In business, it’s common to have different departments for different processes and look at business aspects separately. But wouldn’t it be fantastic if processes could synergize and you could kill two birds with one stone? (not that anyone wants to kill birds!)
This is exactly the case with PR and SEO and as you will see below, these two important business processes have a natural synergy which means you can reduce your workload while boosting your public image and SEO with a single strategy or campaign.
Understanding Interplay Between PR and SEO
Before we look at specific strategies, it’s vital to understand the interplay and how PR and SEO work together or share common grounds.
Simply put, certain SEO processes can also have a positive impact on your public image, and similarly, certain PR campaigns positively impact your SEO. For example, if you manage to get an article published in a media outlet to create a backlink and insert keywords, your PR image also naturally increases because your company name is out there and seen on a respected website.
Similarly, if you forge a connection with an influencer, you can benefit from backlinks and images relating to your products which are fantastic for SEO. In the same instance, association with the influencer and the built-in audience they have can do wonders for your image and PR.
The processes involved in PR and SEO naturally complement each other and often boost both business practices. Hence, you have to keep this in mind and utilize it when creating your PR SEO strategies.
Strategies for Integrating PR and SEO Efforts
So, we can see that PR SEO is real, and the two processes intermingle. But what specific strategies can you use that boost both your PR and SEO efforts and allow you to create a more effective and streamlined marketing campaign?
Building quality backlinks
Backlinks are the primary strategy that works for both PR and SEO and you can easily fit them in different PR content. A current digital PR trends analysis shows that things like journalist articles, influencers, and high-authority published content work wonders, and these are all places where high-quality backlinks can be strategically inserted.
You should make sure that the links are high-quality and that they are inserted into the PR content correctly but when done so, they can contribute to your SEO campaign.
Benefiting from brand mentions
Within your SEO campaigns, you should aim to continually get brand mentions and get your name out there through your different marketing channels. The more your brand is mentioned (positively), the more your PR image is boosted.
Just make sure the emphasis is on positive brand mentions unless you want to take the route of any publicity is good publicity which some businesses have proven can work.
Boosting your social media presence
Social media doesn’t have a direct impact on SEO rankings and search engines like Google have said as such. However, it indirectly boosts SEO via backlinks and customer engagement. Social media is also a superb PR tool as it’s one of the few places you can interact directly with customers on a one-to-one level.
As part of your professional PR solutions and SEO strategies, you could build your social media following. I advise concentrating only on a couple of platforms initially as opposed to trying to gain a following on every site. The aim is to build your audience, be active with your posting and replies, and craft an online persona and presence that boosts your PR and benefits your SEO.
Building relations with influencers and journalists
A tried and tested PR tool is to create relationships with influencers and journalists but this also naturally boosts your SEO due to keyword usage, engagement, and backlinks in the content these people publish.
For example, let’s say that you reach out to an influencer and create a deal where they promote your products on Instagram and their website. Each time they post about your company either on their site or social media, backlinks are typically used which is great for SEO and your reputation.
You can stipulate how the links should be used and the anchor text the influencer must use so that they complement your SEO campaign in the right way.
Joint-purpose content marketing
Content marketing is especially effective for SEO and PR and many processes under this umbrella could contribute to your PR SEO strategy including:
- Social media posts.
- Blogs.
- Infographics.
- Video content.
- Podcasts.
- Case studies.
- eBooks.
When crafting your content marketing strategy you should approach it from the dual aspect of PR and SEO and create goals for both business processes. You can then use individual processes such as video content and blogs to improve both functions.
For example, podcasts can be excellent PR tools as they provide insight into your business, show your character, and allow listeners to build trust and engagement with your company. In the same instance, podcasts as part of a content marketing strategy can boost SEO including the use of backlinks and even audio keywords.
PR and SEO Have Natural Synergy so Utilize it!
You rarely get two business processes that synergize and PR and SEO do, so you have to take advantage and create strategies that boost both processes. While improving your SEO with things like backlinks, high-authority articles, and content marketing, you are also building your brand reputation and exposure as part of your PR campaign.
