The Importance of SEO in Digital PR: Boosting Online Visibility

What is called  PR SEO? Public relations have traditionally been linked to marketing and corporate communication. Historically, they established links with all kinds of audiences, and with society in general, in an indirect way. Its main characteristic is that it always has non-commercial messages and actions. It was a less direct, but more effective way to create currents of sympathy with the public.

Public relations rely, to a large extent, on the media. Fundamentally, they use them as speakers for the actions carried out by the brands, often with unpaid messages. The objective is to generate news that deserves a place in its spaces and times.

In times of digital marketing,  PR SEO  would be a renewed version of those traditional public relations. An updated approach that, as has always happened with the RR. PP. demonstrates its effectiveness as soon as it is applied judiciously.

There is no doubt that one of the greatest benefits of PR SEO is obtaining links of the highest quality. However, it is increasingly difficult to obtain them, as the media are increasingly reluctant to link to company content. Therefore, a mix between traditional PR and Digital PR is needed to achieve them.

In addition, more and more tools are emerging that promise link building in the media that, however, only generate toxic links, repeated in hundreds of supposed news websites that are nothing more than modern link farms. 

What is PR in SEO?

Some describe  SEO PR  as a complementary tool to public relations. Others prefer to define it as authentic digital public relations. The important thing is to know that it is essential to achieve the desired brand positioning.

SEO or organic positioning is one of the most relevant factors in current marketing since users try to find what they need in their reference search engines. Therefore, appearing in the preferred places of these searches is a direct shortcut to commercial choice.

When we couple PR with SEO, the result is this favorable marketing tool. It consists of using the traction of the media. The purpose? Increase the association of a brand with certain keywords used in searches, usually from Google.

In other words, SEO PR merges two fascinating and highly productive worlds:

• The prestige of the media.
• The relevance of inbound marketing.

The tandem formed by both resources is very positive. When a good SEO public relations strategy is created, the effect achieved is impressive:

• The brand message reaches the public in reference support to which it grants authority and trust.
• Consequently, the content is clothed with the nature of news and is linked to the impartiality of the news media.
• It allows users to contact that brand in a medium foreign to it. Thus, the information is considered more reliable and objective.

The importance of including SEO In the PR strategy

SEO is essential in digital communication. Through natural positioning, potential customers reach products and services in conditions of maximum reliability. However, the competition is fierce and it is increasingly difficult to win the meager benchmark positions.

How to get it? One of the keys is to incorporate SEO into the public relations strategy. Its benefits are multiple, decisive and, yes, they are not usually in the short term. PRs always work several months ahead, at least, and SEO also shares these characteristics.

The main benefits of public relations focused on SEO

The advantages, above all, refer to the improvement of the natural positioning of a domain and the increase in the notoriety of a brand. These are the most important:

1. Connect with the public more reliably. The information reaches more recipients —the followers of each medium— and under advantageous conditions. It is interpreted as objective news and not as an interesting promotional message.
2. Optimize online reputation. When a brand is associated with others that enjoy prestige and authority among the public, it comes out stronger. In this case, those selected media and communication channels improve positioning.
3. Get more quality backlinks. These sites include links to the brand’s website, which favors traffic and awareness.
4. Increase domain authority. Search engines, specifically Google, raise the perception of sites that are referred to in other relevant sites.
5. Improve organic positioning. The search position is optimized.
6. Increase traffic to the web. Whether from external links or organic searches, the site receives more visitors.
7. Multiply conversions. It is not a goal in itself, but a long-term consequence. As more users reach the web and the brand enjoys a better reputation, it is more feasible to complete purchases.

Link building strategies

Link building is a set of actions that are performed to create links to a website or URL. So that? To reinforce your pages when receiving a  link from a relevant website. In this way, your authority increases and search engines improve your rating. Search engines value two types of links positively:

• Internal. They direct from one page of the web to another page of the same web.
• External or backlinks. They come from another site and lead to your website.

Additionally, other related factors affect the positioning of the links. They are the anchor text used, the brand mentions, the links from social networks, and the type: do follow or nofollow.

The design and application of a link-building strategy are usually decisive to appear in the first search results. Now, which possibilities are the most effective?

Guest Blogging

It consists of placing articles and links that direct to the site itself on other websites that share content. It must be done judiciously, when the theme and the target coincide and synergies will emerge.

Link baiting

It means generating spectacular and extremely interesting content. So original, attractive, and relevant that its consumers decide to share it. The consequence? More visibility and better positioning.

Social link building

It is developed in social networks, essential to achieve visibility. You have to publish crucial content on the appropriate social channels, considering what target you are targeting.

Link surveillance

It means paying close attention to  mentions of the brand  and acting, consequently, in two different ways:

1. If they are interesting companies or media, get the links to be included next to the mentions.
2. If they are poor quality sites, with low authority or SPAM, ask them to remove the brand links.

Deep links

This approach means avoiding a common mistake when generating links: focus them only on the home page. Currently, 42% go to the advertiser’s home page and approximately 36% to product listings. This last option is preferable because it extends the authority of the entire site and better directs the target audience toward their more specific interests.

