Matt Seabridge

Backlink counts, domain authority scores, follow versus nofollow — these metrics absolutely have their place. They're a good way to build trust with key stakeholders in the short term, and they help less SEO-literate people understand the difference between a good link and a great one.

But there's a ceiling to how far those metrics will take you. At some point — whether you work at an agency, in-house, or as a freelancer — whoever controls your PR budget is going to ask the one question that those metrics can't answer on their own: are we actually getting a return on our investment?

When that question lands, your reporting dashboard showing follow links and average DA starts to feel empty. Without a connection to revenue, it's hard to make a compelling case for more budget.

The good news is there's a clear chain that connects your PR activity to commercial outcomes — you just need to track it deliberately.

Online media coverage and backlinks help boost search engine rankings. Track the keywords your site ranks for and monitor how their positions change over time. Better rankings lead to more visibility on search engines. More visibility translates into more clicks through to your website.

Now you're showing commercial value from your PR stories. More traffic should result in more sales — both of which you can track using Google Analytics or your website's CMS, looking specifically at the channel you're trying to influence, like organic search. When sales growth starts to outpace your PR investment, you've built the case that stakeholders actually want to see.

Producing engaging stories that earn amazing coverage is one of the best feelings in this industry. But in the long run, the key stakeholders need to understand what all of that coverage actually means in commercial terms.

When you can show that sales growth is higher than the PR investment — that's the moment you shift from being seen as a cost to being seen as an asset. And that's the moment you start earning more budget rather than defending the budget you already have.

It takes time. If your PR and SEO strategies are properly aligned, the rankings will improve. The traffic will follow. The sales will come. Tracking that chain from the start is what turns great PR work into an undeniable business case.