How PR Drives SEO with Media Coverage

A primary way to drive strong SEO for tech firms has always been to earn online press coverage, using press releases and other PR activities, which then spread out across the the internet like concentric rings in a pool. Even a start-up can use simple and classic PR techniques to build an authentic digital footprint to attract great SEO results – often within just 3 - 6 months of starting.

 Issuing press releases is a great way to develop your digital footprint. Choose your subject matter with care and be ‘authentic’ -  only issue press releases around real company milestones – new products, key hires, funding announcements etc.  Why?  Simply because these releases and the coverage they generate will form the content of your digital background.

So make use of your positive industry news – new products, new customers, key hires, strategic partnerships, funding announcements – say 2 to 3 per year – to keep a steady flow of touchpoints for your audience and keep your search results reasonably current.

For really important news, consider using a wire service. A press release released through a reputable service like MarketWired or PR Newswire can often generate up to 2/300 links, as well as triggering Google Alerts for the appropriate terms. Your headline and the opening lines of the release are what will provide the highest search engine traction, so it is important to choose your keywords carefully, frame your message properly and make it compelling. Wire services come with a cost attached, so only use them for the most important news

Of course, as well as generating syndicated links in wire services across the internet, your release may also generate actual coverage in your targeted media. Reputable titles rank very highly with search engines, so earning coverage in these will immediately boost your ranking. Additionally, these good news stories will actually be the search results your audience sees – sometimes in the form of a headline in a reputable trade title.

And gaining coverage in your target media is also extremely valuable social media content – studies have shown that on b2b social media like LinkedIn, postings considered ‘news’ rank among the highest posts in terms of social engagement. So make sure to post links to any coverage on all your social channels.

But the real beauty of this strategy is its authenticity. If your company generates say 2/3 press releases based on real company milestones per year, you can see how quickly you can start to create an authentic digital footprint. And remember that this footprint - which will grow over time - will begin to tell the story of your firm online, one which will eventually form part of any due diligence that investors, customers or potential key employees will undertake on your firm before proceeding.

If you wish to put a pr programme such as the one outlined above together for your firm, please feel free to contact me here, and we can get the process underway, and you should be seeing positive results within months.