There is little doubt that getting top rankings on Google and other top search engines is a prime marketing tactic. Therefore, it is vital to integrate PR and SEO in your marketing programs. However, we find all too often managers do not coordinate these two paramount efforts.
Make sure you get your team talking to each other. The SEO and PR efforts should dovetail, with the right keywords communicated to all involved. And our firm has the know-how to do that.
Due to our boutique PR agency’s close working relationship with the consumer press, we are able to place links in the stories of top publications that take readers back to the our clients’ sites, like the one in the photo caption, above, in National Geographic Traveler, for one of our clients in the Dominican Republic, Casa Bonita.
Here’s how PR has a direct impact on SEO: Google values those editorial links greater than any other content. Yes, it’s important to blog frequently and adds fresh content to your site, but inbound links from reputable media are worth their weight in gold.
Live Links and Their Value
Our savvy team of publicists secures these feature stories in tier-one publications on a monthly basis, making sure there are hyperlinks back to the client’s sites. There’s logic to Google’s madness. While we don’t know their secret algorithms, which change all the time and keep us all jumping, no one can dispute these highly regarded national sites, and their value in terms of online exposure:
• National Geographic Traveler
• Huffington Post
• USA Today
• Wall Street Journal
• Travel and Leisure
• Conde Nast Traveler
However, you’d be surprised how Google, Bing, and Yahoo also rank inbound links for articles in regional and special interest publications, so don’t forget those in your PR firm’s ongoing campaign. Those outlets include, for instance:
• New York Magazine
• Destination Weddings and Honeymoons
• Vogue
• Saveur
Once a story is published we scrutinize it to make sure the link is in there – at least once, and preferably twice. Sometimes, the reporter or freelancer neglects to make sure the editor puts the link in the story, and we go back and have them correct it. This is a result of our credibility with the press: we work with them daily.
So when considering a PR firm, make sure they have well-established relationships in place with the entire spectrum of media, that is how you are sure to get the most bang for the buck.