What to expect when you switch to a high-quality digital PR strategy for organic link building
In 30 seconds:
Gone are the days of spam: Google's gotten wise to link-buying shenanigans and will actually penalise your site for them.
Good things come to those who tell awesome stories. High-quality link building isn't instant; it's a grower that combines research, killer ideas and journalist courtship.
Digital PR isn't just about SEO bragging rights! When you build quality backlinks, you're not just climbing search rankings – you're boosting brand visibility, establishing yourself as an authority, and (drumroll please) attracting higher-quality leads who actually want what you're selling.
For years, many link building strategies have leaned heavily on one thing: volume. Churn out enough links to your website, regardless of quality, and the Google ranking improvements will follow, right? Well, maybe that was true once, but the game changed a long time ago.
Today, brands are waking up to the fact that building hundreds of low-quality backlinks isn’t just ineffective - it can actively hurt SEO performance. That’s where digital PR comes in: a smarter, more strategic approach that focuses on quality over quantity.
Organic link building isn't just a 'nice to have', search engines like Google have clearly stated that these are what matters for building your website's domain authority (DA). Which is a big deal, because when you boil it down, the two biggest factors for ranking prominently in organic Google search results are relevance (is this what people are looking for?) and authority (can people trust you?).
But here’s the truth: switching from volume-based link building to high-quality digital PR takes time, especially when your goal is to land links on high Domain Authority (DA) sites (yes, news sites have domain authority scores too) and build real relationships with top-tier journalists.
Why brands are ditching low-quality link building
Volume-based link building often relies on tactics like mass directory submissions, link farms, and irrelevant (often paid-for) guest posts. These links might look good on a backlink profile report at first, but they're empty calories, SEO-wise. They don’t move the needle in terms of growing your authority. It's only through building organic backlinks from other domains that you'll improve, as a result of that other site's authority.
Even worse, those 'unnatural' non-organic backlinks can lead to Google penalties and undermine your brand’s credibility. As Google’s algorithm evolves, it has become laser-focused on rewarding relevance, authority, and trust. Links from spammy or unrelated sites don’t help anymore; in fact, they’re a liability. Google relegates websites that try to cheat.
Digital PR, on the other hand, aligns with how Google -and people - assess brand trustworthiness. It’s not about how many links you get. It’s about who’s linking to you, and why.
What is a digital PR strategy?
Digital PR isn’t just SEO. It’s part storytelling, part strategy, and part media relations. Instead of spray-and-pray outreach, it starts with understanding what journalists actually want: fresh data, compelling angles, and timely commentary.
A well-executed digital PR strategy might include:
Data-driven campaigns based on original research or insights
Expert commentary in response to breaking news (newsjacking)
Thought leadership that positions your brand as a credible voice
Organic link building strategies also look at where on your site other domains link, too. Of course, you can't guarantee exactly which links a journalist will keep in their copy, but outreaching with carefulyl crafted stories that naturally include links to the pages where audiences - and Google - should prioritise will make those valuable backlinks even more impactful.
It's not just about great stories. You need to have linkable content ideas.
It’s this kind of meaningful approach to content that earns coverage in high-authority publications and attracts links that matter.
The reality check: it takes time to build trust
This is where expectations need to shift. High-quality digital PR isn’t instant. You’re no longer paying for links and getting them instantly. You’re earning them.
Here’s how the early stages of a digital PR strategy that earns high quality organic backlinks typically unfold:
Month 1: Strategy, ideation, and journalist research. If the strategy requires creating high quality content to host on your site, content creation will start at this point.
Months 2–3: First stories are pitched, and journalist engagement begins
Month 3+: Relationships start to pay off with stronger pickup and recurring opportunities.
Top-tier journalists get hundreds of pitches a day. Earning their trust—and eventually their coverage—takes consistency, relevance, and patience. It’s a slow burn, but it works.
It's important to note that before any strategy can take place, we audit your site. This means assessing your existing keyword rankings, identifying new relevant keywords to attract your target audience, and analysing ranking pages against user's search intent and potential search volume. It's also at this stage that we determine if there's any existing valuable content we can use to reach out to journalists, identify competing pages, and assess your competitors' backlinks to help identify opportunities to get ahead.
The long-term payoff of high-quality digital PR
So why stick with it? Because when it clicks, the results are transformative.
A single link from a site like the BBC, The Guardian, or Metro can outperform 100 low-quality backlinks in terms of SEO efforts, referral traffic, and brand trust. These high quality backlinks are also more likely to stick around and continue to drive value for years.
