--- title: "Digital PR Data Studies | Suff Digital" url: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/digital-pr description: "19 original Digital PR studies from Suff Digital, each with its data source, method and sample size." lang: en --- Resources: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources Guides: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/guides News: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/news Data Studies: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies Data Studies # Digital PR Data Studies Research on how brands are covered and talked about online, and where coverage turns into links. Studies measure the tone and volume of web mentions for big brands in industries such as banking, airlines, retail and telecom, rating and reply patterns on Trustpilot and Tripadvisor, and the links journalists include in articles that rank in Google News. Backlink data shows how linking pages label their links. Use them to plan PR that builds authority for search, not a one-day spike in mentions. 19 studies ยท Need help acting on them? See our digital PR services (https://www.suffdigital.com/services/digital-pr). 62.4% Digital PR ### 62.4% of the Companies That Dominate US Google Results Rate Below 3 Stars on Trustpilot: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/trustpilot-scores-big-companies 62.4% of the companies whose websites show up most in US Google search results have a Trustpilot score below 3 stars out of 5. Delivery apps and mobile carriers sit at the bottom of seven industries, with every company below 3 stars, while companies with 10,000 or more reviews mostly escape the trend. Sep 24, 2026 71.3% Digital PR ### 71.3% of Leading Companies Did Not Reply to a Single Recent Trustpilot Review: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/trustpilot-company-reply-rates 71.3% of the companies whose websites show up most in US Google results did not reply to any of their recent Trustpilot reviews. Across all their reviews, companies reply 20.3% of the time, and they answer 1-star complaints less than half as often as 5-star praise. Sep 24, 2026 70% Digital PR ### 70% of News Articles in Google News Never Link to a Company Website: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/news-articles-outbound-links 70% of news articles that rank in Google News never link to a company or commercial website, and 48.9% link to no outside website at all. The beat matters: about 45.5% of tech news stories link to a company website, against about 29% of finance stories. Sep 24, 2026 0.4% Digital PR ### Only 0.4% of Links From News Publishers Are Marked Sponsored vs 2.8% From Online Stores: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/publisher-links-sponsored-tag Just 0.4% of links from news publishers carry the "sponsored" label Google asks sites to put on paid links, against 2.8% of links from online stores. 96.1% of news publisher links carry no label of any kind, so almost every link a brand earns from the press counts in full. Sep 24, 2026 70.2% Digital PR ### Hotels Answer 70.2% of Tripadvisor Reviews vs 9.7% for Restaurants: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/hotel-tripadvisor-review-replies Top-ranked US hotels post a management reply under 70.2% of their recent Tripadvisor reviews, about seven times the 9.7% rate for restaurants in the same cities. Half of hotels answer 90% or more of their reviews. Sep 24, 2026 38.5% Digital PR ### 38.5% of Brand Mentions on News Pages Are Negative vs 26.2% on Other Websites: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/negative-brand-mentions-online When a news site mentions a brand, the mention is negative 38.5% of the time, against 26.2% on blogs, stores and other websites. Across the web, 30.7% of recent brand mentions are negative, almost as many as the 35.4% that are positive, and insurance brands follow the same pattern, with 39.2% of their news mentions negative. Sep 24, 2026 197.6 million Digital PR ### AT&T Is the Most-Mentioned Brand Online, With 197.6 Million Web Mentions: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/most-mentioned-brands-online AT&T is named on 197.6 million web pages, more than any other major US brand, ahead of Mastercard at 175.6 million and Microsoft at 120 million. The ten most-mentioned brands take 55.7% of all online mentions of the 254 brands ranked. Sep 24, 2026 85 Digital PR ### The New York Times Is the Website Journalists Link to Most, in 2.8% of News Articles: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/most-linked-sources-news The New York Times is linked from 85 of 2,987 news articles, more than any other website, ahead of ESPN and USA Today. Yet no source dominates: 73.3% of the websites journalists link to appear in just one article. Sep 24, 2026 0.76 Digital PR ### Local News Articles Carry 2.2 Times as Many Business Links as National News Articles: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/local-vs-national-news-links A local news article links to 0.76 business websites on average, against 0.35 for an article from a national outlet, 2.2 times as many. National outlets link out more overall, but they spend those links on other media. Sep 24, 2026 54% Digital PR ### 54% of News Mentions of Airline Brands Are Negative vs 32% Elsewhere Online: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/airline-brand-mentions-sentiment When a news site mentions an airline, the mention is negative 54% of the time, against 32% on blogs, stores and other websites, the widest news gap of eight industries. Across the web, 38.1% of recent airline brand mentions are negative. Sep 24, 2026 40.6% Digital PR ### Banks Get the Most Negative Online Coverage of Eight Industries: 40.6% of Mentions: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/bank-brand-mentions-sentiment 40.6% of recent online mentions of bank brands are negative, the highest share of eight industries, and just 25.2% are positive. Capital One gets the most coverage and has the mildest tone of any bank. Sep 24, 2026 23% Digital PR ### Just 23% of Online Mentions of Telecom Brands Are Positive vs 43.6% for Hotels: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/telecom-brand-mentions-sentiment Only 23% of recent online mentions of telecom brands are positive, the lowest share of eight industries and about half the 43.6% for hotel brands. 