Outreach marketing

Also known as reach marketing, outreach marketing focuses on generating a person-to-person connection and relies on the psychology of the consumer when they are about to purchase a product or service. In the digital field, it is applied to build lasting relationships through communication.

What does it consist of? In combining public relations and content marketing to position the brand beyond the short term. To achieve this, relationships are sought and established with people and organizations connected in some way with the activity of that company. They may share interests, goals, audiences, locations, and other circumstances.

The synergistic support with these individuals and companies takes shape in the field of content generation. That is the presence of articles and information on their websites and digital media. Thanks to this, the brand benefits from the visibility, notoriety, and recognition associated with these formats.

Outreach marketing, logically,  is also aimed at the most considered and influential influencers. The most followed bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers are also potential allies for the dissemination of the brand.

Its advantages are clear:

• It generates a natural approach to the target.
• It is non-invasive marketing.
• Increase brand awareness.
• Optimizes natural positioning.
• It invests the firm and its representatives with authority. For example, by participating as a speaker at certain events.

How to get brand links?

The starting point is to consider quality over quantity. The important thing is not to have many brand links, but that these come from valuable sites to considerably improve search engine positioning. Currently, the purchase in verified traffic media is around 50% of the managed link building.

These are the means available to get links:

• Generate valuable and attractive content. It consists of generating and sharing something so powerful that it is the users themselves who share it.
• Exchange links. It means reaching agreements with other sites to do guest posting with high-quality content. Someone posts on the brand’s website and, in return, the brand posts on their site.
• Get inspired by the competition. It involves investigating what you are doing and acting accordingly. There are tools, such as SEMrush, that allow you to know the backlinks and referring domains of a website. X-raying the competition like this allows you to know where to go.
• Create satellite blog networks. It consists of creating anonymous web spaces, with different hosting and domain, to link to the main site. It is a complex technique that may require the support of professionals.
• Locate reference websites. It is based on identifying strategic sites, with high SERPs, willing to link content. When they allow a user to register, it is possible to insert the desired information with links to the web.
• Publicity in digital news media. The links in digital newspapers provide great authority and quality. Being new and gaining a place in your publications or placing links in the comments of your articles are two alternatives.
• Publish infographics. They have a great ability to go viral. If they are useful, visual, complete, and present on the web, the links to them will likely proliferate. It is necessary to include, of course, a legal legend on copyright and show the link.

Creation of linkable value content

What always depends on oneself is to generate such useful, inspiring, and valuable content that everyone recommends it. Whether it is videos, infographics, photographs, or texts of any kind, excellence is shared. The optimal knowledge and adaptation to the public, creativity, rigor, and the best communication skills are the best allies to get links.

Having a  content plan and the best creators and managers is essential to move in this direction.

Key points for your PR SEO strategy

What does the suitability of an SEO public relations strategy depend on? These are the pillars on which it is based:

• Correct setting of objectives and main KPIs.
• Definition and complete description of the target.
• Selection of digital channels according to this target audience.
• Determination of the message to be communicated.

Segmentation is key. Additionally, success depends on these  fundamentals :

• Clarity about their attributes and added value, to focus communications on them.
• Selection and establishment of the most consistent communication channels.
• Knowledge of and access to influencers and experts in that sector.
• Consistency and reliability in the analysis of leads or conversions.

The success story of SEO and PR strategies

The case of Panda Security

Panda Security is a Spanish company specializing in cybersecurity. Since 2015 we have been helping them improve their brand positioning through a Digital PR strategy with much of the focus of our actions on PR SEO.

 With an experience of more than 5 years with the client, we have obtained very powerful data and metrics that you can review in this success story.  

The CV app case

Since 2020 we have been working with CVapp to build an ecosystem of quality links obtained from Digital PR and SEO PR actions. 

Since then, we have generated a close collaborative relationship with communication media specialized in Human Resources, with blogs of multiple types (from education topics to topics related to organization and personal growth) and even with several universities, to get quality backlinks. that improve the experience of web users and bring us an SEO reputation.

If you want to know better how we have done it, you can take an in-depth look at this SEO PR success story for a Human Resources and talent company.  

The case of ViveSelección

To understand the importance of SEO and public relations working hand in hand, the following example will certainly be illustrative. ViveSelección is an e-commerce that has specialized in the sale of official sportswear for the Spanish sports teams. With just over a year since its creation, it opted for an SEO PR action aimed at sports communities and sports news sites. To do this, it reached content-sharing agreements with them. Additionally, it carried out waves aimed at digital news media, where content about his electronic store was published. His authority level rose almost 10 points in just two months. SEO positioning, traffic, and conversions were, at the same time, multiplied significantly. What is clear is that  PR SEO  is an additional way to achieve the marketing objectives of positioning. Public relations have been reinvented and allow these goals to be achieved in the digital realm. Undoubtedly, this is a complementary line of action, but very valuable, to improve the marketing and positioning of current brands.