Digital PR has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Originally rooted in traditional PR—focusing primarily on offline media—it gradually integrated digital techniques like SEO to enhance its impact.
Link acquisition has long been a key focus of Digital PR strategies, but the way links are valued has evolved. In the past, the emphasis was on quantity; accumulating as many links as possible, regardless of their quality, was considered the route to success. Today, however, the quality and relevance of each link hold far greater importance.
Despite this shift, a common misconception persists: that simply obtaining more links will automatically lead to better SEO outcomes. In this blog post, we’ll dive into why quality now reigns supreme in link building, what has driven this change, and how to accurately assess the value of a link.
How Digital PR Evolved to Prioritise Quality Links
In the early days of Digital PR, having a large volume of links pointing to a website was a strong signal of authority. However, many websites began to exploit this by using spammy tactics to manipulate rankings, aiming for quick gains. These black-hat SEO methods often resulted in irrelevant, poorly written, and low-authority content appearing at the top of search results.
The landscape began to shift significantly with the evolution of search engine algorithms, particularly following Google’s Penguin update in 2012 . This update fundamentally changed how links were evaluated, introducing a greater emphasis on link quality to ensure that only the most trusted and credible sites rose to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Today, achieving the same volume of links as in the past has become much more challenging. This is not only due to continuous algorithm updates but also because the Digital PR industry has grown increasingly competitive. Publications now have a much deeper understanding of the value of quality backlinks and are more wary of spammy link-building practices.
Much like the demand for Oasis tickets, Birkin bags, or first-edition Beanie Babies, the scarcity of high-quality backlinks, combined with their high demand, has driven up their value.
What Happens If You Prioritise Quantity Over Quality?
While lower-quality links won’t always harm a website directly, they can be detrimental if they carry a high spam score or if Google detects black-hat practices. In most cases, though, Google is more likely to simply ignore such links, meaning they won’t contribute to your site’s SEO performance at all.
Focusing on reaching a specific link count without considering quality is unlikely to deliver significant SEO benefits. Given the increasing difficulty of acquiring large numbers of links, pursuing quantity over quality can end up being a waste of valuable time and resources, without the desired impact on your search rankings.
What Elements Enhance a Link’s Quality?
Now that we’ve covered why quality links matter more than quantity, let’s delve into what actually makes a link valuable. Here are the key elements that improve a link’s quality:
Relevance of the Link
Relevance has always been important in Digital PR, but it’s now one of the most crucial factors. Defining relevance in link building can be challenging since it’s subjective and context-specific. However, one critical aspect is how closely the publication aligns with the content of the linked page.
For example, a gardening website linking to an accounting firm wouldn’t make sense, but links from finance-related publications are clear quality indicators due to their topical alignment. Additionally, relevance can extend to local or regional publications—earning links from local news sites indicates to Google that your business is a trusted source in that area. However, if your content appears on a regional site unrelated to your business’s location, Google may not consider that link valuable.
General publications with niche sections can also be highly relevant. For instance, a fashion brand securing a link from The Independent’s fashion section can still be considered relevant, even if the publication covers a broad range of topics. Beyond SEO, relevant links help you reach your target audience, driving potential customers to your site and enhancing your brand’s positioning as an industry leader.
Authority and Trustworthiness of the Source
Links from reputable, high-authority sites significantly improve your site’s authority. To classify a link as “good,” it should ideally come from an already trusted website. Although they are not foolproof, metrics like organic traffic, domain age, and domain rating can offer insight into a site’s authority.
While a high-quality, niche-specific site is ideal, securing links solely from niche publications is not always possible, especially if they have limited reach. Expanding your brand’s exposure to new audiences can still be beneficial in such cases. Links from well-established national news sites or digital magazines can significantly boost your brand’s credibility, serving as trust signals to both Google and readers.
Quality of the Surrounding Content
A link’s value isn’t just determined by the publication’s quality and the context in which it appears. A link embedded in a well-researched, relevant article carries more weight than one in a poorly written, unrelated piece.
The anchor text and surrounding content play a crucial role. Ideally, the anchor text should help Google understand the link’s context. Brand anchor text can enhance brand recognition and authority, while keyword-rich anchor text should be used sparingly to avoid appearing spammy. The surrounding text should also include relevant mentions of your company or product to provide additional context for both Google and readers.
