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How to use Search Engine Optimization in your PR Programs

Written by: Elizabeth Robinson

Article Overview: The new tool for internet visibility is utilizing Search Engine Optimization. Learn how to use this in your PR program to increase internet traffic.

Free Download - How to Keep Your PR Clients Happy in a Tough Economy By Elizabeth Robinson
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How to use Search Engine Optimization in your PR Programs

As traditional media grows increasingly fragmented, the media landscape is morphing into a digital free-for-all that can be confusing and overwhelming. With fewer reporters covering specific beats, getting your news announcements in front of the correct people can be a challenge, but there are techniques to incorporate that can boost your profile on the Internet and reach the right audiences to drive them to your website.

What is Search Engine Optimization or SEO? Search Engine Optimization is the practice of constructing your external communication - from website content to press releases - to attract the most exposure on search engines like Google, and draw your URL to the top of organic searches. By doing a bit of research and utilizing popular search terms and phrases commonly used on the Internet, you can raise the profile of your news without incurring costs to your business.

Over the past few years, SEO has become a necessary tool for public relations professionals. Never should a press release be written without first completing research to determine what related keywords or phrases should be included based on how highly they rank in online searches. For example, strategically mentioning relevant competitors, industry phrases, trends or national news headlines can dramatically move your announcement into the top echelons of search functions.

Simply “frontloading” an announcement with keyword spam will not result in much interest. There has to be “steak behind the sizzle.” For example, one of our executive coaching clients that operate peer-to-peer advisory boards was launching a press release about a survey they had conducted to entice business owners to become members or open franchises in their areas. In an effort to maximize coverage that tied into the survey, we used SEO terms and tied the release to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s testimony to Congress about the failing economy as well as former President Bush’s own pronouncements about consumer confidence.

With key words in position, the formerly sleepy press release garnered over 15,000 hits on Google and was covered in several top-tier media outlets, including Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and Reuters. By using specific keywords, the release bubbled up to get the media’s attention and dramatically increased website traffic for the client.

Finally, a good strategy to start the SEO process is to examine your own messaging platform and find themes or trends that relate to wider issues in your industry. There are plenty of SEO firms that can help with this process, and you can find many books on SEO in the library or bookstore. Once you have identified areas that make sense, try incorporating SEO terms in your next news announcement or your website copy and then measure the results.

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Home > Public-Relations > Elizabeth Robinson > How to use Search Engine Optimization in your PR Programs
Article Tags: advisory boards, bernanke, business owners, echelons, executive coaching, external communication, federal reserve, federal reserve chairman, former president bush, google, media landscape, national news headlines, necessary tool, news announcements, president bush, pronouncements, public relations professionals, search engine optimization, search engines, search functions

About the Author: Elizabeth Robinson
RSS for Elizabeth's articles - Visit Elizabeth's website

Elizabeth Robinson, President, Founder & CEO As president and founder of VolumePR, Elizabeth leads the strategic management of client campaigns, ensuring they remain infused with expert tactics and innovative strategies that consistently increase the clients' market share. Having sat on both sides of the table � with previous career roles as a corporate communications professional as well as an agency manager - Elizabeth is keenly aware that her corporate counterpart's success is often measured by their ability to achieve marketing, sales and business development goals. By filtering these client goals through the lens of public relations, Elizabeth and her team consistently develop fully customized programs for their clients that not only support the accomplishment of pre-defined goals, but do so through a combination of bullet-proof PR programs and creative integrated marketing solutions that redefine the term "PR innovation." Prior to founding VolumePR in the spring of 2001, Elizabeth was already deeply entrenched in the practice of building technology and consumer brands and positioning executives as industry thought leaders from her tenure with Ogilvy Public Relations and The Boeing Company. A graduate of Pepperdine University with a Bachelor of Arts in organizational communication with an emphasis in business administration, Elizabeth has been twice awarded the International Association of Business Communicators' (IABC) Bronze Quill award, the League of American Communication Professionals (LACP) Spotlight and Magellan Awards on six occasions, and has grown VolumePR to be named one of the fastest growing private businesses in the state of Colorado by the Denver Business Journal. In 2008, the Denver Business Journal named her to the prestigious "40 Under 40" list, which highlights the rising stars of Denver's business community.

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More from Elizabeth Robinson
How to use Search Engine Optimization in your PR Programs
How to Keep Your PR Clients Happy in a Tough Economy


Related Forum Posts
What Do You Want To Be Taught? What Do You Want To Be Taught? - Hi, My name is Jeff Foster, I will be moderating this new section. I want to get your opinion on topics you would like to discuss & be taught on. I see a great need for small business owners to learn how to perform basic Search Engine Marketing (SEM) which would include the basics about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). What do you want to be taught on? Jeff
Re: Search Engine Optimization Re: Search Engine Optimization - If you are interested to get more information about Search Engine Optimization you can visit Search Engine Watch site gives you a great way to keep up with what’s going on in the search engine world. This site provides a ton of information about a very wide range of subjects related not only to search engine optimization, but also the flip side of the coin; subjects related to searching online.
Re: Can someone explain Search engine optimization to me? Re: Can someone explain Search engine optimization to me? - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) could be compared to a big popularity contest: A High School Computer Geek and a High School Football Captain who are trying to promote a party. The computer geek tells everyone in school & even hands out 100's of flyers about his party Friday night...what happens? his friends end up showing up and a few new people...even the new people leave right away because it is not what they are looking for. The High School Football Captain ends up just telling a few good buddies, and within hours the entire school not only knows about it, but everyone wants to come, and everyone does come & stay. One defenition of "optimize is "To make as perfect or effective as possibe." How effective are your article marketing campaigns? Could you be distributing content (that is what search engines index) more effectively? In a perfect world, who would you want promoting your website, web pages, and web content? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is determining this perfect & effective way to do this. Jeff
Re: How do I engage seo works to be done for my site? Re: How do I engage seo works to be done for my site? - I read "Search Engine Optimization" for dummies. Gave me a real good foundation on which to build my sites. Really helped a lot.
Re: How to Promote Your Business Online Re: How to Promote Your Business Online - Apart from using Search Engine Optimization or SEO for promoting websites, I also find Pay per Clicks (PPC) to be a very good way to do. Why? For me it doesn't open only one oppurtunity for you, in fact it opens 2! You can generate your awaited traffic even w/o saying stop, ready and go and gain a maximized profit too.


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