Editorial Links: What They Are, Why They Matter and How to Earn Them

Editorial links are backlinks that a publisher, editor, journalist, or writer chooses to include because the linked page genuinely adds value to the content. The key word is chooses: the publisher controls whether the link appears, where it appears, and how it is described.

For SEO teams, that distinction matters. A link can sit inside an article and still not be truly editorial. The most useful question is not simply, “Is the link in the body copy?” but, “Did the publisher have a genuine editorial reason to include it?”

What is an editorial link?

An editorial link is an inbound link placed within content by a third-party publisher because the destination improves the article for its audience. The destination might provide original data, a useful definition, expert commentary, a tool, a detailed guide, or another source worth citing.

Editorial links are often called editorial backlinks or earned links. In the strictest sense, they are earned without payment or an exchange. Outreach can still help a publisher discover a resource, but the publisher should retain control over the final decision to cite it.

Editorial links vs other link types

Link type	Who controls the placement?	Typical purpose	Key consideration
Editorial link	Publisher/editor	Cite or recommend a useful source	Independent editorial judgment
Guest post	Shared between contributor and publisher	Publish a new contributed article	Quality depends on relevance and editorial standards
Niche edit / link insertion	Publisher/site owner	Add a contextual link to an existing page	The link should genuinely fit the existing context
Paid placement	Commercial arrangement	Advertising, sponsorship, or promotion	Paid links should be appropriately qualified

If you are comparing contributed content with existing-page placements, see our guide to link insertions vs guest posts. We also compare guest posting vs niche edits by speed, content control, relevance, and page history.

Why editorial backlinks matter for SEO

1. They are based on relevance and usefulness

A genuine editorial backlink normally appears because the linked page helps explain, support, or verify something in the surrounding content. That contextual relationship is more meaningful than a random link placed where readers have little reason to click.

2. They can send qualified referral traffic

Editorial links are not only an SEO asset. When the source page and destination are closely related, readers may follow the link because they actually want the additional information. That makes referral relevance an important quality signal to review.

3. They strengthen the visibility of useful resources

Original research, tools, guides, templates, and expert resources can continue earning citations over time. A strong resource may attract links from multiple publishers without needing a separate placement for every mention.

4. They support a healthier backlink profile

A natural backlink profile usually contains different publishers, pages, anchor texts, and link types. Editorial citations can contribute to that diversity because the publisher decides how and where to reference the source.

No individual backlink guarantees rankings. Link quality should be evaluated alongside content quality, search intent, technical SEO, and the overall competitiveness of the query.

What makes an editorial link high quality?

Do not judge an editorial backlink by domain metrics alone. Review the page and publisher in context.

• Topical relevance: the linking page and site should make sense for the destination.
• Editorial fit: the link should help the reader at the exact point where it appears.
• Real organic activity: check whether the publication has genuine search visibility and regularly updated content.
• Natural anchor text: anchors should read naturally rather than being forced around a commercial keyword.
• Useful destination: the linked page should genuinely answer a question, provide evidence, or offer a resource.
• Publisher quality: look for identifiable authors, clear site purpose, consistent content standards, and a real audience.
• Reasonable outbound linking: pages overloaded with unrelated commercial links deserve closer scrutiny.

These checks overlap with the publisher-vetting process we use when evaluating guest posting opportunities and niche-edit opportunities.

How to earn editorial links

For a step-by-step approach to story development and publisher outreach, read our digital PR for link building guide.

Create assets worth citing

Publishers need a reason to link. The most reliable starting point is to create something that helps them do their job: original research, industry statistics, a calculator, a template, a visual explanation, a definitive guide, or a regularly updated reference page.

A generic article that repeats information already available elsewhere is less likely to earn citations than a page with a clear source of unique value.

Use digital PR and journalist outreach

Expert commentary can earn editorial links when a journalist or writer decides the contribution improves a story. The outreach should make the source easy to evaluate: explain the expertise, answer the question directly, and provide a relevant supporting page when appropriate.

The outreach itself does not automatically make the resulting backlink non-editorial. The important point is that the publisher keeps control over whether the source is cited and how the citation appears.

