The Important Role of New Referring Domains in Digital PR and SEO

If you’re new to Digital PR and SEO, it’s easy to overlook the value of new referring domains.

Getting backlinks always feels rewarding. When another site has linked to your content, it validates your work. But it’s important not to become complacent with your strategy when it comes to earning links. Relying on the same sources repeatedly can actually stall your progress. To succeed long term, your strategy should aim to consistently earn links from new, high-authority domains.

In this post, we’ll explore why new referring domains matter and share practical strategies to help you find and earn them.

What’s in this article:

The role of backlinks and why they matter
Why you need new referring domains
Effective strategies for earning links
How to find new referring domains
Key takeaways

The role of backlinks and why they matter

Backlinks are one of the most important SEO ranking factors and a key component of any Digital PR strategy. They play a crucial role in how your website appears in search engine results pages (SERPs), and the goal is to rank as high as possible for your target keywords. So understanding how backlinks contribute towards this shouldn’t be overlooked.

Think of backlinks as a ‘vote of confidence’ in your website from other websites. When reputable, relevant sites link to your content, it signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy and authoritative. The more high-quality backlinks that you earn, the more likely you are to rank higher in search results.

But what exactly is a quality backlink? As Neil Patel puts it, “a quality backlink is a link that comes from a high domain authority website that is well-trusted by search engines and searchers alike.” While Domain Authority (DA) isn’t a direct Google ranking factor, it's still widely used in SEO to measure a website’s credibility and influence.

You do need to understand that not all backlinks are equal, however. It’s not going to serve you any purpose or help your SEO by collecting a load of spammy, irrelevant backlinks from obscure websites. Doing this might even harm your SEO strategy, as Google penalises links that look to have been paid for or manipulated. So, your focus should be on earning backlinks organically from reputable sites.

Why you need new referring domains

While earning links is the key objective of the majority of Digital PR campaigns, understanding the difference between backlinks and referring domains is essential for your SEO knowledge.

Ahrefs explains the distinction between the two: Backlinks are hyperlinks that point from one website to another. You can have multiple backlinks from a website or web page. Referring domains are domains from which the target website or web page has one or more backlinks.

For example, if a web page has a backlink from the New York Times, then it has one referring domain. If it has a link from the New York Times and Forbes, that it has two referring domains. If it has two backlinks from the New York Times, then it still has one referring domain.

But it’s not enough to keep on earning links from the same sites every month, even if they have high authority. Repeated links from the same site lose impact over time, compared to the value of a backlink from a new, high-authority domain. Many SEO experts agree that getting multiple backlinks from the same sources can result in diminishing returns. However, it’s important to remember that if these links are appearing on highly relevant, high quality websites that your target audience actively engages with, they can still provide significant value beyond links - helping to build brand awareness, drive referral traffic, and reinforce topical authority.

That’s why diversifying your referring domains is so important for SEO and Digital PR. In fact, a study by Backlinko found that the number one result on Google has 3.2x more referring domains than pages ranking in positions two to ten.

So when it comes to building your SEO and Digital PR strategy, targeting backlinks from a wide-variety of high-authority referring domains is key to achieving long-term success.

Effective Strategies for Earning Links

So, we’ve covered the importance of backlinks and diversifying your referring domains - but how do you exactly earn backlinks for your website? There are many approaches, and Digital PR is one of the most powerful for gaining authoritative, high-quality backlinks, particularly from news outlets, magazines and blogs.

First and foremost, the content you create needs to be truly link-worthy. It’s not enough to offer surface-level opinions or regurgitate information already widely available online. That kind of content might earn links from low-authority websites, but those links will have diminishing returns over time, especially if they keep coming from the same sources.

To earn high-quality backlinks from authoritative domains, you need to produce premium content that is packed with valuable data, and offers unique knowledge to the audience. Google also ranks content quality as a key factor, so better content not only attracts stronger backlinks but also supports better search rankings overall.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the most effective Digital PR tactics for earning backlinks:

1. Reactive PR and newsjacking

Jumping on breaking trends and news topics is a fast-paced but effective way to enhance your brand's online presence. Timing is everything though, and you need to act fast to get your content out before any of your competitors do. When done well, the results can be fruitful.

2. Thought leadership and expert comments

Positioning your team as experts helps to build trust, credibility, and visibility. It’s a powerful strategy for earning backlinks. A well-pitched press release with expert insights is valuable to journalists across industries. No matter what industry you’re in, there will always be valuable insights you can share with your target audience or the wider public.

