If PR tells a brand story to spark interest, then SEO is how you capture it.
In an increasingly digital world PR and SEO are often being seen as the power couple of marketing helping to build trust and visibility to build brand reputation and get results.
But how do they actually work and what do you need to do to get them to work effectively together for your business?
I talk to SEO specialist Andrea Warner of Creative in Time about the changing role of SEO and how PR has now become its perfect partner when it comes to growing business.
People often think of SEO or Search Engine Optimisation as building the right algorithms and filling content with key terms, but it has changed a lot over the last few years hasn’t it? Can you explain what it is and how it works?
When I started, SEO was full of hacks! Keywords were stuffed in the footers, invisible to the user but tricking Google into getting its attention. And while it worked, those days are gone thankfully. I think many of the people who don’t know much about SEO think that’s still how it’s done.
Nowadays, it’s about trust, expertise, and user experience. Google has got so much smarter. If people find value in your content, behave well on your site, and talk about your brand online, you win.
It is about creating structure, relevance, and consistency in your content so that you get found in search engine results.
So, if your site loads fast and answers real questions, while having other credible sites link to you, you’ll show up more when people search.
Rather than gaming the algorithm, it’s more about being genuinely helpful and organised.
PR and SEO are actually far more powerful together than in silos.
You are seeing some great results when businesses use both PR and SEO tools together. Can you tell us more about how PR and SEO work together and what are the benefits?
PR and SEO are actually far more powerful together than in silos.
PR builds visibility and credibility as you are featured in third party press making you stand out from the crowd.
SEO captures this demand and turns credibility into traffic and leads.
If you aren’t combining, you are missing out. We work with several businesses that are starting to use SEO and PR together and are seeing some great results.
Recently we worked with a construction company launching a new training arm. They hosted a launch event and ran a PR campaign to share their story. We looked at how we could maximise PR content by using key terms in the content that we thought would get traction. Several industry publications picked up the story, and we made sure that each article linked back to their website. Over the next few months, they saw a consistent spike in website traffic. Not only were the PR stories helping to share their story to their target market through industry news sites but by featuring on high domain websites with strong links back to their website the company was being found in search engines for key terms boosting their SEO and website presence.
When your PR stories align with the content on your site and link back to it, you build both brand authority and search authority. PR gets you noticed, and SEO makes sure being noticed leads somewhere useful.
Are there any simple techniques you can tell us to show how PR can be SEO-enhanced?
Like with any marketing activity the more strategic you are the better the results. By adding a strategic SEO level to your PR, it can help to maximise your results. PR will always help businesses to get found as it builds back links and search engine terms.
However, if you are strategic in how you gain PR coverage you can align your goals to make sure that links in reputable publications are helping to get you found in the right industries. You can align PR topics with search engine demands and website content.
It is just another layer to help your activity become more focused.
When your PR stories align with the content on your site and link back to it, you build both brand authority and search authority.
Think about making sure you have useful, link-worthy resources on your site and track what PR activity drives, traffic, rankings and brand searches.
Look at key search engine terms in your industry and then how you can use PR to build a campaign to get your content at the top of that search.
Good PR sparks interest and good SEO catches it.
What types of businesses does SEO work best for?
SEO is a digital tool, so it obviously works best for businesses which rely on being found online. It is ideal for businesses where customers start with an online search, whether that’s “best plumber near me” or “commercial vinyl wrapping”. If your customers Google before they buy, SEO helps you get chosen.
It also works especially well where trust and consideration matter which is why working with a strong PR strategy to build credibility will always maximise results. Businesses like professional services, B2B, technical sectors, specialist industries all rely on being found and standing out from the crowd.
We have had companies that traditionally relied on cold calling creating such a strong online presence that business now comes directly to them cutting out the need for extra outreach or other companies that were struggling to be found coming up on the front page of searches.
It is all about knowing your customer and building an online presence which makes it easy for you to be found.
The benefit is simple: consistent, qualified traffic that doesn’t disappear when you stop paying for ads. The best bit is that SEO compounds over time as a marketing asset, so it is never a one-time campaign with the results being felt for many months to come.
As with any marketing, budgets are often tight so it can be difficult to do everything. Are there any cost-effective tips you can share to help build easy ways to blend SEO with other marketing?
First, we need to stop thinking of SEO as a separate project. It should integrate with everything else. Most elements should be built into campaigns as standard rather than being seen as an added extra.
Practical things that work are:
- Fixing the basics on your site (speed, structure, clear messaging)
- Creating content that answers genuine customer questions
- Using PR, partnerships, and real relationships to earn quality links
- Repurposing content and blogs into PR angles, into social posts, into sales tools
The best bit is that SEO compounds over time as a marketing asset, so it is never a one-time campaign with the results being felt for many months to come.
If SEO and PR so good together why do you think more people aren’t getting the most from their digital platforms and content? What are the main blockers?
Honestly, I think it is simply because the industry made it sound more complex than it really is.
Many people expect instant results and lose patience, or they get caught up in looking at key terms and plastering content with what they think Google wants to see rather than building a clear and consistent strategy.
SEO should be built into all your activity. It should be seen as the overarching guide rather than a tool. Most of the time the content is all there ready to be repurposed it has just been buried, and it is a matter of reworking it to build a meaningful strategy.
SEO isn’t complicated. Done by humans, for humans, it actually makes so much sense.
Finally, what are your top tips for getting started?
SEO doesn’t need to be difficult. For anyone thinking of starting out or looking at ways to enhance their current activity I would say:
- Quality beats volume, you need to focus on genuinely helpful pieces
- Measure leads and conversions, not just rankings. Analytics are your friend.
- Be consistent. SEO rewards discipline.
Andrea Warner specialises in strategic marketing and SEO, partnering with technology, engineering, IT and SaaS businesses to accelerate their growth. With over 22 years’ experience building successful companies, she knows how to deploy the full marketing mix to create high-impact campaigns that boost visibility and get businesses found fast.
Find out more at www.creativeintime.com
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