If you want to improve your SEO performance, you need to get high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Some are more valuable and desirable than others. One of the most coveted types of backlinks is editorial links. In this guide, we will explain what editorial links are, why they are important for SEO, and how to get them for your website.
What are Editorial Links and How are They Different from Acquired Links?
Editorial links are links that are given to your website by another website owner or editor without you asking for them or paying for them. They are also known as natural or organic links because they are earned by the quality and relevance of your content, not by your outreach or promotion efforts.
Editorial links are different from acquired links, which are links that you get by asking for them or paying for them. Acquired links are also known as artificial or unnatural links because they are not based on the merit of your content but on your relationship or agreement with the other website owner or editor.
Some examples of acquired links are:
- Guest posts: You write an article for another website and include a link to your website in the author bio or the content.
- Niche edits: You ask another website owner or editor to insert a link to your website in an existing article on their website.
- Exchanges: You agree to exchange links with another website owner or editor, either by placing a link on your website or by writing a testimonial or review for their product or service.
Acquired links are not necessarily bad for SEO, as long as they are relevant, useful, and not spammy. However, they are not as valuable and desirable as editorial links, because they are not as trustworthy and authoritative in the eyes of search engines and users.
What are the Benefits of Editorial Links for SEO?
Editorial links have many benefits for SEO, such as:
- Improving domain authority: Editorial links can boost your domain authority because they signal to search engines that your website is a credible and reliable source of information.
- Increasing organic traffic: Editorial links can increase your organic traffic because they can improve your rankings for relevant keywords and topics. When your website ranks higher on the search results, it can attract more clicks and visits from potential customers.
- Boosting brand awareness: Editorial links can boost your brand awareness because they can expose your website to a wider and more relevant audience. When your website is linked to a reputable and popular website, it can increase your visibility and reputation in your niche.
- Enhancing brand reputation: Editorial links can enhance your brand reputation because they can demonstrate your expertise and authority in your niche. When your website is endorsed by a respected and influential website, it can increase your credibility and trustworthiness in your industry.
- Diversifying link profile: Editorial links can diversify your link profile because they can add variety and naturalness to your backlink portfolio. When your website has a diverse and natural link profile, it can avoid being penalized by search engines for having a manipulative or unnatural link profile.
How to Create Link-Worthy Content that Attracts Editorial Links
One of the best ways to get editorial links is to create link-worthy content that attracts editorial links. Link-worthy content is content that is so valuable, useful, and interesting that other website owners or editors want to link to it without you asking them or paying them.
Some tips and best practices on how to create link-worthy content are:
- Do original research: Original research is content that presents new data, insights, or findings that are not available elsewhere. It can attract editorial links because it can provide unique and valuable information that can support or challenge existing knowledge or opinions. For example, you can conduct a survey, an experiment, a case study, or an analysis and share the results and implications on your website.
- Create infographics: Infographics are content that presents complex or large amounts of information in a visual and easy-to-understand way. They can attract editorial links because they make your content more engaging, memorable, and shareable. For example, you can create an infographic that summarizes the key points of your original research, or that illustrates the trends or statistics in your niche.
- Build online tools: Online tools are content that offers a practical or interactive solution to a common problem or need in your niche. Online tools can attract editorial links because they can make your content more useful, helpful, and valuable. For example, you can build an online tool that calculates something, that generates something, or that performs a specific task or function for your audience.
- Write definitive guides: Definitive guides are content that covers a topic or a subtopic in your niche in a comprehensive and in-depth way. They can attract editorial links because they make your content more authoritative, informative, and educational. For example, you can write a definitive guide that explains everything about a concept, a technique, a strategy, or a process in your niche.
How to Be Proactive and Increase Your Chances of Getting Editorial Links
Another way to get editorial links is to be proactive and increase your chances of getting editorial links. Being proactive means reaching out to other website owners or editors and letting them know about your link-worthy content, or creating opportunities for them to discover and link to your content.
Some strategies and tactics on how to be proactive are:
- Get press coverage: Press coverage is when your website or your content is featured or mentioned by a media outlet or a journalist. It can help you get editorial links because it can expose your website or your content to a large and relevant audience, and it can also boost your brand awareness and reputation. For example, you can pitch your story, your original research, or your online tool to a relevant media outlet or a journalist and ask them to cover it or mention it on their website.
- Answer journalist queries: This can help you get editorial links because it can position you as an expert or an authority in your niche, and it can also provide value and credibility to the journalist’s story or article. For example, you can use platforms such as HARO to find and answer relevant journalist queries in your niche.
- Leverage social media: Social media is a platform where you can share your content and interact with your audience and other influencers in your niche. Leveraging social media can help you get editorial links because it can increase the visibility and reach of your content, and it can also create engagement and buzz around your content. For example, you can use social media platforms to share your content and tag or mention relevant website owners or editors who might be interested in your content or who might link to your content.
- Monitor brand mentions: Brand mentions are when your website or your content is mentioned by another website or a social media user but without a link to your website or your content. Monitoring brand mentions can help you get editorial links, because it can identify potential link opportunities and it can also help you build relationships with other website owners or editors.
Wrapping Up
Editorial links are one of the most valuable and desirable types of backlinks for SEO. They can improve your domain authority, increase your organic traffic, boost your brand awareness, enhance your brand reputation, and diversify your link profile. To get editorial links, you need to create link-worthy content that attracts editorial links and be proactive, and increase your chances of getting editorial links.
