Let’s start by saying that SEO PR, otherwise known as SEO Digital PR, and traditional PR share similar goals, but aim for different results. While conventional PR aims at generating positive media content to improve the brand awareness of a company or organisation, including, in addition to digital media, media such as print, radio and TV, SEO PR is, on the other hand, focused on generating online content that can help improve the ranking of a brand, product or service in search engine results.
The opportunity to appear on the first page is vital for e-commerce sites and online companies, it is also currently a critical element for all businesses that sell products or services in traditional shops, since the web today also represents an important source of information before purchase.
The contribution of SEO PR to better search engine results
Integrating search engine optimisation (SEO) with digital PR is recommended to all companies wishing to build a strong online presence. While SEO optimises the visibility of a website in search engine results, generating more organic traffic, digital PR can amplify the effects of SEO by getting extensive online media coverage.
Off-site SEO is, in fact, primarily based on acquiring backlinks from authoritative sources to increase Domain Authority (DA), and SEO PR supports this process with articles in online media and collaborative content with influencers that bring links to the site’s home or internal pages.
In the context of SEO PR, there are two types of links: follow links, also known as ‘do follow’ links, and no follow links. The former not only direct users to the site but also signal the link to search engine algorithms, helping to improve DA, while the latter, although important, do not offer this benefit.
The main differences between SEO PR and traditional PR
There is no need to choose between the two activities, as they can be combined for optimal results. Traditional PR increases the quantity and quality of media coverage, while SEO PR ensures that the content and, on a more general level, the site can be easily found online.
When a company is interested in planning a public relations campaign mainly to increase its brand awareness, the focus will be on ensuring the widest media coverage, trying to obtain articles in prestigious and authoritative media, national newspapers, TV channels and, more generally, anything that can contribute to improving the reputation of the brand or the notoriety of the products or services offered, obviously including digital media. If, in this case, the inclusion of link follows in articles is preferable, but not fundamental, the same cannot be said when the company is interested in SEO PR campaigns, which have as main objective precisely that of obtaining quality link follows to improve search engine positioning.
Therefore, in the case of SEO PR, the focus will be on getting articles with link follows to the site published in online media with a high DA rather than targeting prestigious publications or other media that do not have the possibility of generating this type of link.
How can SEO PR and traditional PR work together?
Combining these two activities makes it possible to improve both the perception of a brand, product or service by potential target users, and its positioning on search engines. This integrated approach to public relations, moving on several fronts at once, is a winning strategy in today’s world, where reputation is still crucial, but online visibility is critical, if not essential. To ensure the best results, however, this strategy must be planned and executed by a PR agency that is competent and experienced in both worlds, PR and SEO, and not just in one of them.