Digital PR is voted the most effective tactic

Editorial.link's 2025 practitioner survey asked respondents to rank the most effective link-building tactic of the past twelve months. Digital PR took the top spot for the second year running, ahead of guest posting, niche edits and linkable assets. The gap between digital PR and guest posting is narrowing year-on-year as guest-post markets saturate and editorial scepticism rises. Three years ago guest posting still led the same survey. For anyone reallocating budget for 2026, the trend line matters more than the snapshot: even if digital PR stays at number one, the relative effectiveness gap to guest posting is closing fast enough that mixed programmes are likely to outperform pure-play.