3. Index campaigns

You’ve probably seen many index campaigns without necessarily realising it. They typically follow a similar format and will have headlines such as ‘[Place] ranked as the best city for [X]’. With many index campaigns focusing on specific locations, they can also be an excellent way to gain regional coverage and backlinks when targeting the right press.

4. Survey-led campaigns

Survey-led campaigns offer original, newsworthy data that journalists love. And when executed properly, they create strong story angles and valuable insights that drive engagement and backlinks, making them a go-to tactic in Digital PR.

5. Other data-led campaigns

Data adds credibility to any Digital PR campaign. And there’s no denying that we love data in Digital PR. In fact, 94.8% of professionals in the industry cite data as their go-to tactic. It supports compelling stories that earn coverage and links.

6. Visual campaigns

Creative images, videos, infographics, and other visual content that helps to promote a brand, product or service does so in a way that keeps audiences engaged. They’re highly shareable and often come embedded with a link.

7. Interactive campaigns

Quizzes, calculators, maps, or games invite users to engage directly with your content. This leads to more time spent on your site, more social shares, and higher link potential.

8. Product PR and product stunts

Product PR is about getting your product in front of journalists and audiences, while product stunts are often bold, outrageous, and humorous takes on Product PR. Both are effective ways to create a social buzz, increase coverage, and earn backlinks.

For a deeper dive into these strategies, check out our Digital PR trends and tactics in 2025 blog post. It’s packed with campaign examples and showcases the work we’re proud to do here at Motive.

How to find new referring domains

Now that you understand the importance of backlinks - especially from a diversifying range of new referring domains - you might be wondering how to consistently find fresh targets. You may already be running great campaigns pitching quality press releases, but if it feels like you’ve hit a brick wall, don’t worry. There are several effective methods for discovering new referring domains, which we’ll explore below:

Competitor Backlink Analysis

One of the most effective tactics is conducting a competitor backlink analysis. It’s a fantastic way to discover new domains, and is all about finding websites that are linking to your competitors but not to you. First, identify your true competitors. And be realistic about it. An international brand may not be the most helpful benchmark.

Using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush or Moz, simply enter your competitor’s domain to access an overview of their backlink profile. Each tool varies slightly, but each one should let you export a list of referring domains that don’t link to your site.

Once you’ve got the list of your competitors referring domains, it’s important to analyse it carefully.

Look for High Domain Authority or Domain Rating sites. These are strong targets.
Check relevancy. Is the referring domain really relevant to your business?
Assess content type. Was the link earned via a blog post, press release, or a product review? Understanding the type of content that is earning your competitors links will help you craft better outreach or content to match.

Unlinked mentions

It’s a frustration that you’re probably quite familiar with. Your press release gets picked up… but no link. While it can be disappointing, all hope is not lost. Brand mentions are still valuable from an SEO viewpoint, and Google’s algorithm considers brand mentions as indications of your brand’s authority and relevance.

That said, these mentions can also be an opportunity to gain backlinks. Use tools like Google Alerts and Talkwalker to monitor online mentions of your brand. When you spot a mention without a link, reach out to the site owner or journalist and politely request one. You might be surprised at how receptive journalists often are - especially if the mention already shows clear value. It’s a simple yet effective way to strengthen your backlink profile and secure links from new domains.

Guest posting opportunities

Guest posting remains a powerful tactic for earning backlinks and acquiring new referring domains. When you contribute content to another website, or blog, they typically allow you the chance to include a link to your own website - whether that be within the content itself or in an author’s bio.

It’s important to still take a few things into consideration when looking to provide content to another site, however.

Check the relevancy. You want to post on sites that are relevant to your business or industry. Backlinks from related websites will be more valuable and carry more weight than links from unrelated sites.
Check Domain Authority. The higher it is, the more valuable your link is going to be. And as we touched upon previously, Domain Authority is a measure of a site’s trustworthiness and credibility.
Check the site’s organic traffic. It’s worth checking how much organic traffic a site gets before guest posting too. The more traffic a site gets, the more likely a potential customer will see your link. Again, making your link more valuable.

Key takeaways

Backlinks are a key SEO ranking factor, signalling authority and trust to search engines.
New referring domains are crucial - earning backlinks from the same site repeatedly has diminishing returns.
Effective Digital PR strategies for link building include reactive PR, expert comments, surveys, index campaigns, and visual/interactive content.
Finding new referring domains can be achieved through competitor backlink analysis, monitoring unlinked mentions, and guest posting on reputable, relevant websites.

Need help with diversifying your backlink profile? Get in touch today to find out more about our Digital PR and SEO services.