And the benefits go beyond SEO:
Increased brand visibility across more search results, meaning more relevant organic traffic
More organic media coverage
Stronger brand authority
Higher-quality leads
Digital PR is an investment. But it’s one with compound returns.
What clients need to know and how to set expectations
When you move away from a volume-based link building strategy and towards high quality, natural backlinks, it’s essential to reframe your success metrics.
This means:
Fewer links at first, but much higher quality
Results that build slowly, then scale
A more sustainable and brand-safe approach
Earning organic links from reputable websites doesn't happen overnight. To build backlinks organically, you need to behave organically. This means developing real relationships with journalists, and putting effort into stellar stories and link-worthy content.
It’s our job at Bottle to guide clients through that mindset shift. We help brands see the bigger picture—where real value lies in strategic, earned media.
Ready to switch to a strategic digital PR strategy?
Switching to digital PR is about playing the long game. It’s a move from quantity to quality, from quick wins to lasting impact.
If you're ready to invest in a smarter, more sustainable approach to link building, we’re here to help.
Talk to Bottle. Let’s craft a digital PR strategy that earns links worth having.
FAQs from brands about organic link building
What's natural vs. earned link building?
They’re both beneficial - and will build you in the eyes of Google - but they’re not the same.
"Natural link building" refers to acquiring backlinks organically when other websites link to your content because they find it valuable, informative, or useful for their audience. These organic links are earned naturally without direct outreach or promotional efforts.
Earned link building, while still organic, involves strategic efforts to create high-quality content specifically designed to naturally attract links. This includes content marketing initiatives and developing link worthy content that addresses your target audience's needs and search intent.
Both build organic links, which search engines like Google love, because it helps their algorithms understand more about your site's authority and relevance. However, natural links occur spontaneously while earned links result from intentional content creation strategies designed to generate backlinks.
The good news? The earned link building approach also drives natural link building, because when you create quality content, it naturally gets more attention.
How does quality link building affect search rankings?
Quality link building significantly impacts search rankings, as backlinks remain one of the most important factors for Google’s algorithms. High quality organic backlinks from reputable websites signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy and authoritative.
When your backlink profile contains valuable backlinks from relevant websites with high domain authority, search engines are more likely to position your web pages higher in organic search results. This increased visibility drives more organic traffic to your site. And as any web marketer knows, if you can boost your relevant organic website traffic, you're onto a winner.
(PPC is great for quick wins, but it’s really the organic effort that will serve you in the long term).
Rather than focusing on how many backlinks you have, the quality of those links matters most. A smaller number of links from quality sites with relevant content provides more "link juice" than numerous low-quality links, which could actually harm your rankings.
Does Bottle fix broken links?
Yes, Bottle employs broken link building as part of our comprehensive link building strategies. We identify pages with broken links and reach out to those websites with suggestions to replace those broken links with links that benefit your site.
This broken link building approach creates win-win situations: website owners fix problematic user experiences, and your site gains valuable organic backlinks. By helping other website owners resolve their broken links with your quality content, we build organic backlinks while establishing genuine relationships with referring domains.
How does Bottle attract links from reputable sites?
We attract links from reputable sites by creating high quality content and irresistable PR stories based on extensive media research and analysis. Our process includes:
Using our suite of SEO tools to identify competing pages and analyse keyword rankings
Researching target keywords with appropriate search volume
Understanding user's search intent alongside your target customer profile to create content that addresses specific needs
Developing linkable content ideas and unmissable stories that provide unique insight
Creating high quality on-page content that serves as valuable resources for your target audience
Strategic outreach to relevant websites, domain owners and writers.
We focus on building organic backlinks through valuable content rather than link schemes that could harm your SEO efforts long-term. Our approach emphasises quality over quantity to generate backlinks that meaningfully impact your search rankings.
Read our article to learn more about our thoughts on the backlink quality vs quantity debate.
Does Bottle build links from other web sources, like social media?
Yes, Bottle builds links from various web sources including social media platforms as part of comprehensive link building campaigns. While our primary focus is on acquiring high quality organic backlinks from relevant websites, we recognise the importance of diversifying your backlink profile.
Social media platforms provide opportunities to share your quality content, increase visibility, and drive referral traffic. These platforms can amplify your content marketing efforts and indirectly help you build natural backlinks as more users discover your content.
In addition to social media, we also optimise internal links within your own site to help search engines better understand your website structure and distribute link juice effectively across your pages. This comprehensive approach to organic link building strengthens your overall SEO strategy.
Got a burning question we haven't answered? Get in touch and we'll talk you through all you need to know.