The convergence of what constitutes sources of influence online has put industries like advertising, marketing and public relations in a situation that calls for innovation that keeps pace with discovery, consumption and sharing of content.
As time and resources in newsrooms diminish, journalists, analysts and industry influentials increasingly use technology such as search engines to find subject matter experts, research companies, locate past media coverage and track topical trends. In fact, a recent survey on journalists’ use of search by TopRank reports that 91 percent of those journalists, reporters and editors surveyed use search engines to do their jobs.
Traditionally, search engine optimization efforts have been managed by corporate marketing departments in support of direct revenue generation. However, with the many opportunities to create value in the form of increased online brand visibility, reputation management and Internet-based media coverage, public relations departments are at risk of a missed opportunity to provide value unless they can master search in a meaningful way.
Know the SEO Tactics that Have the Biggest Impact
To leverage search for online media relations and building brand influence, it’s important that public relations professionals understand the foundation of SEO tactics and their business benefits. This involves understanding which SEO and public relations tactics have the most impact, how to choose the best keywords, on-page SEO and link building best practices, as well as measuring the value of SEO to public relations efforts. It also means knowing when PPC is a better fit than SEO, how to combine SEO and social media promotions and the finer points of selling the benefits of SEO to public relations decision makers.
