PR and SEO go hand-in-hand, and an effective public relations strategy can play a major role in the success of your search engine optimization efforts. The entire digital ecosystem is constantly evolving, and today, more than ever, PR has a direct impact on SEO.
High quality content and outreach is mandatory for a successful SEO campaign, which is exactly what PR is built around. PR has its own strategy and direct benefits, but when you understand how it also impacts the success of your business in Google’s organic search results, it helps you realize just how important — and mandatory — it is.
Here are four examples of how PR can help your SEO campaign, directly contributing to more organic exposure and website traffic
1. EARN HIGH QUALITY BACKLINKS.
Backlinks have always been, and will continue to be, the number one ‘signal’ that Google’s algorithm uses to determine where your website shows up in the organic search results for keywords and search phrases relevant to the content on your pages.
There are hundreds of factors, but links are still the biggest contributor, although the types of links that Google loves has most certainly evolved over the years, and this is where PR comes into play.
It’s no longer about quantity when it comes to links — it’s all about quality. The most desired links are from high quality websites and publications, and these are not links that you can simply buy; they must be earned, and a well-executed PR strategy can help you secure the most desirable links within your industry.
2. DOMINATE THE SERPS FOR YOUR BRAND NAME AND KEYWORDS.
PR campaigns are designed to get publications talking about you and/or your business. When done successfully this results in several placements and mentions on high-authority outlets. The content on these authority-leading websites typically ranks high in the organic search results, which helps fill the top with content related to you and your business.
When someone is searching for your or your business and they see your brand name on top outlets it paints a very positive picture and helps to instill consumer confidence almost immediately.
Filling up the top of the search results page with content that you essentially control is also a very good strategy for brand protection in the event that an upset customer or a competitor writes something negative online.
3. LEVERAGE HIGH AUTHORITY WEBSITES TO RANK FOR KEYWORDS YOUR WEBSITE WON’T RANK FOR.
Ranking your website for specific keywords is sometimes very difficult, due to major players like Amazon, Apple or Walmart dominating the top spots. While you may not be able to reach the top on your own website, you can often leverage the authority of PR targets to rank on top and then use that placement to drive traffic back to your website.
When the PR effort is executed with SEO in mind, the article titles and content can be designed to target specific keywords and search queries that you want your brand to pull traffic from.
4. TRIGGER MORE BRAND SEARCH QUERIES — WHICH IS BENEFICIAL FOR GOOGLE’S ALGORITHM.
PR is designed to create buzz for your brand, and when done correctly it results in more people searching for more information. When you land a placement via PR, it puts your brand in front of a new audience. If the piece is done well, readers become interested in learning more and perform searches for more information.
These brand search queries are highly beneficial, as Google sees this as a sign of brand popularity, and begins to place more weight on your website, when determining where your content will show in the results. If two websites have similar authority and similar content, Google is going to display the one with more brand search queries in the higher position, as it assumes it’s what its users wants to see.
