PR to benefit SEO
While businesses across the globe are well aware of PR and the benefits it can have in their brand, many are still in the dark about SEO (search engine optimization). With proper implementation, SEO can drive higher levels of traffic to your website.
Not only is this traffic increased, but also the quality. This leads to you being more visible to your target audience within search results and leads to higher inquiries into your products or services, resulting in more sales.
But for those unable to hire an SEO agency or specialist in their workforce, how can you put your PR knowledge to good use and start to take advantage of SEO? Spink Healthcare has created an easy guide to their 6 best ways PR can benefit SEO.
Spink Healthcare specialises in PR for healthcare brands, however, these tips can be used for all B2B and B2C businesses. Remember, SEO does not produce instant results, it is a long-term investment, but with the right commitment, you will begin to see positive changes to your business.
Must Read: What will Search Engine Optimization (SEO) look like in 2020?
A backlink is when one website places a hyperlink to another website. When a user clicks on this, they are then taken to the linked-to website. Search engines see this hyperlink as a ‘vote of confidence’ from the first website to the second.
This is commonly known as ‘PageRank’ and search engines use this as a signal to compare rival websites competing in the same space. Be careful, links from low-quality domains will likely not produce the results you want as quickly as trusted, high-authority websites.
These links need to be contained within well-written, relevant content that is targeted towards your audience and the readers of that website. There is little benefit in placing this content on a website that is not relevant so it is important to research target websites before reaching out to them.
Using a PR agency can help you gain editorial links. This is when a journalist uses a press release that has been provided to them that contains a link back to your website as the source of the press release.
Brand awareness and association are crucial for every aspect of the business, but it is also having a growing impact on the world of SEO. When a high-authoritative media outlet features your brand, the public will then associate your product or service with your brand.
When a user visits a search engine, such as Google, their search habits will change due to this exposure. When previously searching for your product or service, they may not have included your brand name.
Now they will search your brand and product, for example, “Nurofen pain relief” instead of “pain relief”. As more users begin to search this, your search engine ranking will begin to climb.
As this association between your product and your name becomes used more frequently, search engines will begin to recognise this association. Therefore, when a user searches for your product without your brand, your website will appear in their results, potentially leading to a sale from someone who was previously unaware of you.
Highly competitive keywords can be difficult to rank for and some won’t be possible at all, especially if you are new to SEO.
Instead, find websites that do rank for these keywords and pitch a comment through a PR agency to have on their site with the relevant link back to yours.
This backlink may also drive more traffic to your website, through the link you have placed within the content. Using programs such as Google Trends can help you keep an eye on rising search terms that are relevant for your brand and, perhaps, easier to rank for.
New terminology is often created in-line with new products or services. Use PR to spread awareness of these new words or phrases, mainstream media will swiftly pick up on this and readers will associate your brand with this new term.
When this term is placed into a search engine, as it is unique to your business, the chances of ranking highly are good as no other websites will be competing for this.
For an easy backlink, you can simply reach out to websites that have previously featured your brand and ask them to include a hyperlink to a relevant page.
Using services such as Ahrefs can help you keep track of any previous mentions of your site. Reach out to the author and ask for the backlink.
Always be aware there is no obligation to place these links and some authors may not have authority over the domain to make this change. Instead of seeing this as a loss, use this opportunity to create relationships with these website owners. Next time you have a new campaign, it will be easier to pitch to website owners (or journalists or specific publications) you already know.
Building credibility towards your business through the positive views of others is known as SEO social proof. Have you been lucky enough to feature on a highly-authoritative website in national media? Boast about this by placing their logo on your website.
Users will see these well-known logos and perceive your brand to have a higher authority which will lead to them spending more time on your site. Engagement plays a part in SEO success, so keeping a user on-site for longer will provide positive intent signals back to the search engine.
Remember, not all users are looking for the same forms of information, some will want concise, quick answers while others want to invest their time in getting all the facts. Cater to all your audiences and mix up the length of content you provide.
With these 6 top tips set you place, you are well on your way to taking advantage of PR skills and turning them into SEO knowledge. Keep an eye on changing keywords and rising terms, relevancy can change from day to day, so it’s important to keep up with changing trends.
Jo Spink, Founder & Creative Strategist at Spink Healthcare
Having come from a consumer marketing background, I bring a strategic perspective to everything we do. Investigative by nature, I have a passion for getting under the skin of consumer behavior and understanding how and why we behave as we do, and what the triggers for change are.