Key Takeaways

• Definition: Editorial links are earned organically without asking, trading, or paying, often resulting from high-quality content.
• Benefits: Boosts referral traffic, enhances branding, and improves backlink profiles, leading to better SEO rankings.
• Strategies: Include creating compelling content, leveraging PR, competitor analysis, broken link building, writing testimonials, and participating in interviews.
• Tools: Utilize tools like Ahrefs and Google Alerts to monitor and reclaim lost or unlinked mentions.
• Best Practices: Focus on creating valuable content and maintaining ethical link-building practices to earn natural editorial links.

Whether you watch a YouTube video or read a blog about editorial links, you’ll see lots of people saying the same thing: 

“Editorial links are the holy grail of SEO” 

And if everyone is saying so, of course there’s a BIG reason behind it. 

Let me tell you what that is! 

What is an Editorial Link?

An editorial link is a hyperlink that you earn organically without asking, trading, or paying for it.

These links are given by other websites because they find your content valuable and relevant to their audience.

The best part?

Such links are among the best as they don’t violate Google’s spam policies and align with the top ranking factors.

Editorial links are highly regarded because they indicate genuine endorsements from authoritative sources.

Google’s algorithms favor these types of links, which can significantly boost your search engine rankings.

Despite Google not always highlighting their importance, real-world search engine results tell a different story.

This makes editorial links incredibly valuable for long-term SEO success.

Example of an Editorial Backlink

InVideo, while writing a blog post on YouTube statistics, found a resource by Backlinko on SEO statistics extremely useful.

Without any outreach from Backlinko, InVideo included a link to Backlinko’s data, recognizing its value to their content.

This is an example of an editorial link, where the author discovers and references helpful content naturally.

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In the example above, InVideo has included an editorial link to Backlinko within their post, highlighting the value of such organic, authoritative backlinks.

Acquired Links vs. Editorial Links

Acquired Links: These links are obtained through proactive measures like guest posting, link exchanges, or paying for link placements. They involve strategic efforts to gain backlinks from other websites.

Editorial Links: These links are naturally given by other websites without any request or compensation. They result from your content being seen as valuable and authoritative, prompting others to link to it voluntarily.

Key Differences:

• Method: Acquired links are actively pursued, while editorial links are passively received.
  
  
• Value: Editorial links are often viewed as more credible and beneficial for SEO, as they are genuine endorsements.
  
  
• Cost: Acquired links may require financial investment, while editorial links do not.

3 Main Benefits of Editorial Links 

While there are many benefits of editorial links, I believe these are the main ones: 

• Crazy Referral Traffic

You think Google and social media is the only way to get traffic? Say hi to editorial links. All the visitors you get from here are BOFU. 

What’s even more interesting? As long as you’ve links placed in high-quality content from other sites, you can expect consistent traffic in the long run. 

• Branding 

If Ahrefs or Semrush ever writes about me saying, “Dhruv is your go-to source for editorial links,” that will inform more people about what I do. 

This also comes off as an act of approval which eventually gives more credibility. 

• Consistent Growth in Backlink Profile 

Editorial links represent a scalable method of acquiring high-quality backlinks without direct outreach.

As your content garners more recognition and trust, other websites naturally link to it, enhancing your domain authority and boosting organic traffic.

Example:

The image shows a significant increase in backlinks over time, indicating the impact of earning editorial links.

This steady rise reflects how consistent, valuable content can exponentially grow your backlink profile, as seen in the depicted growth trajectory.

10 Proven Strategies to Earn Editorial Links

#1 – Creating Compelling Content

Google’s greatest weapon is your content. If writers stop publishing, what will they serve to their customers? 

So basically, it’s their best product. 

What’s ironic? Your content is your greatest product too. So, start creating more linkable assets. 

This includes: 

• Infographics: As you can see here, Irc Sales Solutions is getting 904 backlinks because of this infographic. 

• Online tools and calculators
• Expert roundups and collaboration
• Research, statistics, and original case studies:

Example: Communication Statistics 2024 from Project.co

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Results: 

Project.co experienced a massive boost, acquiring 252 unique backlinks with a single post. This significant increase greatly enhanced the page’s authority and visibility, demonstrating the effectiveness of their link building strategy

• Listicles
• Coined Terms: When you can invent a term that most industry experts agree on, they mention your brand name in their blog post.

For instance, Hubspot came up with the idea of Surround SEO Strategy which generated over 125 unique backlinks for them.

And guess what? Now I have to link them as well 🙂 

Creating compelling content is like a set and forget system. This way you can gain natural backlinks from top sources without actively engaging in the process. 

I’d say it’s more like a passive way of editorial link building. 

#2 – Leveraging Content Promotion and PR

Public relations and content promotion is the idea of sharing your content with relevant journalists and influencers.

This way you can spread a word, making your content a part of the news. As a by-product, you gain natural links from authoritative sites. 

Let’s take this case study from Search Intelligence as an example: 

Search Intelligence is a PR link building agency, currently owned by Fery Kaszoni. 

They did a PR campaign for VPN Overview, looking up on Ahrefs to find what relevant terms people are searching on Google. 

Focused on terms like ‘Santander helpline’ and ‘HSBC fraud number,’ they figured out which UK banks people are searching the most regarding fraud. 

With this information, they wrote a press release explaining their findings. 

Next, they used a tool called Roxhill to find journalists who cover cybersecurity topics and sent them their press release. 

Soon after, big news sites such as the Mirror, Express, and Yahoo News picked up the story. 

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This campaign earned the company 16 high-quality editorial links, proving that good content and right execution can effectively attract natural backlinks.

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#3 – Look at Your Competitor’s Editorial Links

Your competitor’s editorial links might be useful for you as well. So why not filter out these and reach out to the sites they’re getting their links from? 

