Top 4 SEO Tips for PR

As we move toward an increasingly digital world, the line between online marketing and public relations is blurring. Today, you cannot have a successful PR campaign without taking SEO (search engine optimization) into account, and successful SEO plans are beginning to include aspects of traditional PR campaigns.

At K/F, we implement SEO best practices to optimize client initiatives. Following are four SEO tips we have found to be especially helpful in amplifying PR programs:

1) Always include images. It has been shown that multimedia press releases (containing an image, video, etc.) are shared over three times more often than plain text releases. Similarly, adding images to contributed articles also enhances their virality.  With the vast amount of content and limited attention of readers, an image can quickly crystalize the topic of the content in milliseconds and draw a reader in. This strategy also holds for blog posts and social media posts (hello Instagram), as links that become viral usually have a visual element to them. Just be sure to include original photos to avoid copyright infringement.

2) Know the company keywords. Every brand should know their company keywords which are essentially the words and phrases they would like to be known for and rank for in search engines. PR professionals should know these keywords and incorporate them into all pitches, blog posts, social media profiles and press releases.

3) Don’t forget about social media. Google’s updated algorithm now takes social media into account, meaning that a social media presence is more important than ever for a brand’s SEO. A strong social presence that builds following and exposure, shares industry and company news and engages in important ongoing conversations will now help a company in both PR efforts and to rank organically in search engines.

For example, when you Google “K/F Communications” you’ll see that the search results include not only our website, but our Yelp, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles as well.

It’s also important to include all of the tips above such as sharing photos and videos, company keywords, etc. in all social media content.

4) Promote organic link building. Link building is the act of naturally acquiring links to a brand’s website to increase brand credibility and promote them as a resource.  With SEO link building in mind we always include links to our client’s website(s) in all pitches, contributed article bylines and press releases. At K/F we have also implemented partnerships with several top tier bloggers that influence our clients’ target audiences. These partnerships have helped to form a steady stream of guest blog posts, social media mentions as well as contests, all of which have resulted in additional links, social media followers, website visits and app downloads.

Keep in mind that it is supposed to be a gradual, organic build. Too many links up front from low quality sites will be seen as link spam and could result in a blacklist from Google and other search engines. Over time these efforts build up high quality links back to your website and will play an integral role in SEO and SEM (search engine marketing) which will in turn, support all marketing efforts.

At K/F, we believe that public relations campaigns are not one-size-fits-all and it’s vital to our clients’ success to integrate all aspects of PR, social media and online marketing. Have you found that incorporating SEO into your PR plans has been successful? What other actions have moved the needle for your business? Let us know in the comments section!