It’s a common question that is constantly resurfacing. There are so many different labels for link building and different types of links you can build, all with different SEO impacts, so it can get confusing. Editorial links may have a fancy name, but they are in fact some of the oldest types of links you can build for your company and some of the most beneficial. Editorial links refer to links that you earn naturally as opposed to paying for or asking for a link. These links can help improve your SEO immensely because it shows Google that people are linking to you because you’re putting out quality and relevant content. Actually earning them, however, can be tricky. If you can’t ask for them or pay for them, is it really in your control?
How to Earn Editorial Links for Your Website
The simple answer to the question above is yes, earning editorial links is within your control. It’s possible to still have a great guest posting strategy or even paid content strategy (if you’re careful) while still earning editorial links. Below are a few different strategies you can use to help you build more editorial links:
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Publish case studies newsworthy pieces.
Newsworthy content is always more likely to get mentioned around the web because it’s something that you can offer that is relevant. This is going to be the most successful if you either break news for the first time or if you created a case study that proves something that hasn’t been proven before. This makes you unique and is probably the best way to earn editorial links. It’s definitely not easy and not something that you can produce all the time, but it’s something to strive for whenever possible.
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Use your competition.
By seeing what editorial links your competition is learning, you can find opportunities that may work for your own company. If one particular website keeps referencing your competition, make yourself known to that website by commenting on their blog posts, reaching out to offer a guest article, etc. Once you make yourself known to these websites you shouldn’t have to ask for links. You can use a tool such as Open Site Explorer to analyze your competitor’s backlinks. Usually you’ll find several websites you’ve never worked with in the past.
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Get creative with content types.
Going along with the first point, the type of content you write is going to help you either earn backlinks or not. If you publish a lot of videos, infographics, and especially interviews, it is much more likely that someone will reference that piece if they come across it. Big blocks of text don’t always do well when it comes to earning editorial links, so you have to get creative. You can learn more about creative content types here.
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Make mention of other brands.
Plain and simple, the more you mention other brands in your own content the more likely they are to reference you when they write. This helps strengthen relationships because you’re offering something in return. No one has to ask for a link, but if something is relevant you are far more likely to make mention of someone you have a good relationship with as opposed to a website where you have no contact.
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Talk with your PR pros.
It’s no secret that PR and SEO work together. PR professionals usually have strong relationships with big publications, so you’re likely using them to help you improve your guest blogging strategy. However, they can also help you with an editorial link building strategy. See if they can give you any hints about getting noticed by certain publications and see if they are able to build a link for you initially. That first link but not be naturally earned (although it has to be relevant to readers), but hopefully that will help start a domino effect for you with that publication or website.
The Takeaway
Again, editorial links are merely natural links build toward your company. For this reason, most of the editorial links you build probably won’t having anything to do with an effort you made using the tactics mentioned above. If you have great content, hopefully the editorial links will come. The 5 tips above just help your strategy. After all, earning editorial links is always going to be the hardest at first until you start to get some recognition.
Do you have any more tips for earning editorial links? Let us know in the comments below.