35.1% are negative, and AT&T gets two thirds of all telecom coverage. Sep 24, 2026 10.6 million Digital PR ### Starbucks Has 10.6 Million Online Mentions, More Than KFC and McDonald's Combined: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/fast-food-brand-mentions-sentiment Starbucks is named on 10.6 million web pages, 28% of all online coverage of fast food brands and more than KFC (3.9 million) and McDonald's (3.5 million) put together. It also has one of the mildest tones, at 12.4% negative, against 26.2% for fast food overall. Sep 24, 2026 69.7 million Digital PR ### Temu Out-Mentions eBay and Walmart Online With 69.7 Million Web Mentions: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/retail-brand-mentions-sentiment Temu is named on 69.7 million web pages, more than eBay (63.2 million) and more than twice Walmart (26.7 million). Across 30 retail brands, 29.4% of recent online mentions are negative, rising to 39.6% on news pages. Sep 24, 2026 71.5 million Digital PR ### Disney+ Tops Streaming Brand Mentions Online With 71.5 Million, Ahead of Netflix: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/streaming-brand-mentions-sentiment Disney+ is named on 71.5 million web pages, just ahead of Paramount+ (69.3 million) and Netflix (66.1 million), and all three keep negative mentions near 13%. Across 30 streaming brands, 27.5% of recent mentions are negative and 41.3% positive. Sep 24, 2026 17.9% Digital PR ### Only 17.9% of Online Mentions of Hotel and Lodging Brands Are Negative vs 40.6% for Banks: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/hotel-brand-mentions-sentiment Just 17.9% of recent online mentions of hotel and lodging brands are negative, the lowest share of eight industries and less than half the 40.6% for banks. 43.6% are positive, the highest share of any industry. Sep 24, 2026 72% Digital PR ### 72% of Online Retailers Rate Below 3 Stars on Trustpilot: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/online-retailers-trustpilot-scores 72% of online retailers on Trustpilot have a TrustScore below 3 out of 5, and 60.9% of their recent reviews are 1-star. The retailers that score well are mostly specialist stores, and eleven of them reply to 90% or more of their reviews. Sep 24, 2026 73% Digital PR ### 73% of Banks Rate Below 3 Stars on Trustpilot, but Credit Unions Score Highest: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/banks-trustpilot-scores 73% of banks on Trustpilot have a TrustScore below 3 out of 5, and 69.9% of their recent reviews are 1-star. Credit unions average 3 stars against 2 for other banks, and a credit union tops the list at 4.9. Sep 24, 2026 48% Digital PR ### Top-Rated Insurers on Trustpilot Reply to 48% of Reviews vs 9.6% for Low Scorers: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/insurers-trustpilot-scores Insurers rated 4 stars or more on Trustpilot reply to 48% of their recent reviews, five times the 9.6% reply rate of insurers rated below 3. Most insurers are in the second group: 73% score below 3 stars. Sep 24, 2026 Make Search Your Best Channel ## Stop guessing. Start growing. Get a tailored growth plan for your site, backed by a senior team with 20+ years shipping results. Get Your Free Proposal (https://www.suffdigital.com/get-a-proposal) ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization", "name": "Suff Digital", "alternateName": "Suff Digital Marketing", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#logo", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/logo.png", "contentUrl": "https://www.suffdigital.com/logo.png", "caption": "Suff Digital" }, "image": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#logo" }, "description": "Suff Digital is a full-stack digital marketing agency that turns websites into predictable revenue engines, SEO, paid media, content, CRO, and web design built around revenue, not vanity metrics.", "slogan": "Digital marketing built for what's next.", "email": "hello@suffdigital.com", "telephone": "+1-629-236-0099", "foundingDate": "2022", "founder": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Suffoletto", "jobTitle": "Founder & CEO" }, "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-629-236-0099", "email": "hello@suffdigital.com", "contactType": "sales", "areaServed": "US", "availableLanguage": [ "en" ] } ], "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Nashville", "addressRegion": "TN", "postalCode": "37219", "addressCountry": "US" }, "areaServed": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United States" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/suff-digital/", "https://www.instagram.com/suffdigital/", "https://www.youtube.com/@suffdigitalmarketing", "https://www.tiktok.com/@suffdigital" ], "knowsAbout": [ "Search Engine Optimization", "Pay-Per-Click Advertising", "Paid Social Advertising", "Conversion Rate Optimization", "Web Design", "Digital PR", "Link Building", "Website Migration", "Website Maintenance and Support", "Technical SEO", "Local SEO", "AI Search Optimization" ], "hasOfferCatalog": { "@type": "OfferCatalog", "name": "Suff Digital Services", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/ppc" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Paid Social Advertising", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/paid-social" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/cro" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Web Design", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/web-design" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Digital PR & Link Building", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/digital-pr" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Website Migration", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/website-migration" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Website Maintenance & Support", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/website-maintenance" } } ] } }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#website", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/", "name": "Suff Digital", "inLanguage": "en-US", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/digital-pr#webpage", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/digital-pr", "name": "Digital PR Data Studies", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#website" }, "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/digital-pr#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/digital-pr#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Resources", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Data Studies", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Digital PR", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/digital-pr" } ] } ] } ] ```