Digital PR's Dirty Little Secret: Most of the Links You're Earning Have No Impact on Metrics That Actually Matter

In this session at The Digital PR Summit 2025, Digitaloft's James Brockbank revealed some of the reasons why digital PR's focus on link count is stopping the tactic from having the impact it could, and should, be having on organic gtowth.

Transcript

2. We’ve built an entire industry around metrics that don’t mean anything.
3. Link numbers.
4. Domain Authority & Domain Rating.
5. Placements on big name publications.
6. We then paraded these as proof that a campaign ‘worked’
7. But here’s the truth…
8. Most digital PR campaigns don’t impact the metrics that actually matter.
9. They don’t increase rankings.
10. They don’t drive traffic.
11. They don’t impact revenue.
12. Why? Because they’ve not been set up to.
13. We’ve all launched campaigns that earned 100+ links and had no meaningful impact for the business.
14. But we still celebrated them.
15. Because we hit the KPI.
16. Because they looked good in a report.
17. Because no one wanted to ask the hard question.
18. Because no one wanted to ask the hard question. Did this actually help us to grow?
19. We stopped measuring what actually matters.
20. And started obsessing over what’s easy to count.
21. But links aren’t outcomes.
22. Links are just a byproduct, not the goal.
23. Visibility. The goal is…
24. Reputation. The goal is…
25. Business Impact. The goal is…
26. The longer we confuse link count with success, the longer we waste time, budget – and the chance to actually grow.
27. It’s time to stop launching campaigns that look like they work.
28. And start launching ones that actually do.
29. rewards the same brands that people do.
30. Google doesn’t reward links, it rewards brands. Here’s what we’ve forgotten, or maybe just ignored…
31. The same brands people search for.
32. The brands they trust.
33. The ones they see everywhere; in the press, on social, in context.
34. Google isn’t trying to figure out who got the most links.
35. It’s who deserves to rank.
36. The brand that shows up. In 2025, the answer to that is the same as it is for users…
37. The brand that’s visible. In 2025, the answer to that is the same as it is for users…
38. The brand that’s constantly present in the right conversations, in the right categories, for the right reasons. In 2025, the answer to that is the same as it is for users…
39. The brand that’s constantly present in the right conversations, in the right categories, for the right reasons. In 2025, the answer to that is the same as it is for users…
40. The brand that’s constantly present in the right conversations, in the right categories, for the right reasons. In 2025, the answer to that is the same as it is for users…
41. The brand that’s constantly present in the right conversations, in the right categories, for the right reasons. In 2025, the answer to that is the same as it is for users…
42. This is the mindset shift we need to make.
43. Digital PR isn’t a link building tactic, it’s a brand-building strategy. (When done right)
44. When you stop chasing link volume and ask a better question – everything changes.
45. Does this campaign build the brand’s reputation in the category we want to win? Ask…
46. Will it get 40 links? Not:
47. Will these be from DR70+ sites? Not:
48. Will the coverage look good in the wrap-up deck? Not:
49. Will this move us closer to becoming the brand that owns this space? But…
50. Because that’s the win.
51. That’s what Google’s paying attention to.
52. That’s what your customers are paying attention to.
53. And ironically, that’s what earns the best links anyway.
54. When you start showing up in the right places – the links come as a byproduct.
55. The trust builds.
56. The reputation builds.
57. More people start searching for the brand.
58. And the rankings start to shift.
59. This isn’t about hitting a number, it’s about becoming unignorable.
60. But how did we get here?
61. 2015 - 2017 Content-led link building (infographics). 2017 - Today Digital PR. Pre-2012 Paid links, PBNs & comment spam. 2012 - 2015 Guest posts.
62. Each phase was a reaction to the last.
63. Each one emerged because the old playbook stopped working.
64. And yet, we kept measuring success the same way … by link count.
65. 30 links. 50 links. 80 links.
66. 30 links. 50 links. 80 links.
67. 30 links. 50 links. 80 links.
68. That became the goal, no matter the tactic.
69. The why got lost.
70. As the tactics evolved, the mindset didn’t.
71. We changed how we build links…
72. But we never changed how we measure it.
73. Until we evolve our measurement to match our methods, we’re just playing the same old game with new tools.
74. We’ve been playing to win a game that has nothing to do with performance.
75. Link count didn’t become the KPI by accident.
76. It became the KPI because it was easy to sell.
77. It gave us something tangible to promise.
78. We’ll guarantee you 30 links.
79. We’ll get you a cost per link of £500.
80. Agencies started playing each other off.
81. But it gets worse…
82. We didn’t just launch campaigns around this goal, we trained stakeholders to believe that it’s what success looks like.
83. We conditioned them to ask “how many links did we get?” not “what did it do?”
84. We also let ourselves, and stakeholders, believe things that just aren’t true.
85. That syndicated links are worthless.
86. That brand mentions don’t count.
87. That irrelevant links are fine if they’re on authoritative sites.
88. That made up link scores can define a link’s value.
89. That affiliate links don’t count.
90. That nofollow links pass no value.
92. That cost-per-link is a useful metric.
93. But let’s make one thing very clear… cost per link is never a measure of success.
94. It’s a measure of how deep into the wrong game you’ve gone.
95. Digital PR isn’t the same as link buying.
96. It’s a growth strategy, and it deserves to be evaluated like one; with outcomes, not outputs.