Including a spokesperson’s quote alongside a link adds value. It signals trust and positions your brand as an expert in its field. This can strengthen the credibility of the link, especially if the spokesperson is recognised as an industry authority.
Type of Link: Follow vs No-Follow
The type of link—whether it’s a follow or no-follow—also impacts its value. A follow link passes link equity (commonly known as “link juice”) from the referring site to yours, which can boost your search rankings. However, the authority and relevance of the linking site are still crucial factors.
While no-follow links do not pass link juice, they can still be valuable for driving traffic to your site and diversifying your backlink profile. A mix of link types, including no-follow links, can make your backlink profile appear more natural, increasing trust with search engines.
Target Page of the Link
The specific page on your site that a link points to also influences its value. Links to deeply relevant content pages, rather than just your homepage, are more likely to be considered valuable by search engines. These links are typically more helpful to readers and align better with Google’s focus on delivering useful, relevant content.
Journalists may sometimes link to your homepage instead of specific pages to avoid broken links or because the linked content may not be evergreen. While homepage links are still beneficial, content-specific links offer greater SEO value.
Affiliated and Sponsored Links
A link marked as affiliated or sponsored generally won’t pass link equity since it’s classified as part of a sales or marketing effort. However, such links aren’t considered spam if they are properly attributed with rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" tags. They can still drive traffic and brand exposure, even if they don’t directly influence your search rankings.
By focusing on these factors, you can prioritise securing high-quality links that improve your site’s authority, drive relevant traffic, and enhance your brand’s online reputation. While you may not always have control over how your content is featured, aligning your strategy with these principles can significantly improve your Digital PR efforts.
Is There a Time and Place for Prioritising Quantity Over Quality Links?
While quality links are typically the gold standard, there are situations where focusing on quantity may be more beneficial.
One such scenario is when you’re building a foundation of backlinks for a new website. Without any links, it can be challenging to establish your site’s visibility on Google. In this initial stage, acquiring a higher volume of diverse links can help build an online presence and lay the groundwork for your site’s authority.
Another consideration is that solely acquiring high-quality links can sometimes appear unnatural to search engines. A mix of link types, including those that are not necessarily high authority, can make your backlink profile look more authentic—provided they don’t exhibit spammy characteristics.
If your current Digital PR strategy is centred around brand awareness, rather than immediate SEO gains, then prioritising quantity over quality may make sense. In these cases, securing a large number of mentions and links, even from sites with lower authority but engaged audiences, can help boost visibility and brand recognition.
However, these tactics are best viewed as short-term strategies. Over time, the focus should shift towards securing high-quality links that drive sustainable SEO benefits. It’s still crucial to avoid links from extremely low-quality or irrelevant sites, as these can pose a risk of penalties and potentially harm your site’s reputation.
Why Can’t You Have Both Quantity and Quality Links?
In an ideal scenario, your brand would consistently acquire a wealth of high-quality links that tick every box. However, in reality, achieving this balance is rare. Earning authoritative links requires significant time, effort, and sometimes, a stroke of luck.
That’s not to say it’s impossible — occasionally, a campaign goes viral, attracting numerous high-quality links. But this kind of success is more akin to winning the lottery. Predicting which content will gain traction is incredibly difficult, and even when a campaign does take off, there’s no guarantee it will secure the best links for your brand—or even generate links at all.
While it’s beneficial to get your brand in front of a larger audience, if the exposure is not on reputable sites or doesn’t reach your target demographic, it’s unlikely to boost your SEO efforts meaningfully.
When it comes to link building, quality outweighs quantity. Rather than aiming for a specific link count, focus on securing the links that will have the greatest impact on your SEO performance. This approach can save time, resources, and a lot of frustration. If a client insists on prioritising volume, take the opportunity to explain the long-term value of quality links over sheer numbers.
How We Can Help
If you’re a business aiming to enhance your link profile but aren’t sure where to begin, we’re here to assist. Our Digital PR team specialises in crafting customised strategies designed to secure high-quality links from trusted, relevant sources that align with your goals.
Reach out to us to learn more about how Digital PR can benefit your site and determine if it’s the right approach for your business.
