There’s still so much focus on whether a backlink is do-follow, no-follow, sponsored, or organic, but I believe we’ve moved past that.
What truly matters now is visibility and trust.
> I don’t mind whether a link is dofollow or nofollow.
> I don’t mind whether it's a sponsored article or an organic editorial.
> I don’t even mind if it’s just a brand mention with no link at all.
What I do care about is;
> That the mention or link is on a reputable website, especially news outlets or high-authority sites within your niche.
> That the brand is visible and connected through trusted sources, such as official social media profiles or Google Business listings. In many cases, these offer more SEO value than traditional local citations regarding trust signals.
The 3 link-building approaches that consistently drive results for my clients are:
1. Digital PR campaigns – Earned media on trusted publications builds awareness and authority.
2. Pay-per-click editorial campaigns – Strategically placed, even if marked as sponsored, they contribute to brand presence and discoverability.
3. Affiliate Marketing for E-Commerce
This one isn’t for every business, but for e-commerce brands, no link-building tactic comes close to the volume and spread of links that affiliate campaigns can generate.
seo backlinks EcommerceSEO
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