97. COST PER LINK REPORTING IMPACT REPORTING 10 links earned +5,000 monthly organic sessions £600 cost-per-link +£15,000 monthly organic revenue this compounds Digital PR is only a cost when it doesn’t drive growth. When it does, it’s an investment with an ROI.
98. doesn’t reward the most-linked brands.
99. It rewards the brands it makes the most sense to rank.
100. Are you associated with this topic?
101. Are you referenced in the right places?
102. Are you trusted across the web in this space?
103. This is all about entity understanding, topical authority and brand + topic association.
104. This is all about entity understanding, topical authority and brand + topic association.
105. This is all about entity understanding, topical authority and brand + topic association.
106. Links are just one signal.
107. Modern search is driven by brand signals… and those signals are built from more than links.
108. Let me show you what this looks like in the real world…
109. We’ve been doing digital PR for 12 months for an established skin clinic in London. 251 pieces of coverage 149 follow links (75%) 51 nofollow links (25%) 51 brand mentions (20%) 200 links (80%)
116. Here’s what happened…
117. 89% increase in branded searches YoY
118. 128% increase in non-brand traffic YoY
119. + 208 top 3 rankings (+224%) + 1,115 top 10 rankings (+195%)
120. Digital PR built topical relevance and entity-level trust… not just links.
121. Google could see…
122. They were being talked about in the right context.
123. On the right platforms.
124. In relation to the right topics.
125. That’s what gets rewarded in 2025.
126. If no one’s searching for you, why would Google care?
129. You win by becoming the brand that people – and search engines – expect to see.
130. I’m not saying links don’t matter.
131. They absolutely do.
132. But a link on its own isn’t success.
133. Not anymore.
134. It’s not the presence of a link that matters.
135. It’s what that link signals.
136. Does it connect your brand to the right topics?
137. Does it appear in context, on a page that builds relevance?
138. Is it part of a consistent pattern of visibility?
139. These aren’t just signals of authority.
140. They’re signals of deserved authority.
141. Yes, we still need links.
142. But we need the right links.
143. Earned in the right way, from the right places, in service of the right goal… to build a brand that deserves to win in search.
144. So how do we do this?
145. The fix isn’t just tactical, it’s strategic.
146. What topics do we want to be known for, and trusted to rank for? Everyone - PR, SEO, content, brand - needs to align on a core question…
147. Run PR activity that reinforces that authority.
148. Earn links and mentions around those topics.
149. Target coverage that builds brand + topic associations.
150. Target coverage that builds brand + topic associations. “James Brockbank, founder of digital PR agency Digitaloft, commentented on this…”
151. Earn links into relevant sections of the site (and get your internal linking right).
152. This is how you build sustainable authority and drive SEO success.
153. From brand topic → campaigns → authority → rankings → revenue
154. Here’s how we do this in practice…
155. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority?
156. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority? 2. Run PR activity that support those specific focus areas.
157. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority? 2. Run PR activity that support those specific focus areas. 3. Prioritise earning links straight into commercial pages within the category.
158. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority? 2. Run PR activity that support those specific focus areas. 3. Prioritise earning links straight into commercial pages within the category. 4. Create assets that link through to the commercial pages when this isn’t possible.
159. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority? 2. Run PR activity that support those specific focus areas. 3. Prioritise earning links straight into commercial pages within the category. 4. Create assets that link through to the commercial pages when this isn’t possible. 5. Target coverage in publications that matter for those topics.
160. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority? 2. Run PR activity that support those specific focus areas. 3. Prioritise earning links straight into commercial pages within the category. 4. Create assets that link through to the commercial pages when this isn’t possible. 5. Target coverage in publications that matter for those topics. 6. Use every campaign to reinforce what you want to rank for.
161. 1. Start by understanding the SEO strategy. What categories are the priority? 2. Run PR activity that support those specific focus areas. 3. Prioritise earning links straight into commercial pages within the category. 4. Create assets that link through to the commercial pages when this isn’t possible. 5. Target coverage in publications that matter for those topics. 6. Use every campaign to reinforce what you want to rank for. 7. Measure impact, not link volume.
162. Don’t do digital PR just to build links.
163. Do digital PR to build brand signals.
164. In a world of budget cuts, impact is the only metric that survives.
165. Gartner called it the era of less.
166. Less budget.
167. More scrutiny.
168. More pressure to get results.
169. Vanity metrics in digital PR won’t cut it.
170. Impact will.
171. If we keep chasing link volumes, this channel gets sidelined.
172. If we align it to outcomes, it becomes a non-negotiable.
173. Don’t build links. Build a brand that Google wants to rank.
174. If your PR earns coverage, great.
175. If it earns links, even better.
176. But it needs to be building brand signals to have an impact on metrics that matter.
177. Digital PR doesn’t need a new name.
178. It needs a new purpose.
179. Let’s stop chasing numbers.
180. Let’s start building brands.
181. Let’s make digital PR matter long-term.