Too many businesses are still failing to understand the importance that SEO plays in their online PR campaigns, according to Punch Communications, a PR, social media and SEO agency. The result is that many PR campaigns are suffering through continuing to neglect this essential factor.
SEO and online PR are inextricably linked as they both focus on building a brand’s reputation. With SEO this involves increasing the amount of quality links pointing back to a company’s website.
But SEO also plays a vital role in making PR content more visible online so that when people search for information using specific keywords they are presented with a company’s content, whether the search is made in a search engine or within a social network.
There is also the different nature of online PR content to consider. Whereas a traditional news story might disappear the next day, online PR content has the potential to keep on generating interest for much longer. SEO optimisation of the content ensures that it keeps generating this interest for a longer time period to improve the brand’s visibility.
Pete Goold, Managing Director of Punch Communications, commented on the importance of SEO optimisation for online PR content:
“Optimisation is essential for any online PR content. For example, online press releases need to be optimised for relevant keywords to make sure that the release gets found when a journalist or blogger makes a relevant search. On top of that, keywords also add meaning to the release so that the reader instantly knows what it’s about. Without appropriate keywords, it can easily get missed by the very people you are targeting.”
Essentially, without SEO optimisation a company’s online PR efforts are not going to be half as effective as they could be. All content written for the web should be optimised to increase its reach and ensure that it gets seen by the people it is targeting. SEO is one of the most essential factors of online PR, and companies are missing out if they continue to undermine its importance.
PR Company Punch Communications provides SEO, online PR and social media services from its offices in London and the East Midlands. For more information on integrated search and PR, go to www.punchcomms.com or call +44 (0) 1858 411600.