It’s quite easy! 

Just go to Ahrefs > Site Explorer 

Type your competitor’s domain name in the search box & hit “Best By Links” tab.

Filter ‘Do follow’ to find links that are most likely editorial.

By checking out a competitor’s best pages by links, you gain insights into their link building strategies and generate ideas for creating your own content.

For example, using Ahrefs, you can see how 11 High-Converting Sales Call Script Templates in 2024 acquired 45 unique referring domains.

If you are a competitor like Dialpad to CloudTalk, you can see how unique domains like G2, Monday.com, Close.com, and Teamwork are linked to that page. 

You can replicate the strategy by creating even better content to organically attract editorial links.

#4 – Broken Link Building

Broken link building is the easiest way to get editorial links.

Let’s suppose I say: An Ahrefs study says more than 65% of links to sites in the past 9 years are no longer active. 

Click on ‘no longer active’ to find that case study.

Do it, you’ll get my point..!! 

Can’t find it? Says error 404 page not found? Sad! 

In this case, you reach out to me with a better link that would lead to something that makes more sense than 404. 

See? That’s how broken links can help you get editorial links. 

#5 – Write Testimonials for Products/Services

Writing testimonials for products or services you can use can be a straightforward way to earn editorial backlinks. 

Businesses often appreciate authentic testimonials and may feature them on their website, linking back to your site as a gesture of thanks. 

Here are a couple of examples that can explain better: 

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All these marketers are getting a link back to their site. What did it cost? Just a little effort and some authority which took years to build. 

This works great when you’re well-known in your niche. People love an expert’s opinion and the brand you’re reviewing knows this too. 

Otherwise, you’ve no chance of getting a testimonial. To some extent, this makes sense. They can’t let every ‘John’ enter. 

#6 – Be Open To Interviews

Offering to be interviewed for podcasts, webinars, or blogs within your industry can provide deep insights into your expertise and increase your visibility. 

These interviews often lead to natural backlinks as people reference your thoughts and opinions in their own content. 

A great example of this is StarterStory which was started by Pat Walls in 2017. This platform helps startups share their initial journey. 

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All these people who are sharing their story here can get an editorial link. 

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StarterStory is just one way. Apart from this, there are so many ways to be a part of the community. 

#7 – Update Outdated Content

First, identify your own posts that have performed well in the past but now require the latest updates. Nobody links back to outdated content. 

If everything looks good on your site, reach out to potential editorial websites and ask them if they can let you update their content. 

This method is a win-win as it helps publishers keep their content fresh and provides you with a backlink. 

#8 – Become a source (HARO)

Using services like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) can connect you with journalists who are looking for an expert opinion. 

This is how it works: 

1. Join Haro (Connectively now) 

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2. Pick yourself as a ‘subject matter expert’ and continue. 

3. Fill in further details. 

4. Select a plan. It’s good that they have a free plan to begin with. 

5. Type in a relevant keyword and pick a suitable query. 

6. Click on pitch and Help a Reporter Out.

To increase your chances of approval, make sure you personalize your pitch, stick to the point, and keep it concise. 

#9 – Mention other brands 

Networking on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter can lead to opportunities for collaborative link building. 

Engage consistently with industry peers, and when you get a chance to create content together, reach out. 

Let me share a little story with you. 

Azfar, an SEO content writer, wrote about 12 best AI tools for content creators for 1big.link. 

Although he knew a lot about AI tools, he was nowhere near the expert level. 

So while sitting idle, he realized a while ago he met an AI experimenter named Flame Rozario. So, he reached out to her asking if she knows any tools. 

She shared a few tools and a couple of examples with him. 

Eventually, Azfar gathered all the ideas and published Rozario’s AI generated sample to make his point. 

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In return, Rozario shared Azfar’s blog post in her LinkedIn profile. 

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This may not be a do-follow link on an editorial website, it still boosts the site’s presence among industry experts. 

In this case Rozario didn’t have a website, so she posted on her LinkedIn. You might come across someone with a well-published site. 

#10 – Claim Unlinked Brand Mentions 

Monitor when your brand is mentioned online but not linked. Tools like Google Alerts can help you track these mentions. 

First, go to Google Alerts. 

Put your brand name in the search box and click on ‘Create Alert.’ 

Now whenever someone mentions your brand name, Google will send you an email notification automatically. 

Reach out to these sites and ask them to insert a link to your site. 

Many will do so since they already recognize your brand’s relevance in their content. 

Bonus: Reactive Digital PR Campaign 

Reactive Digital PR campaign is all about reaching out to potential publishers with the latest news and a creative idea. 

Fery Kaszoni from Search Intelligence was able to get 100s of PR links using this strategy. 

Here you can watch how he executed the entire thing: 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 1. What are the drawbacks of going after editorial links? 

Even after everything, the guarantee of securing these links, stiff competition, and the slow process are some of the challenges you have to go through.

2. How do editorial links differ from paid links? 

Editorial links are earned based on content quality and various efforts I’ve discussed in this post. Unlike paid links, these are acquired without any charges. 

Also, paid links lack credibility as they don’t indicate the quality or relevance of the content. 

3. Can I ask for editorial links? 

Directly asking for editorial links is not typical, but you can network, guest post, and create exceptional content to naturally attract these links. 

4. Do editorial links have to be Do-Follow? 

Editorial links don’t have to be ‘Do-Follow,’ but such attributes are beneficial as they pass more link equity. 

‘No-Follow’ links can still drive traffic and boost site credibility. 

5. How do I track the impact of editorial links? 

To assess the impact of editorial links, use Ahrefs or Semrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics to track: 

• Traffic sources for new visitors 
• Keyword rankings
• Domain authority 
• Any increases in conversion rates