Written and reviewed by David Moris
David Moris is Co Founder of Editorial Backlinks and leads SEO strategy, campaign planning, quality control, reporting and long-term growth. Last reviewed July 29, 2026.
Report the live evidence first
A client should be able to open the published page immediately. Screenshots and domain metrics are supporting information, not substitutes for the live URL.
Record the acquisition method
Label journalist outreach, proactive digital PR, contributed content, sponsored opportunities and existing-content placements separately. This prevents different products from being reported as identical editorial links.
Capture link and page details
Record the target URL, anchor text, observed rel attribute, publication date, article topic and whether the result is original or syndicated.
Add quality and risk notes
Explain topical relevance, audience fit, publisher legitimacy, any disclosure and whether the result meets the written criteria.
Include campaign activity where relevant
Earned-media reports should also show qualified opportunities, submissions, pending items and learning. A link-only report can hide the work and decisions behind the result.
Use a standard field set
A practical report can use the following columns.
- Client and campaign reference.
- Acquisition method.
- Publisher and live article URL.
- Publication date and article title.
- Target URL, anchor and observed link attribute.
- Quality criteria and review notes.
- Approval date, invoice status and replacement expiry.
Frequently asked questions
It may be included as a reference, but not as the only quality measure.
Identify the original story and list syndicated copies separately.
No. Report the observed attribute accurately.