Editorial Links in SEO: How Writers & Editors Actually Link to You

With each passing year, link-building tactics continue to change.

SEOs are constantly testing new methods to build backlinks and improve rankings.

However, what many still misunderstand is that building more backlinks alone is not the goal.

What actually matters is building high-quality backlinks that search engines trust.

Guest posting was once considered the strongest and most reliable link-building technique. Over time, however, Google’s perspective on guest posts created primarily for backlinks has evolved.

Guest posting can still be effective, but only when done carefully and with the right intent.

This is where editorial backlinks stand apart.

Editorial links are naturally placed links that appear within content because they genuinely support the topic. Due to their nature, they are considered stronger, safer, and more impactful than most other types of links.

In fact, editorial backlinks often signal trust, relevance, and authority more clearly than traditional guest post links.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through editorial backlinks in detail—what they are, why websites earn them, and how you can position your content to attract them naturally as part of a long-term SEO strategy.

So, let’s begin.

What Is an Editorial Backlink?

An editorial backlink is a link that a writer or editor includes within their content as a reference.

These links are added to support a statement, provide additional context, or cite a reliable source.

In most cases, the link is placed without direct outreach or negotiation from the site being linked to.

For example, imagine a writer working on an article about link-building metrics for SEO.

Search engines expect such content to be informative and backed by credible sources.

Instead of explaining every concept from scratch, the writer looks for existing pages that already explain certain aspects well. They then reference those pages to strengthen their content.

By doing this, the article appears more researched, more credible, and more trustworthy.

At the same time, the referenced website earns an editorial backlink simply because its content added value to the discussion.

Do SEOs build editorial backlinks?

The answer is no, yes, and it depends.

An example of SEOs not building editorial links:

Editorial backlinks are usually general backlinks.

For instance, a content writer might search for a topic and include its link within the content.

Such backlinks often come from good, average, and even spammy sites.

You’re not in control of who links back to you or when.

An example of SEOs building editorial backlinks:

SEOs use different techniques to build links.

For instance, they buy guest posts to obtain backlinks.

The idea is to write as a third party and get a link as a reference, so Google or other search engines can’t detect that the backlink was intentionally built.

An example of SEOs not trying and still building editorial backlinks:

Sometimes, freelance writers and editors pitch different websites and offer to include their backlink in an existing article.

For this, they ask for an editorial fee or an alternative exchange.

For an SEO person, this is the ideal situation, as the opportunity arises unexpectedly and can help them build genuine, high-authority backlinks.

Are editorial backlinks and guest posts the same?

Definitely not. In guest post backlinks, SEOs reach out to different webmasters and offer something to get their approval.

Here are some common things SEOs generally offer to do a guest post:

• Offer unique and quality content

• Offer a link or guest post in return

• Offer a website or link audit to get a backlink

• Offer their services at a discounted rate for getting a guest post

• Offer reviews, UGC content, or similar items

Editorial links, on the other hand, are different from guest posting.

The editor usually finds a specific website from SERPs and includes its link within their article.

Editorial backlinks can also be paid or come from freelancers and are not always general.

How Brian Dean managed to build editorial and other types of links naturally?

It is not as difficult as you think. Many people and larger publications have already cracked the code here.

Just like Brian Dean, the person who created Backlinko—a genius.

He came up with the "Skyscraper Technique" for building editorial and other forms of links naturally.

He looked for ranking articles for main terms and created skyscraper content.

His content was more informational, useful, lengthy, and helpful for the audience.

This made his website page quickly appear at the top.

As a result, many people linked to that specific page whenever they were writing a similar article.

Brian Dean also internally linked other pages to pass page rank, or link juice, and created more pages like these.

Rinse and repeat. His website quickly became a major force with a high amount of natural backlinks.

How to make writers and editors link back to you so that you could build editorial backlinks?

At ReputePost.com, we help SEOs and webmasters with thousands of link building opportunities. You can look for different types of backlinks including editorial.

If you have an established website already, it is super easier to get editorial guest post links. In case you're just starting, you can build other types of links and with that buy editorial links to make your website stronger.

The key thing is to appear high in the SERPs or get the attention of writers, editors and journalists. They are the ones who can help you build such high authority backlinks.

Here are some key things that can help you appear high on the SERPs and attract editorial backlinks:

1. Create data-oriented content

In case you want to build editorial links, you need to create quality content.

The best way to do this is to cover data-oriented topics.

While 90% of your competitors are covering general topics that are already covered, find the right opportunity in your niche.

Look for common problems, do research and cover them in an article.

