According to a recent study in 2023, around 62% to 71% of local businesses are ruling the digital marketplace with their own e-commerce stores or business websites. 

With such a rapid digitalization of commercial businesses, every online brand is looking for increased web visibility, improved audience trust, and, of course, a seamless flow of inbound traffic.

But how?

Who will trust an online brand without the much-needed client testimonials? 

…or at least without the ‘Google recommendation’?

Both traditional link-building and digital PR help you build high-quality backlinks to your business website & ensure a wider business exposure. These lead to improved site authority, search engine rankings, and a stronger industry network, resulting in increased lead generation and conversion. 

Now, the question is, do both of these result in similar outcomes?

Or hold similar SEO values?

And if not, what makes these two techniques different than the other?

In today’s blog, we will discuss link building vs. digital PR, where you will be learning the importance of these two strategies, which is more effective from the SEO perspective, and which one is better when it comes to boosting business/brand awareness. 

So, let’s get into it right away! 

Link Building Vs. Digital PR: Same or Different?

Though they are related in a few ways, both of these strategies are different in several aspects, for example, goals, tactics used, link focus, SEO metrics, etc. 

Link-building is the method of acquiring backlinks/hyperlinks to your website from another online resource by proven techniques such as guest posting, influencer outreach, and more. 

However, digital PR is specifically an online marketing strategy that involves promoting your brand across different platforms. The umbrella term ‘digital PR’ consists of other strategic components such as shareable asset creation, personalized outreach to news publications, media outlets, expert SEO, social media marketing, partnerships/collaboration with social media/web influencers, and more. 

So, the skillful implementation of both of these strategies results in improved SEO, brand awareness, website credibility, increased qualified traffic & conversion, and an exponential digital growth for your online business. However, they are quite different in terms of their scopes, objectives, approach, techniques, practices, etc.

So, let’s get deeper into both of these concepts one by one.

What Is Traditional Link Building?

This SEO strategy focuses on acquiring links to your website from external resources, primarily to improve the search engine rankings of your site. 

However, that’s not all!

Traditional link-building boosts your business awareness, site authority, online visibility, and organic traffic to your site. Backlinks from other relevant websites to yours signal reliability, thus leading to improved search engine rankings of your website & qualified leads. 

Some of the most popular link-building tactics include:

👉Guest posting

👉Influencer outreach

👉Directory submission

👉Broken link-building

👉Testimonial Link-building

👉Identifying unlinked brand mentions

👉Niche edits

Usually, the practice of traditional link-building starts with linkable asset creation and then getting it published in online directories, relevant resource pages, or external websites. 

Also, replacing broken links with links back to your quality articles and dropping a feedback/testimonial in a business site’s comment section would earn your business site valuable backlinks. 

However, try to look for brand mentions without a link to your site. This will get you good-quality backlinks faster. Make sure that the articles, infographics, videos, research studies, or guides you craft are high-quality and linkworthy for faster backlink acquisition. 

Breaking It Down: Pros Vs. Cons

 So far, traditional link-building seems to be the holy grail for SEO, doesn’t it?

But wait…

Analyze both the pros and cons of traditional link-building to get a comprehensive idea.

Traditional Link-Building
Pros	Cons
Improved SEO rankings	Might be time-consuming
Increased brand visibility	Resource-intensive
Improved site credibility	High-quality content needed
Sustainable SEO strategy	Unpredictable outcomes
Stronger backlink profile	You might get irrelevant backlinks
Enhanced referral traffic	Tracking direct SEO impacts might be challenging
Stronger industry network	Fierce industry competition

So, traditional link-building is not just about positive outcomes!

The process might be challenging at times if you do not know how to identify relevant websites, manage your link-building resources, handle rejections, practice ethical link-building techniques, and implement strategies or create content that helps your brand stand out in the crowded and competitive niche market. 

Google algorithms are rapidly evolving! 

So, make sure your traditional link-building strategies align with the latest Google guidelines for faster backlink acquisition. 

All about Digital PR Right Here!

Digital PR is also an effective link-building strategy, with a different focus and techniques involved. It prioritizes building public relations and strategically reaching out to reputable media publications, news outlets, etc. 

Here are the common steps for digital PR:

👉Crafting compelling content

👉Identifying popular journalists/bloggers

👉Targeting reputed HARO platforms

👉Reaching out to the reporters

If your content is authentic, well-researched, and useful, reporters/journalists might link back to your posts/answers. This will work as a ‘vote of confidence’ signaling your content’s authority and reliability, enough to get your website featured at the top of the SERPs.

However, ever wondered about the not-so-good aspects of digital PR?

Here are the things to check out.

But, What’s The Flex & The Fail?

Though digital PR is a great strategy to reach a larger audience by boosting website awareness or brand exposure, it also involves a lot of challenges.

So, here are the things you need to know!