Replace outdated resources

Older studies and guides can continue attracting links even after their information becomes outdated. If you can publish a stronger and more current resource, identify pages that reference the old source and show editors why the updated version is useful to their readers.

Publish first-party data

Surveys, anonymised platform data, industry benchmarks, and original analysis give writers something concrete to cite. The methodology should be clear enough that another publisher can understand where the numbers came from.

Build expert-led resources

Useful expert content is not limited to opinion pieces. Practical checklists, technical explanations, decision frameworks, and examples based on real experience can all become citation-worthy when they answer questions better than existing sources.

Editorial links and paid placements are not the same thing

It is important not to use “editorial” as a label for every in-content backlink. If money, products, services, or another benefit is exchanged for a link, the commercial relationship should be handled appropriately.

Google’s spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. Google also explains that paid placements should use an appropriate link qualification such as rel="sponsored" or nofollow. See Google’s guidance on qualifying outbound links.

This does not mean every sponsored article is inherently bad marketing. Sponsored content can be useful for brand exposure and referral traffic. It simply should not be confused with an independently earned editorial citation.

How to evaluate an “editorial link building” service

Some providers use the phrase editorial link building broadly. Before buying a service, ask exactly how the links are acquired.

1. Who chooses the publisher? Is the site selected for relevance, or only because it accepts placements?
2. Who controls the content? Does the publisher genuinely review the article and link?
3. Is payment involved? If yes, how is the placement disclosed and how is the link qualified?
4. Can you approve sites before placement? Transparency makes it easier to reject irrelevant or low-quality publishers.
5. Are traffic and topical relevance checked? A high third-party authority metric alone is not enough.
6. Is the destination genuinely useful? Even a strong publisher cannot make an irrelevant landing page feel editorial.

For a broader supplier checklist, our guide on how to choose a guest posting service covers traffic quality, transparency, editorial standards, and common red flags.

A practical editorial link building workflow

1. Choose a link-worthy page. Start with a resource that deserves citations.
2. Define the relevant publisher set. Prioritise sites whose audience overlaps with your topic.
3. Find the right content or journalist. Look for articles where your source would genuinely improve the piece.
4. Pitch the value, not the backlink. Explain what the source adds for readers.
5. Let the publisher decide. Editorial control is what separates an earned citation from a forced placement.
6. Track outcomes beyond DR. Review referral traffic, page visibility, brand mentions, and the relevance of the linking page.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Calling every contextual link “editorial.”
• Choosing sites only by DA or DR.
• Using exact-match commercial anchors repeatedly.
• Pitching weak pages that give publishers no reason to cite them.
• Ignoring whether the linking page has a real audience or search visibility.
• Treating paid guest posts as naturally earned citations.
• Expecting one backlink to produce a predictable ranking increase.

Frequently asked questions

What is an editorial backlink?

An editorial backlink is a link that a publisher chooses to include because the destination adds useful information, evidence, expertise, or context to the article.

Are editorial links the same as backlinks?

No. Every editorial link is a backlink, but not every backlink is editorial. Backlinks can also come from guest posts, directories, partnerships, paid placements, user-generated content, and many other sources.

Can outreach produce editorial links?

Yes, if outreach helps a publisher discover a useful source and the publisher independently decides whether and how to cite it. The key factor is editorial control, not whether the publisher discovered the source without any outreach.

Are editorial links always dofollow?

No. A publisher may use a standard link, nofollow, or another link attribute according to its own policies. The editorial nature of a citation is about why and how the publisher chose the link, not simply the HTML attribute.

Can you buy editorial links?

If payment guarantees the placement, it is more accurate to treat it as a paid placement rather than a naturally earned editorial link. Paid links should be handled in line with search-engine guidelines and the publisher’s disclosure policies.

Final takeaway

The strongest editorial links exist because a publisher has a genuine reason to send readers to your page. Build useful resources, make them discoverable, approach relevant writers with something worth citing, and judge opportunities by relevance and editorial quality rather than a single authority score.

If your wider link-building strategy also includes guest posts or link insertions, MavaOak helps teams evaluate publishers for relevance, organic traffic, and placement quality. You can review our link-building services or pricing for more information.