Editorial Links: What They Are & How to Earn Them

Editorial links are backlinks placed by publishers, journalists, or content creators because the linked content improves their own article. They are the opposite of paid links or reciprocal links — no money changes hands, no quid pro quo. The decision is editorial.

Key characteristics: they are earned through content merit, placed contextually within the body text, and not influenced by payment or exchange. If you want to understand the broader landscape, check out types of backlinks and trustworthy backlinks.

The process starts when a publisher discovers your content — through search, social media, or industry research. If they decide it adds value, they cite it with a link. No outreach, no payment. This is different from most link building tactics that involve direct requests.

Steps in editorial linking: the publisher finds valuable content, the editor decides to cite it naturally, and the link is placed contextually within the article. The link equity passed is usually higher because of the organic context.

Editorial links are valuable because they are hard to manipulate at scale. Google’s algorithms tend to weigh them more heavily than risky link types because they represent genuine recommendations. As John Mueller from Google has said, the best links are those given naturally by other site owners who find your content useful.

Effectiveness factors include the linking domain’s authority and relevance, contextual placement within content, and natural anchor text usage. For a deeper dive into how links impact rankings, see Google ranking factors and importance of backlinks for SEO.

Earning editorial links requires content worth citing. I’ve seen it happen through original research and data studies, comprehensive guides, newsworthy announcements and PR, expert commentary, and high-quality niche-relevant resources. Digital PR and building relationships with journalists also work well.

For a practical look at methods I use, visit Methods I use and Outreach & PR. The key is to focus on high authority backlinks that come naturally.

The term "editorial" is often misused in SEO. Many services sell sponsored links while labeling them as editorial, which violates Google’s guidelines. Key risks include paying for links disguised as editorial, over-optimizing anchor text in earned links, and confusing guest posts with true editorial placements.

For a broader view of link building risks, see Risk & hats. Always ask yourself: would this publisher have linked without any incentive? If not, it’s not editorial.

To earn genuine editorial links: focus on creating relevant, link-worthy content; promote content to journalists and industry influencers; monitor backlinks to identify true editorial placements; avoid services that promise editorial links for payment; and use natural anchor text in earned links.

For more detailed guidance, see my best practices page and digital PR resources.

Here’s how editorial links compare to other common link types based on SEO value and acquisition effort:

Based on Google’s trust signals and common industry experience.

There is no standard market price for a true editorial link because the publisher decides whether to include it. Agencies that sell "editorial" links usually charge service fees ranging from low hundreds to thousands of dollars per placement or campaign, depending on publication quality and outreach. The real driver is access, labor, and site authority, not a fixed rate.