Digital PR
Pros	Cons
Helps you reach a wider, global audience	High competition on HARO platforms
Generates higher ROIs compared to traditional link-building	Requires specialized skills
Provides you with measurable results	Difficulties in managing negative feedback
Helps you target specific audiences	Missed opportunities if you do not respond faster
Boosts brand visibility	Time-intensive strategy
Fosters direct user engagement	Vulnerable to technical issues
Makes connection with potential leads stronger	Might not provide you with quick results

Though the competition for acquiring backlinks on HARO platforms is quite high, you can navigate through the challenges by crafting unique, researched, and data-driven content. If you know how to utilize your content creation and marketing resources effectively and handle negative criticism, you might win the game. 

Constantly reach out to the journalists with personalized pitches, adopt a holistic strategy, and be persistent in your efforts. Also, be quick in responding to the journalists’ queries and set realistic goals to be on the right track. 

Seems easier?

Well, let’s find out the differences between traditional link-building and digital PR first before you come to a conclusion. 

Link Building Vs. Digital PR: Spot The Difference

Though the outcomes and purposes of practicing these two SEO strategies are quite similar, the concepts are very different. 

And not just the concepts!

There are differences between the goals, aspects, and practices of link building vs. digital PR.

Check out this table to know more about it:

Link Building Vs. Digital PR
Link Building	Digital PR
Focuses primarily on improving search engine rankings and the site’s Domain Authority	Improves brand awareness, site’s credibility, and online visibility
The goal is to acquire backlinks from relevant, high-authority websites	The goal is to acquire backlinks from reputable media outlets/news publications
Good quality content required for guest posting/niche editing/broken link building	Newsworthy content is required to capture journalists’/reporters’ attention
Unique KPIs include the number of backlinks acquired, the quality of the link resources, keyword rankings, and the site’s Domain Authority	The KPIs include your site mentions, organic traffic, search volume of branded keywords, and click-through rates
Less priority on network building	You must build a network with industry-relevant journalists

Also, it takes more time to craft newsworthy content compared to creating shareable content because the former is research-based. Also, digital PR campaigns operate online and make use of third-party tools/platforms for accurate reporting. 

To be precise, digital PR link-building is only possible with a stronger industry network. This, in turn, helps your brand get more web exposure, leading to sustainable and long-term SEO benefits for your website. 

Relationship-Building Vs. Transactional Links: The Real SEO Slayer

So far, you must have got a clear idea about the specific focus on link building vs. digital PR. In one word, the traditional link-building process results in transactional backlink acquisition. The primary goal of practicing traditional link-building techniques is to secure a backlink only. 

Often, key link-building approaches include a form of value exchange—good quality content in return for a backlink. Guest posting, niche edits, directory submission, broken link-building, unlinked brand mentions, and resource page link-building—all these link-building practices result in transactional link acquisition.

On the other hand, relationship building is a key criterion of digital PR because it takes trust, brand credibility, and long-term SEO success to get backlinks from a media outlet, news resource, or publication. So, without a strong industry relationship and trust-building, achieving the major digital PR goals is simply impossible.  

Building a positive and strong rapport with industry leaders, journalists, and reporters will not only help you get access to better digital PR opportunities but will also lead to enhanced brand trust, credibility, quality link placements, increased audience engagement, and high-quality backlink acquisition.

So, Which Is Better for SEO?

Now, the question is, what do you need to focus on?

Well, let’s find the answer together.

When it comes to modern SEO, relationship building is way more crucial compared to mere backlink acquisition. A stronger industry network leads to a wider brand exposure and, of course, natural backlink acquisition for sustainable SEO benefits. 

👉Helps you earn high-quality backlinks 

👉Ensures long-term SEO growth

👉Boosts your site’s credibility

👉Improves your website authority

👉Fosters real collaboration 

👉Drives increased organic traffic

Traditional link-building might help you acquire backlinks from reliable and relevant resources. But to ensure long-term brand growth on Google, you need more than just backlinks. 

You need authority, trust, credibility, and organic traffic.

Digital PR helps you foster brand trust within your niche as reporters and news/media publications link to only authoritative resources that are valuable for the users. By building a genuine connection with news reporters and journalists, your brand will gain authority & credibility, leading to enhanced trust with the search engine. 

The Rise of Digital PR as A Modern Alternative

You might be wondering…

How can digital PR be an effective alternative to traditional link-building, isn’t it?

Well, digital PR is a great strategy to acquire high-quality editorial backlinks that not only improve your site’s authority but also perfectly align with the latest Google guidelines. Without investing in any paid advertising/marketing, you can boost your brand awareness and drive massive organic traffic to your website with digital PR.

Here is why branding/marketing experts consider digital PR as a modern alternative to traditional link-building. 

👉Helps you acquire high-quality backlinks 

👉Improved search engine rankings

👉Enhanced brand awareness 

👉Improved brand credibility

👉Helps you track measurable results

👉Cost-effective in the long run

👉Ensures long-term brand growth

👉Drives quality traffic to your site

👉Strengthens your brand’s online presence

To be specific, digital PR helps you achieve your SEO goals, along with assisting you in a cost-effective branding campaign. 

