Need Good Backlinks

While solid on-page SEO practices can play a huge part in helping your website rank for short and long-tail keywords, you will still struggle in highly competitive industries. What you need to make sure your SEO performance is at its peak is to implement a good amount of quality backlinks.

Google will continue to emphasize the importance of backlinks for as long as they exist, making it necessary to do what you can to take advantage of them.

Make Full Use of Backlinking Strategies

The best way to make sure you get the most from backlinks is to actively search for guest posting opportunities on reputable sites, look for good simple linking opportunities elsewhere, and building a strong backlinking network. Without these strategies, you'll likely find that your website's SEO rankings don't perform nearly as well as they could.

It's important to make sure you never overlook the usefulness of backlinks for your website, and do what you can to make them an integral part of your campaign.