About 68% of all activities online begin with a search engine like Google. Most people (75%), however, don’t look at the second page of search results. Improving your rankings with search engine optimization (SEO) can help.
Not many people realize that press releases can improve your SEO rankings, too. What is the connection between SEO for PR, exactly? The two actually have a symbiotic relationship.
You can use a press release to improve your SEO rankings, and SEO to help more people find your press releases online.
Not convinced it’s time to use online PR and SEO this year? Keep reading to discover the ways PR and SEO work together! After reading this guide, you can improve your PR and SEO strategies.
Read on to learn more.
1. Generate Quality Backlinks
One of the biggest ways SEO for PR and PR for SEO work together is by generating backlinks.
Backlinks are links that appear on one website, only to send readers to another. Backlink-building is a major part of effective SEO. In fact, Google claims backlinks are one of its top three ranking factors.
Unfortunately, about 66% of pages don’t have backlinks. The more backlinks a page has, the more organic traffic it can generate. The more traffic a website gains, the higher it will rank on Google’s search pages.
The average cost of buying a link is over $361. Purchasing links can have a negative impact on your SEO rankings, though. You don’t want to use blackhat SEO tactics.
Otherwise, your site could get blacklisted from Google.
Instead, most businesses generate backlinks by guest blogging. You can write content for someone else’s blog, then link to yours.
Using PR sites for SEO is another effective backlink-building strategy. When following a press release template, you’ll notice space for the boilerplate. The boilerplate displays information about your business.
An effective boilerplate includes a link to the company’s website.
You can visit this site to learn more.
Using PR sites for SEO will allow you to gain backlinks. Then, readers can click on the link to visit your website. As you begin generating traffic through the backlink, Google will take notice.
When generating backlinks, it’s important to focus on sites with high domain authority. Getting your press release published on a well-known publication’s blog can help. You can leverage their domain authority to improve your own.
As your domain authority improves, your SEO rankings will, too. Higher rankings will help you reach more customers online.
2. Publish More Long-Form Content
If you want to improve your SEO rankings, you’ll need to keep up with the latest search engine algorithm changes. Each time Google updates the algorithm, new SEO trends emerge. For example, long-form content is becoming more popular.
Previously, short-form press releases were the industry standard. Google now favors long-form content, though. Long-form content does a better job at solving problems and providing readers with detail.
Google doesn’t like fluff, though. Thankfully, press releases are designed to minimize fluff.
Writing more press releases will show Google your content is clear and concise. You can include more keywords and target phrases in your content, too. Then, you can gain more online exposure, leading to backlinks and social shares.
More people will start finding your content online, which can help your business grow.
3. Gain Brand Awareness
Consider looking into SEO training for PR writing this year. Learning how to write a press release with SEO in mind can boost your rankings. Higher search engine rankings can help you generate more brand awareness.
It takes multiple impressions in front of a customer before they begin to remember your brand. Consistency is key. Creating press releases throughout the year can help.
Publishing a press release on a well-known publication’s blog can help more people find you online. Meanwhile, the SEO within your press release can help the piece rank higher on search engines. Higher search engines will help more people see you for relevant keywords.
As they continue seeing your PR content, brand awareness will grow into recognition.
Then, you can start remaining top-of-mind with customers. Using PR sites for SEO can help you become a recognizable brand.
4. Generate Traffic
If you want to generate more brand awareness, leads, and sales, you need to focus on generating website traffic. Using SEO for PR and PR sites for SEO can help.
Consumers already visit publication sites to gather information or learn about businesses. When they read your press release, they might want to learn more about your business. Consumers can then visit your website directly from your press release.
As you begin generating more website traffic, Google will take notice.
Meanwhile, the SEO within your press release can help the post rank higher on search engines. More people will see your release and click on the link. Then, you’re generating traffic to the press release, too!
5. Reach Target Audience
Take the time to find publications your customers already read. Choosing the right PR sites for SEO is crucial. You can save time and money by finding publications your target audience already loves.
Then, you can display your content on those websites to appeal to that audience.
These consumers already want and need your offerings. You might have an easier time generating conversions as a result.
It’s not enough to reach your target audience online, though. You also need to appeal to their needs and interests. Knowing exactly who your customers are can benefit your online PR and SEO rankings.
Nearly three-fourths of online consumers get frustrated when content fails to match their interests. Another 52% will even switch brands when companies fail to personalize communications. About 33% will abandon a business relationship if personalization is lacking.
Writing a press release with your target audience in mind will encourage them to read your content. The more people who read your content, the better your SEO rankings.
Google will notice your content is gaining traction. Then, it will position the press release higher on search engine result pages.
Improving your rankings will ensure more ideal customers find your brand online. Brand awareness will continue to grow, and with it, your business.
6. Appear for Keywords
As part of a strong SEO strategy, you need to appear for a range of different keywords. When someone searches for a specific phrase, your site could appear. Using SEO for PR can help you appear for more keywords.
Make sure to gather keyword research before writing a press release. Then, use SEO training for PR writing to ensure your content is optimized.
Once the piece is published, it can start appearing for that search term. Then, you’ll gain more brand exposure and website traffic.
Meanwhile, your competitors will fall to the bottom of the search page for those keywords. You’ll have an easier time remaining competitive as a result.
7. Leverage Social Media
Working with PR sites for SEO purposes can help expand your reach online. The publication will likely share your post on their social media accounts. As they share your post, you’ll have the chance to reach even more customers.
Brand awareness and website traffic could grow as a result.
As you begin generating traffic through social media, Google will again notice you’re gaining referral traffic. It might improve your ranking as you continue gaining more traction.
If you want to expand your reach and boost your rankings this year, start using SEO for PR.
8. Image Optimization
One of the latest SEO trends is image optimization. You can optimize an image for a keyword to appear for image searches. Combining online PR and SEO can help you appear for those searches.
Appearing for image searches will give you another opportunity to expand your reach online. You can appear for both text and image searches.
Try to use more unique, branded images in your press releases (instead of stock images). Optimizing your images can help more people recognize your branding.
9. Boost Credibility
Higher search engine rankings will position your website ahead of competitors. Consumers might feel more inclined to trust you if you’re at the top of the page. If you’re on the second or third page, however, they might not find you at all.
Using PR and SEO can help boost your credibility. You can boost your rankings to show consumers you’re an authority in the industry.
Meanwhile, appearing on PR sites can help you leverage the publication’s existing credibility.
Choose publications your customers already know and trust. They might feel more inclined to trust you, too.
10. Gather Analytics
Publishing a press release on a publication’s website could help you gather helpful information about your customers. You can review the analytics to determine what search terms they use. Then, you can focus on those search terms as part of your SEO strategy.
The symbiotic relationship between PR and SEO could set your future strategies up for success.
SEO for PR and Vice Versa: 10 Ways They Create a Symbiotic Relationship
Don’t neglect using SEO for PR purposes this year. Instead, consider their symbiotic relationship. Using PR sites for SEO and vice versa can help expand your reach online.
You can boost your rankings, get ahead of competitors, and set your business up to grow.
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