The power of backlinks

Where digital PR fits in

This is where digital PR comes in. Our team combines editorial expertise with targeted outreach to secure backlinks from leading publications. We pitch data-driven stories, expert commentary, and creative campaigns to journalists at titles such as The Telegraph, BBC, Evening Standard, and many more, earning natural, high-DA backlinks that boost brand visibility and strengthen website SEO.

What makes a good backlink

Not all backlinks are created equal, and Google knows it.

Relevance is key, so a link from a well-known industry publication will always beat one from an unrelated blog. If you're a property management company, a backlink from a leading real estate website carries much more value than one from a cooking blog.

Authority matters. Links from established websites such as major media outlets, industry leaders, and well-regarded publications pass on more SEO value than those from smaller and lesser-known sites.

"Follow" backlinks pass on SEO value, while "nofollow" links don't influence rankings in the same way, but they do still help increase referral traffic. Both have their place, but follow links do the heavy lifting from an SEO perspective.

It’s important the anchor text is relevant and descriptive. Generic phrases like "click here" are a waste of a valuable opportunity to signal what the page is about. Adding anchor text that is relevant is a great signal to Google that it’s valuable content.

Placement is vital, so a backlink naturally embedded within a page’s content is worth more than one hidden away in a footer or sidebar. Think about it from a reader's point of view, when you're engaged with an article and click a relevant link within the text, that's a positive. Search engines see this too, giving more weight to links that appear where people actually read and engage.

It’s crucial to remember that quality always beats quantity.

How backlinks boost AIO

One thing that many brands are behind on is AI Optimisation (AIO) and backlinks don't just help traditional SEO, they're becoming increasingly important for AI visibility too.

AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI don't crawl the web independently, they rely heavily on search engine results to source their information, meaning the stronger a website’s backlink profile, the more likely it is to appear in AI-generated responses.

When AI tools answer questions related to a certain industry, they're taking the information from high-ranking, authoritative content that benefits from strong backlink profiles. Quality backlinks improve search rankings, which increases the chances of being quoted by AI tools, which drives more visibility, and potentially more backlinks.

What to avoid: the weakest link

In the same way that good backlinks can help, toxic backlinks can hinder SEO. 

Links from irrelevant websites like dodgy directories or sites that exist purely to sell links are all red flags to search engines. They effectively scream "manipulation" to Google, rather than suggest that it’s a genuine recommendation.

Reciprocal linking may seem harmless, but excessive link swapping for SEO purposes looks fake, and Google’s smart enough to spot these patterns. Similarly, buying backlinks is not always recommended. Search engines are constantly upping their game when it comes to identifying backlinks that are paid for, and these links can often violate their guidelines.

Going back to anchor text, it’s important to not over-optimise this. If every link pointing to a website uses the same keyword-heavy anchor text, it looks unnatural. Make sure to use real and naturally sounding wording.

Essentially, try and remember that if it feels like you're trying to play the system, you probably are, and Google will probably see that. Focus on earning links through great content and genuine relationships. While it takes longer, it's the most effective way to benefit SEO!