In the past PR and SEO have not always been on speaking terms. In fact, before the rise of social media and content marketing, you could argue that “old schol” PR was beginning to go the way of the Yellow Pages. The successful methods of SEO were filled with Hacker-Type approaches, which left little place for stories, reputation and high value content.
Hackers Need Not Apply
Google has moved SEO squarely from the tricks and secret technique realm into something that looks and feels very much like marketing and PR campaigns from before the internet. Not only have these social signals become dominant for Google ranking, but the research from SEO helps to sculpt the PR campaign, making it more relevant than ever. When it comes to backlinks, the highly prized editorial links are worth their weight in gold but for most SEO’s they are more difficult to obtain. This lies more in the realm of the PR professional.
It’s All About Relationships
Content marketing is about creating and sharing content that brings value to a user’s experience. This often means that you are trying to create content that is attractive and interesting to many different people. If you are successful, individuals will share that content and the links associated, but you could also hit the jackpot and get the attention of a large media outlet. A person knowledgeable in SEO may only need to team up with a PR person or trade some professional knowledge back and forth. This would be a mutually beneficial trade.
Once the SEO person learns to establish the media contacts and relationships typical in the PR world, they have formed a powerful synergy of skill sets that has the power to influence Google by garnering the attention of the real people.
10 Reasons Why Public Relations is a ‘Must-do’ for SEO in 2013 – Search Engine Watch (#SEW).