Links

What Is an Editorial Link?

An editorial link is one a publisher decided to include on its own merits — because the linked resource genuinely supports the article — rather than one bought, exchanged or self-placed.

Why it matters

Editorial links are what every search engine guideline describes as legitimate, and they are the standard the rest of link building is measured against. They also tend to sit in useful places: inside the body of an article people are actually reading.

Example

A journalist writing about rental prices cites your original survey data and links to it without you asking. That is an editorial link. A link you paid to have inserted into the same article is not, however similar it looks in the HTML.

Common misconception

That "editorial" describes where the link sits on the page. A link in the body of an article is not editorial just because it is in the body — the word describes how the decision to link was made, not the position. Sellers sometimes use "editorial placement" loosely to mean "in the article rather than the footer"; those are different claims.

Related terms

Backlink A link on another website that points to yours. Guest Post An article you write that is published on someone else's site. Outreach Contacting site owners to ask for a placement or link. Paid Link A link where money or goods changed hands for the placement. Link Building The practice of getting other sites to link to yours.

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