Glossary
Editorial Link
A backlink a publisher adds naturally because they find your content genuinely useful — not paid for, exchanged, or self-placed. Widely seen as the highest-quality kind of link.
An editorial link is earned, not built. It happens when a writer or editor chooses to link to your page because it genuinely adds value for their readers — as a source, a reference, or further reading. Because no money changed hands and you didn't place it yourself, search engines treat editorial links as strong, trustworthy votes of confidence, which is why they're often called the gold standard of link building. These links sit naturally within the main content of a page and are usually dofollow, since the publisher is intentionally citing you. You can't force them, but you can make them more likely: publish original research, data, or genuinely useful guides that people want to reference; build relationships with journalists and bloggers in your field; and earn coverage through digital PR. The trade-off is effort — editorial links are harder to get than directory listings or guest posts — but a handful from respected, relevant sites can outweigh hundreds of low-value links and move rankings in a durable, penalty-proof way.