The correlation between an organisation’s content and outreach, and its ability to rank highly on search engines is only getting stronger. PR may have thought it owns reputation, outreach and content, but is that assumed position under threat from SEO agencies?
I have been fascinated and encouraged by the conversations within the search industry – such as this recent #SEMRushChat discussion – about combining PR tactics in SEO.
This is not a new phenomenon – I ran a PR for Link-building session at BrightonSEO in 2012 and warned that PR needed to wake up to SEO – but as Google continues to reward sites with diverse and authoritative (earned) inbound links and strong content, SEO agencies have adjusted their strategies to be more PR-like.
Can the same be said of PR? SEO skills have long been desired within PR but are clients demanding (or even expecting) their agencies to be able to deliver combined SEO PR services and metrics?
Combining PR and SEO is happening
I spoke to Kelvin Newman of Rough Agenda, organisers of BrightonSEO, and he said; “In my day job I programme conference and training aimed specifically at the search marketing industry. I can tell you they’re getting ever more sophisticated at the type of work that would typically be the bread and butter of someone working in in PR.”
From my own experience as a football travel blogger, I can confirm that SEO agencies have been contacting me either:
- to offer “exclusive content” for free in exchange for a backlink or
- to offer already-created content – usually an article or infographic – in exchange for a backlink
I can tell the difference between an approach from a PR and an SEO; the PR typically focuses on the coverage, the SEO on the link. With a little crafting, and some blogger relations training, both sides could marry those dual and symbiotic business goals.
Newman adds; “Some SEO teams and agencies have taken a Man City approach to the challenge and poached great PR people, others have just slowly broadened their skills sets. I know the same is happening in the other direction from PR specialists.
“The two have become so inter-twinned now it’s hard to draw the line between skill-sets,” he concludes.
Given both work in a brand awareness and reputation management space, I argue that no one side should ‘own’ this space but combine skills. However, PR will probably feel its experience at managing reputations and relationships should give it the driving seat, and I imagine many client-side heads of comms will feel the same.
What do you think?
I run SEO training for PR professionals, and influencer relations training for PR and SEO agencies. Please email me if you are interested in learning more.