This will help your page leap right at the top of the SERPs.

And, with that much visibility, others covering this topic will naturally link back to you.

2. Do not compromise on uniqueness and statistics

Creating data-oriented content isn’t the only thing you should be focusing on.

Instead, be unique and do not miss your opportunity with statistics.

Use tools like google trends, or alerts and be active in your niche.

Do not hesitate to test something that others aren’t doing.

Here’s an example:

A normal website will do keyword research and decide to write an article on “comment backlinks for SEO”. The topic will look like “What are comment backlinks in SEO”?

Insead of doing this, you can go for data and statistics. Your topic will look like “10 things to keep in mind when building comment backlinks in SEO”. In your guide, you’ll discuss various things and back up your arguments with data and research.

3. Be friends with bloggers, editors and journalists

Ever heard the quote "show me your friends and I'll show you your future"?

Now connect this saying with you and your work.

Try to build a relationship with bloggers, editors, and journalists.

They are usually the people who are actively writing for different websites.

With a good relationship, you’ll increase your chances of getting more links outside of this strategy.

This will help your link building campaign and mutually be beneficial for both parties.

4. Don’t be an introvert on social media

If you’re an introvert, keep this to you and do not let this impact your professional life.

Your website should have a clear social media strategy.

Stay active, communicate with others and see what others are doing.

Regularly share your content across different social media platforms.

This helps you build an audience or a brand outside Google.

The positive?

You will increase your chances of more visibility and potentially more links to your website.

5. Build links using other tactics

Getting editorial backlinks requires time.

It isn’t possible to start getting such high authority backlinks specially when your website is new.

You first need to build authority and credibility.

Therefore, look for guest posts or link insertion opportunities.

The authority niche edits are the most safest way to pass page rank to your website.

If your website is new, there’s no chance that you’ll get editorial links.

Instead of focusing on them from the start, diversify your link building profile.

Sometimes, a guest post becomes a source for a best editorial link!

So, focus on increasing credibility and authority and your website will start becoming ready to attract editorial links.

These are some of the most common and safest ways through which you can attract content writers, editors and journalists.

Instead of totally relying on them, your aim should be to target them from all fronts.

As your website strat becoming stronger, you’ll be able to build editorial links at a faster pace.

Wrapping up

Those who know about SEO will never stop you from building editorial backlinks.

Top SEO agencies even include editorial backlinks as their main link building tactic.

For editorial links, you have to do different things.

I discussed all those things with examples. And, I hope this article will help you create a better SEO link building strategy.

SEO is changing and backlinks from forums or web 2.0 sites aren’t the only source anymore.

In fact, relying solely on them can go wrong for your website and hurt your SEO performance.

As the competition is increasing in almost all niches, many SEOs are simply looking for white label link building solutions.

Such solutions are usually cheaper and more safe as compared to different link building techniques and their overall impact.

But editorial backlinks are still the best, and will remain that way.

And, they’ll get stronger with time.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get editorial backlinks?

Editorial backlinks usually take time. In most cases, they are earned when writers or editors discover your content while researching a topic. This can take weeks or even months, especially for new websites. However, once your content starts ranking or gaining visibility, editorial links tend to come in more consistently over time.

Are editorial backlinks better than guest post links?

Editorial backlinks are generally considered stronger because they are placed naturally as references. Guest post links, on the other hand, are often planned and negotiated. While both can be effective, editorial backlinks usually carry more trust and authority signals because they are earned based on content quality rather than placement.

Can editorial backlinks be nofollow?

Yes, editorial backlinks can be nofollow. Writers and publishers sometimes use nofollow links as part of their editorial policy. Even when nofollow, such links can still bring referral traffic, brand exposure, and trust signals. Not every valuable editorial backlink needs to be dofollow to be beneficial.

Do editorial backlinks work for new websites?

Editorial backlinks are harder to earn when a website is new. Most writers prefer linking to established sources. New websites should first focus on building credibility through quality content and other link-building methods. As authority grows, the chances of earning editorial backlinks naturally increase.

Are paid editorial links risky for SEO?

Buying links purely to manipulate rankings goes against Google’s guidelines. However, in practice, many editorial placements happen through sponsored content, collaborations, or editorial fees. The key is relevance, quality, and natural placement. Poor-quality or forced links carry higher risk than well-placed, contextually relevant ones.

How many editorial backlinks does a website need?

There is no fixed number. Even a few high-quality editorial backlinks from authoritative websites can make a noticeable difference. It’s not about quantity but about relevance, authority, and consistency. One strong editorial link can often outperform dozens of low-quality backlinks.