The Impact Score Revolution: A New Framework for Backlink Evaluation - brightonSEO Spring 2025

Session Title：Redefining link value: impact scores and hybrid tactics that deliver

On 11 April 2025, our MediaReach team was on site in Brighton, UK, for BrightonSEO Spring 2025—the world’s biggest gathering of search‑marketing professionals.

One session that instantly grabbed the room’s attention was “Redefining Link Value: Impact Scores and Hybrid Tactics That Deliver,” led by Tamara, Head of SEO at Zing Group, and Matt Cayless, Founder of DuoDatum Digital.

Challenging the industry’s fixation on vanity metrics such as Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA), the speakers introduced a user‑centric “Impact Score” and showed how hybrid content—human creativity enhanced by AI—can earn natural links while staying squarely within Google’s guidelines.

In the following report, MediaReach SEO Consultant Ayaka Uchida distills the key insights from this eye‑opening session and explains how re‑evaluating link value through the Impact Score can reshape your 2025 link‑building strategy.

Written by Ayaka Uchida
SEO Consultant, MediaReach, Inc.

1. Executive Summary

In this session, Tamara, Head of SEO at the Zing Group, presented a user-first approach to backlinks that challenges traditional evaluation metrics. She emphasized that while backlinks remain vital in 2025, they are often misunderstood and misreported through vanity metrics like Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA).

The presentation demonstrated the risks of DR-focused strategies through real-world examples of manual penalties and traffic drops. Tamara introduced the "Impact Score" framework as an alternative evaluation system that prioritizes user value, and explored how hybrid content can generate natural backlinks while maintaining compliance with Google's guidelines.

2. Session Details

Session Title: Redefining link value: impact scores and hybrid tactics that deliver
Speaker: Tamara (Head of SEO, Zing Group)
Speaker: Matt Cayless (Founder, DuoDatum Digital)
Date / Time: Friday, 11 April, 2025,11:10
Venue: Brighton Centre, Auditorium 2
Event: BrightonSEO Spring 2025
Session Link: https://brightonseo.com/sessions/digital-pr

3. Report Details

3-1. Context and Background

Despite recurring claims that "backlinks are dead," the speaker emphasized that they remain vital ranking signals but are often evaluated using the wrong metrics. This presentation responded to a conversation Tamara had with a colleague about the continued relevance of backlinks in 2025.

The session highlighted how traditional metrics like DR and DA can be easily manipulated and may lead to risky practices. Using real examples of sites that suffered traffic drops and penalties after prioritizing DR over relevance, Tamara illustrated the consequences of focusing on vanity metrics rather than user value.

3-2. Key Messages and Takeaways

• Traditional metrics like DR and DA should no longer be used as primary indicators of backlink value

• Google's algorithms (especially Spam-Brain) have become highly effective at identifying manipulative backlink strategies

• Mass AI-generated guest posts, link insertions, and overuse of HARO (Help a Reporter Out) are increasingly risky tactics

• The "Impact Score" framework evaluates backlinks based on traffic potential, placement quality, user engagement, and conversion opportunities

• "Hybrid content" combines human creativity with AI assistance, and mixes multiple formats to attract natural backlinks

• User-first backlinks are characterized by contextual relevance, usefulness to readers, editorial placement, and natural integration

• Even paid links can be valuable if they deliver genuine user benefit and attract additional natural links

3-3. Visual Materials and Slides

Figure 1: Session agenda covering DR/DA limitations, user-first backlinks, Impact Scores, and hybrid content：

Figure 2: Link-building safety kit highlighting the three key components of the framework：

Figure 3:Three key characteristics of valuable user-first backlinks：

Figure 4:The Impact Score visualization showing its five key measurement components：

Figure 5:Four evaluation dimensions of the Impact Score framework：

Figure 6:Detailed evaluation criteria and questions for assessing each Impact Score dimension：

Figure 7:Example of Impact Score calculation with ratings and notes for each metric：

Figure 8:Hybrid content strategies showing tactics, approaches and implementation methods：

3-4. Practical SEO Implications

Short-term:

• Audit existing backlink strategies to identify over-reliance on vanity metrics

• Assess current backlinks using the Impact Score framework to identify true value contributors

• Develop hybrid content assets that can be used in guest posting strategies

• Use proper analytics setups to track actual referral traffic from backlinks

Long-term:

• Shift focus from quantity to quality in link building campaigns

• Develop content with built-in link magnets such as calculators, visualizations, and downloadable assets

• Implement the Impact Score as an ongoing evaluation framework for link building efforts

• Move away from isolated link building toward integrated content and promotion strategies

3-5. On-site Impressions

The room was packed and energetic, with Tamara immediately winning over the crowd with her confident and honest tone. Her examples (like the AI-generated cat slide) brought laughter, while the discussion of penalties and DR manipulation struck a chord with seasoned SEOs. The visual flow of the deck also made it easy for attendees to follow the framework in real-time.

3-6. Personal Reflection

What made this session particularly memorable was how it translated theoretical SEO discourse into practical, client-facing strategies. Tamara approached a complex topic with humor and clarity, and her suggestions around hybrid content were especially useful for those involved in day-to-day outreach. The message that "links are so not dead, but we have been mistreating them and misreporting them" resonated deeply in today's SEO climate. Her emphasis on moving beyond vanity metrics to focus on real user value provides a much-needed perspective. Her presentation was extremely clear, and above all, it was valuable to walk away with actionable recommendations for implementing the Impact Score framework and creating hybrid content that attracts natural backlinks.

4. Supplementary Materials

Written by Ayaka Uchida
SEO Consultant, MediaReach, Inc.