Cupid PR says interest in Digital PR is accelerating as brands look beyond conventional link building and focus more closely on how authority is built across search, media, and AI-driven discovery.
According to Glimpse search trend data analysed by the consultancy, searches for “Digital PR” rose by 192% over the past year, reaching 383,000 searches in the past month. Cupid PR said the increase points to a broader change in how marketing teams are thinking about visibility, particularly as stronger search performance becomes harder to achieve through on-site content alone.
The company draws a clear distinction between Digital PR and traditional link building. While both may lead to backlinks, Digital PR relies on stories, data, expert commentary, and resources that journalists and publishers choose to reference, rather than placements secured through direct payment or guaranteed media lists. Cupid PR also warned brands to look carefully at services marketed as “media links” or “Digital PR links”, arguing that paid placements, syndicated posts, and guest posts can be presented in ways that blur the line between sponsored content and earned editorial coverage.
Sophie Rhone, founder of Cupid PR, said: “Digital PR is not just link building with a nicer name. Link building focuses on getting links. Digital PR focuses on earning attention, media coverage, expert mentions and relevant backlinks through stories that make sense to journalists and audiences.”
As search platforms and AI-generated discovery tools widen the range of sources users encounter, brands are paying more attention to how they appear beyond their own websites. Cupid PR argues that relevance now depends less on volume alone and more on whether a brand is consistently referenced in credible places around the web.
