There was a time, not too long ago, when PR and digital were acutely divided disciplines, often competing with one another for budgets. While that still may be the case for some, more and more PR and digital strategies such as SEO are integrating, working together to reach target audiences, improve user experience and garner a greater ROI.
As a PR pro in this ever-changing landscape, it can be tough to navigate. The rules of SEO change almost daily thanks to Google.
Penguin or Hummingbird ring any bells? They should. These are two of a slew of Google algorithm updates that have changed the way we (as marketers) approach content and (as users) search online.
So, why does Google continue to change the rules? Simple answer: It’s meeting the demands of users. Who doesn’t want a better digital user experience? As a 24/7 society, we demand instant information. After just a few minutes of searching online, if we don’t find what we’re looking for, we’re frustrated and seeking the information elsewhere. Google, and others like Yahoo!and Bing, constantly are making updates to improve this experience. It’s up to us as marketing professionals to stay relevant and adapt.
As skilled writing professionals trained to craft messaging for specific target audiences, the writing part comes fairly naturally. The biggest challenges lie within thinking through where the content will live, which audiences will consume it and on what channels. It’s the reason we once called on our digital and developer counterparts to help us optimize press releases and bylined articles for search.
That’s no longer how the majority of the PR industry operates. We have come a long way from faxing press releases and measuring column inches. We craft content that resonates with target audiences, measure the effectiveness of our efforts through Google Analytics dashboards and track user clicks throughout online news stories and blogs. We are still very much PR pros, but have adapted, taking on the roles of content marketers, social media strategists and SEO advisors.
Given these new roles, consider these top SEO best practices the next time you’re perfecting a press release, editing an article or updating website copy.
If nothing else, commit to crafting and promoting content that users want to engage with. Do not stuff random keywords into an article or a blog just for the sake of SEO. This tactic no longer works and will likely bury your content 10-plus pages deep on Google.
Always strive to create useful, meaningful content. From bylined articles and blog posts to curated videos and news stories, be authentic and use language germane to the topic at hand. For a good start, look at Google Trends. It’s free and will help identify popular keywords and phrases in real time.
Some best practices:
- Plug your list of keywords and phrases into the search bar and review the results to see where your content is likely to land.
- Research successful competitor websites to find content that’s resonating with users. This can help with inspiration.
- Feature a variety of content on the site or web page. For example, include long- and short-form blog content and bylined articles, and incorporate visual content like infographics and videos.
- Search engines require quality and variety when it comes to SEO.
Third-party validation is key.The more relevant links directing back to your site the better. Backlinks from news outlets like CNN.com or WSJ.com are excellent ways to improve a site’s search. Search engines view backlinks from reputable sources as positive, and they will help with a site’s ranking.
For example, an article on CNN’s website linking back to the brand’s blog is incredibly valuable. Placing that same blog link in the comments section of an article you just read is not. It’s actually a spam comment and can get a website blacklisted quickly.
Take time to build backlinks organicallyby engaging with like online communities and audiences, and consistently publish relevant and informative content.
Incorporate appropriate anchor text.Anchor text, or hyperlinks, as they are also referred to, is text that appears on a website or in a digital press release that links to another page or site. The anchor text and content topic should be complementary, as should the site or page that the text is linking to.
There’s no magic number when it comes to including anchor text within content, but don’t overdo it as it will have the reverse effect on SEO. Stick to two or a maximum of three links for a 500-word press release.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but the functionality of the website influences SEO greatly. This is where those developer friends may come in handy once again. When a site takes too long or features Flash, for example, search engines react negatively. The search ranking is hurt as a result.
Also be aware of broken or expired links, and fix those as soon as they’re found. If search engines find these in content or on a site, it too damages SEO rankings.
Overall, the website or page should be well-organized and easy to navigate.Users shouldn’t have to dig too deep or go through multiple clicks to find the information they need. Be an advocate for users: Test the functionality of the site firsthand.
In the end, technology will change, the PR industry will continue to evolve, and PR pros will need to adapt to it all. By implementing these four basic best practices, you can start to organically improve search across digital platforms. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet. It takes a combination of efforts to gain significant results. Ultimately, quality content that is easy to find is one of the best ways to start to build a foundation for long-term organic search success.
contact: [email protected]
SEO Support Tools
- To search for backlinks to a site: tools.seobook.com/general/keyword-density
- To check for keyword density: smallseotools.com
- For algorithm updates: searchengineland.com/library/google/google-algorithm-updates
Essential Steps for Effective SEO
- Use tags and categories to sort your content on the site in a logical and easy-to-find and understandable manner.
- Create titles and subtitles to make sure that search engines (or online crawlers) will find your content easier.
- Provide a short (up to 50 words) description of your product. Write a byline for your article and/or an abstract.
- Use keywords that are similar to the most popular keywords in your industry.
- Follow the 3/100 rule. Make sure that everything you write contains at least three keywords associated with your product per 100 words of text.
- Follow the 300 rule when writing posts for your blog or placing content on your site. If the article contains 600 words, split it in half, so that its second part is hidden and its first part serves as a stimulus to open the second part of the article.
- Supply the transition from the first part of the article to the second part of the article with a catchy phrase. “Look here for more lucrative news about Brand B!”
- Italicize or bold the most important content.
- Augment your stories with photos.
- Rely on bullets to make reading easier.
- Make sure that your content is posted at noon, and take note of what time zone your clients reside in.
- Avoid generalizations when describing your product or service.
Researching Online Content
When used in Google search, the following phrases will help you learn more about your online competition. Let’s say the site is changeads.wordpress.com
- What is known about a specific website?
type: info: http://changeads.wordpress.com - What kind of blogs are linked to a given page?
type: link: http://changeads.wordpress.com - How many blogs are there with a given word, say “change,” in their title?
type: in blog title: change - How many articles did a specific author write?
type: in post author: change - How many sites that raise issues similar to those you raise are there?
type: related: http://changeads.wordpress.com - What are the top sites mentioning a specific word?
type: change + “top 10 sites/”top sites”
Use these queries to check if your site’s SEO is functioning properly. If they fail to provide the desired result, rethink the positioning of your product and your company online and how its story is communicated. To do so, make sure that you work closely with a programmer to write the description of your website or blog, product or service.
This usually can be done in the area allocated for the meta description of the HTML code of the site.
Insist that you have access to HTML code so you can make changes to the site when necessary.
Even though there are free options for sites and blogs, some only allow you access to HTML code (or sell you a plugin for access to it) after you subscribe to its service.
Contact: Dr. Olesya Venger, assistant professor, Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, wrote these sidebars. She can be reached at: [email protected]