Using SEO In “Traditional” PR Efforts

The more  things change, the more they stay the same. While this truism can be applied broadly, today, that phrase will apply to public relations.

The scope of good public relations is broadening and morphing. However, there will always be a place for certain aspects of the business. Finding new ways to extend “traditional” PR efforts and breathe new life into them is something any savvy agency must do, because the more exposure you get from a single effort, the better.

So, how can traditional PR gain more reach with already-established tactics?

The answer: Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

In a previous post, we talked about the strategy behind applying SEO to PR activities. Today, we’re going to delve into the tactics or the “how-tos.”

Press Releases: Quick Tips to Make Your Release More SEO-friendly

Headlines

• Use Title Case
• Keep it short: 66 characters or 23 words

Body Copy

• Get to the point
• The less fluff the better
• For example: being the leading X in Y is NOT good SEO

Links

• Include anchor text (clickable text in a hyperlink)
• Write out full URLs (including the http:// part) : http://www.sterlingpr.com

Multimedia

• More is better. It provides more opportunity for your content to be found
• Examples of Multimedia include: Video, Audio, Images, Slideshows

Pitches

Rare but true: occasionally, pitches (or portions of them) can be published wholesale, not unlike press releases. Including keyword phrases in your pitch helps ensure the opportunity works double time in driving traffic to your (or your client’s) website.

Speaking and Award Opportunities

Again – it’s all about the keyword (and product-specific) phrases. Oftentimes, an award application will include company and product descriptions. It’s not unusual for those descriptions to be used in a run-down when a product is chosen as a winner, or a finalist for that award. If you’re using keyword phrases that may link back to the appropriate site – it’s not just PR – it’s SEO, too.

Editor's note: This post is the second in a three-part series on SEO. Next time, we'll look at how Google and its changing algorithm can affect a single company seemingly overnight, the danger of “content farms” – and why it’s important to follow good SEO practices.

 

Comments

[Stephen]

SEO techniques keep changing with time and with newer and better techniques available there has been a steep increase in the number of people opting for SEO services to help themselves get better response for their products and services.

[seo sydney]

SEO PR is currently in buzz overkill mode in the Search Engine Marketing industry, but is drastically underutilized in the traditional PR world. Many traditional PR agencies are misinformed about Search Engine Marketing in general and are completely taken aback by SEO PR specifically. Thanks for it.