Even brilliant content is of little use if nobody can find it. Traditionally, PR consultants distribute content through press contacts, including press releases, interviews, product reviews and opinion articles. PR has always combined targeted broad coverage with a personal approach to the media. The digital age has challenged the profession to distribute content through digital channels and think differently about how it reaches people.
Further reading: digital PR.
A perfect partnership
Every day in PR, we work on expressing messages effectively and sharing them through the most relevant channels. We tailor content to the company and its audiences, including keywords that interest those audiences and support results. This helps keep a company top of mind.
In many respects, PR and search engine optimisation form part of the same strategy. They complement each other and share a common approach: using content well. When writing press releases or media pitches, we consider the opening, visuals and relevance to the publication and audience. Quality comes first. SEO follows the same principle, optimising copy, title tags and meta descriptions with suitable keywords. PR consultants’ skills can therefore contribute to SEO too.
When planning SEO, we work with clients to identify keywords likely to generate conversions or sales. Tools such as Keyword Planner help determine popular terms in a particular sector or subject. Those keywords can then be incorporated into press communication.
PR and SEO can also help a business establish thought leadership. A stronger online presence and greater visibility support recognition in your field. If you can explain your industry perspective in a newspaper interview, why not do so in a well-optimised blog post, on a news website, on social media or on your own site? Organise your SEO and make the most of your own online channels, and you are already well on your way.
Further reading: search engine marketing.
Always a work in progress
It makes sense for our PR agency to use SEO and understand it thoroughly. Once a business recognises that it is also its own publisher and platform, it can go beyond distributing messages through external media. An article in an influential magazine may encourage readers to search for the company online. That is where thoughtful SEO becomes especially valuable.
SEO can also help a journalist researching your specialist subject find you as a potential spokesperson. PR and SEO reinforce each other. If all roads lead to Rome, we are happy to use them.
Improving the visibility of your online content is a logical step, but it is also an ongoing, long-term process, just like PR. Your objectives may change, and search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing regularly change their algorithms. For a perspective on updates at the time of this article, see this blog post by our content creator Edward. Competitors may target the same keywords, while media formats and editorial teams continue to evolve. Your PR and SEO strategy therefore requires continuing attention.
Would you like to discuss improving your online visibility or find out how we can help? Contact us.
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