What is digital PR?
Digital PR is earning coverage in online publications by pitching journalists stories, data and expert comment, so they mention a business and link to its site. Coverage that is paid for is advertising, and Google's spam policies require its links to be labeled.
Cited from the66th.com/glossary/digital-pr
How digital PR works
A campaign starts with something a journalist can use: figures nobody else has, a clear opinion from someone who does the work, or a fast reaction to news. The team pitches it to the reporters who cover that subject. Each article that runs puts the business's name in front of that publication's readers, and adds a link when the reporter includes one.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Find the story | The plumber counts last winter's frozen-pipe calls by neighborhood from its own job records. |
| Pick the outlets | Calgary news sites and home publications whose readers own homes in those neighborhoods. |
| Pitch | A short email to each reporter with the figures, a map and a quote from the owner. |
| Coverage | A story runs before the next cold snap, names the plumber and links to its frozen-pipe guide. |
Why Google and AI tools care
Google's explanation of how it ranks results says one factor in judging quality is whether other prominent websites link to or refer to the content.
Google's guide to generative AI features in Search says those features can show what is being said about products and services across the web, in blogs, videos and forums, and that seeking inauthentic mentions is less helpful than it seems, because other Google systems block spam.
The limits sit in Google's link spam policy: paid articles whose links pass ranking credit, and links with optimized anchor text in guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites, count as link spam.
What it means for your business
Digital PR fits a business with something worth reporting: its own data, a view from people who do the work every day, or a story tied to news in its area. The coverage reaches the business's buyers directly, and gives Google and AI tools independent sources that describe the business.
It pays off once the site can turn the attention into enquiries. A reader who clicks through from a news story lands on your pages, so those pages need to answer the question that brought them. We run digital PR as part of our SEO services, next to the pages it sends readers to.
Common mistakes
- Paying for placements and calling it PR. A paid article with a link that passes ranking credit is link spam under Google's policy; label paid links as sponsored.
- Sending one generic press release to every outlet. Write each pitch for the reporter's beat and include figures they can check.
- Asking for exact keyword link text in the article. Google names optimized anchor text in press releases and guest posts as link spam; let the publication link the way it chooses.
- Pitching before the landing page is ready. Readers who click through from coverage judge the business by the page they land on.
Related terms
Sources: Google, How Search works: ranking results; Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, 10 July 2026; Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search: link spam, 28 August 2026.