Why Is Digital PR SO Important For SEO In 2025?

Digital PR matters for SEO in a big way.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, getting digital PR right can generate high-quality backlinks from some amazing publications that boost SERPs and brand awareness.

But, of course, that’s not the whole story.

Digital PR is fast becoming the go-to SEO link building tactic for 2025.

Conventional approaches still have a role – we’ll forever go in to bat for Blogger Outreach – but as Google’s algorithms evolve, these campaigns generating high-end media coverage are becoming critical.

I’m gonna break down how changes in the search landscape mean digital PR is becoming more valuable than ever by covering:

• How digital PR links to SEO
• The benefits of digital PR for SEO
• The underlying trends driving digital PR’s role in SEO

How Does Digital PR Link To SEO?

The link between digital public relations (digital PR, or even just DPR) and SEO has been known for a long time. Companies that get coverage of their newsworthy stories on popular media sites can gain massive exposure.

However, changes in SEO in 2025 are modifying this dynamic. The nature of that connection is changing.

Changing search technology is giving digital PR a new lease on life, making it more relevant than ever.

It has always been great to get high-end media coverage, of course it has, but shifts in search algorithms and the advent of AI have changed everything.

Firstly, the search algorithms.

We’ve always known they love rewarding links from high-end, high-metric, exclusive websites – and that’s exactly what these media publications are.

Brand is everything in the new era of search. Links aren’t the end game in and of themselves – instead, they help solidify your brand profile. “If this great website is linking to them, they must know what they’re talking about!”

But the thing is, it’s not just links.

Shocking from a link builder, I know.

But algorithms and, especially, AI are moving beyond just links.

Mentions can also be picked up and for AI they can even be more important as AI doesn’t crawl links – instead, it compiles crawled content to regurgiate and recompile its own answer.

For AI, then, the most important thing is to have your brand mentioned in loads of external relevant content, that could then be turned into an answer… And digital PR is a great way to manage that!

The Key Benefits Of Digital PR

So, we’re pretty proud of our shiny digital PR services, and especially our digital PR campaigns service – but why do we think it’s so amazing for SEO?

High-Quality Links

The most obvious benefit of digital PR is the high-quality links it gives you.

There’s nothing like them. 🌟

Digital PR backlinks appear on high-DR sites with global brands, known for their quality posts and links, so any links are juiced to the max. Google prioritizes them because it feels it can trust them.

National media companies (like the BBC) or tech giants (like Google itself) are different. These have DRs of 85+ and reach millions of people daily.

As such, their potential impact on your ranking is far higher.

Backlinks from these massive sites help you rank for competitive keywords, even in highly competitive niches.

Just a handful of these sets you apart from the competition in most industries.

For example, let’s say you create a digital PR campaign that generates links from some major sites.

What’s likely to happen?

First, the coverage could skyrocket your site’s authority far more than conventional link-building tactics, like blogger outreach or niche edits. Furthermore, it ties in with Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) dynamic, meaning these links are pure, unadulterated gold.

via GIPHY

I’m not trying to dismiss the value of other approaches (heck, we sell them!) I’m simply pointing out just how epic these links are.

Brand Authority

Another benefit of digital PR campaigns is their capacity to generate brand awareness. Again, this capability goes well beyond what standard link-building services can offer.

The more people know about a brand, the more they search for it. It’s just common sense.

But how can they discover it if all its links are on niche blogs and company websites?

Sure they’re great for those directly in the space, and they’re great for search engines, but what about users?

That’s where digital PR changes the picture. They ensure that brands get mentioned where audiences are most likely to find them.

For example, suppose you run a tech startup, and you’ve invented a new health monitoring device. Posting medical blogs on niche sites can be helpful, but it is nothing like a front page spread on Popular Mechanics or MIT Technology Review. These latter publications get millions of views every month by relevant audiences.

There’s also a second-order effect here. When audiences see a brand on an authority site, it gains some of that authority.

Going back to our example, let’s say that MIT Technology Review posts a story about a startup’s new tech device. The publication site’s high authority means the brand gets its name and story high in Google search results when this happens, instantly making it more visible.

Tthe new company can tap into the gravitas of that site. If people see a reputable publication talking about it, it will gain even more credibility and authority.

Referral Traffic

Higher referral traffic follows naturally from the previous benefit. If more people visit the publication site, more people will also click story links.

Traffic will be significant for these high-end media sites.

You can see this point in a digital PR campaign report we sent a client.

Obviously, the traffic here is absolutely crazy–tens of millions of impressions for those sites.

And this is typical. Traffic could be even higher for some placements.

via GIPHY

Of course, not everyone visiting a major publication or media site will click the link to the brand or even read the story. Gutting, I know.

However, it gives you a sense of the scale of digital PRs and why they are becoming so touted for SEO. It’s a new way to gain traction in a competitive and difficult market.

Cost Effective

You can also argue that digital PR services will be more cost-effective in 2025.

Now, I know what you are thinking: many of these products cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

But what you care about isn’t the price of individual services; it’s the impact they deliver per dollar.

And that’s where digital PR campaigns can be effective compared to other SEO strategies.

Let’s take conventional backlinking. Data suggest that the average cost per link is $83.

Not bad, you might think. However, those links are often to low-DR sites (especially if you use low-quality link-builders).

As such, they don’t always give your site much SEO juice. Worse still, Google may actually penalize you if it thinks you are using manipulative tactics.

Compared to this, digital PR has some distinct advantages.

1. Google is unlikely to view links negatively since the source sites are high quality (e.g., Daily Mail, Wired, etc).
2. The link’s metrics are significantly higher.

This second point here is particularly important. The link value doesn’t usually scale linearly, but exponentially!

As the authority of the linking site rises, the backlink value accelerates faster.

Wider Audience Reach Through Syndication

Digital PR tactics can also offer wide audience reach through syndication.

It sounds fancy, but it just means it lets you access journalists, publications, and bloggers beyond your regular network. Syndication amplifies your visibility to extreme levels, flooding relevant publications with your story.

Despite what you might think, the internet remains a decentralized place. People get their news from many sources.

Therefore, a scatter-gun approach can help. Reaching out to more media outlets:

1. Increases the likelihood of more backlinks
2. Drives traffic from platforms to your site

Stronger Domain Metrics

Finally, digital PR services play a critical role in boosting your own metrics. Links from websites with high domain authority (I don’t just mean DA here, I mean actual perceived authority) are more valuable than those with lower ratings.

Securing coverage in respected publications like this works wonders because it provides third-party validation to Google. When top-tier sites link to your domain, it signals trustworthiness, promoting the search giant to prioritize your brand in SERPs.

Just look at what happened to Anna Spanish after this brand’s digital PR campaign by FATJOE:

Now You Should Understand Why Digital PR Is So Critical For SEO In 2025

And that’s why digital PR is so important for SEO in 2025.

It’s everything we want from links and SEO in their most powerful and impactful form.

It’s not easy, though. As I’m constantly reminded (and writing about) digital PR is hard.

Fortunately, FATJOE can help. We ensure your articles are newsworthy (and react to current events) so that publications accept and publish them, giving you the boost you need.

So, what are you waiting for? Try our digital PR services today and see what difference they could make.