All you need to focus on is creating unmatched content that is shareable and linkworthy. However, you need to make sure that your content earns relevant and reputable media mentions. 

That’s it!

So, if you know how to execute digital PR strategies effectively, conduct in-depth research, and build a solid relationship with relevant journalists/reporters, you can secure outstanding backlink acquisition opportunities from popular media publications. 

The results will be faster, measurable, more effective, and long-term compared to the outcomes of traditional link-building. 

Overcome Link Building Vs. Digital PR Challenges Like A Pro!

Both traditional link building vs. digital PR strategies involve a lot of challenges.

For example, traditional link-building requires high-quality content (preferably better than the existing ones) and the right platform/influencer targeting. 

However, it not only takes much of your valuable time and resources to get it published on relevant resources, but also, without the right outreach strategy and influencer network, your link-building campaign might be a disaster! (though in most cases, you might need to adopt diverse link-building strategies.)

On the other hand, digital PR campaigns will be effective with a holistic strategy and especially if you have a strong industry network. 

Here are some tips to overcome the digital PR challenges like never before:

👉Master the art of research, content creation, and storytelling

👉Focus on building a reliable relationship with journalists

👉Constantly look for recent media requests/journalists’ posts

👉Research trending topics in your niche

👉Analyze the latest market trends to identify effective strategies 

👉Target only the relevant and popular media outlets

Most importantly, keep a track of your digital PR campaigns’ outcomes to identify strategies that are actually working. Focus on building trust and authority first. Once you gain the trust of the journalists, your brand will get only positive feedback from users across the world, leading to improved brand identity and positive online reputation.

Pro tip: If you add visuals, infographics, diagrams, pie charts, and tables in your content, it will be way more engaging and grab the attention of the reporters.

After all, who doesn’t love to link to content that adds real value to the users?

Link Building Vs. Digital PR: What Should Be Your Power Move?

Now, that’s truly a tricky question!

The answer depends on your specific business/link acquisition goals.

But, we will simplify it as much as we can…

Traditional link-building methods will help you improve your site’s search engine rankings and traffic. However, digital PR results in improved brand awareness, earns your brand significant mentions by the most popular media publications/news outlets, and results in high-authority link-building, of course. 

“Our SaaS brand is currently one of the top 10 software companies across the world. We recently boosted our organic traffic by 70% through traditional link building from niche blogs and resource pages.”, says Mr. Laurence William. On the other hand, an e-commerce company earned high-authority backlinks via digital PR, secured landing features on Forbes, and tripled brand credibility.

As you can see…

If you want your website to rank higher on the SERPs or your goal is to boost organic traffic, increase sales/ROIs, and faster website indexing on Google, you might want to focus on traditional link-building. 

However, if your primary objective is to build brand credibility, acquire backlinks from popular news publications, improve brand reputation, and expose your business to new & qualified leads, digital PR should be your first priority. 

Both traditional link-building and digital PR help improve your brand awareness, generate social shares, enhance website visibility on Google, and make your website rank higher on search engines. However, the key difference lies in the specific business purposes, priorities, and targeting of link resources. 

A Mixed Approach for Ultimate Win!

We are almost at the end of this blog with an answer to the previous question.

However, we know you still want to hear that definitive answer from us..

Link building vs. digital PR: what should work for your business?

Well, we would, then, suggest: both!

Honestly, traditional link-building and digital PR should complement each other when it comes to link acquisition. Relying on a single strategy is not enough to get your desired SEO outcomes.

Traditional link-building practices help you get started with the backlink acquisition process, leading to higher SEO rankings and more organic traffic. However, digital PR will ensure a wider brand exposure, improved site credibility, and an enhanced brand recognition, which will result in long-term SEO growth for your online business.

So, to get the most out of your backlink acquisition efforts, combine both of these strategies because you need improved site visibility on Google as well as an enhanced brand reputation for sustainable business growth.

Can’t Decide? Trust The FastLinky Experts

Still, not sure?

…When to use which of these two strategies?

Then, it’s time to consult the link-building experts.

At FastLinky, we prioritize your specific business goals. With our in-depth knowledge of the latest link-building trends and specific expertise in niche analysis and strategy identification, we have scaled more than 750 global businesses across the world. 

We start off by analyzing your link-building goals, target audience, and competitive landscape to develop a tailored strategy that aligns with your growth vision and the latest Google guidelines. Also, we evaluate whether your brand needs authority-driven backlinks (via Digital PR) or high-volume niche links (through traditional link-building). 

For instance, one of our clients, a SaaS startup company, gained thought-leadership visibility through PR-driven placements in popular e-magazines and media publications, while a local eCommerce brand experienced almost 60% growth in organic traffic within 11 months via targeted guest posts and directory outreach. 

Our link-building professionals are experts in niche trend analysis, keyword mapping, and backlink audits to determine which strategy would maximize your ROI. With our deep understanding of constantly evolving search engine algorithms and industry patterns, we ensure every link built serves your purpose.

Want high-quality backlinks for your website?

Connect with our experts now. 

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