Insights
SEOs Killed Digital PR
When you see a headline that says, "Why SEOs are killing Digital PR" curiosity will get the better of you.
I'm curious by nature, so I clicked.
This guest post on Search Engine Land argues that the SEO industry's obsession with "cost per link" as the primary metric for evaluating Digital PR campaigns is detrimental to the effectiveness of Digital PR.
I can't argue that.
Agencies are pushing "fixed-link packages" like they're selling bulk commodities, promising X number of links for Y dollars.
We know that backlinks from authoritative sites are a major factor for improving search engine rankings.
But, Digital PR goes beyond link building.
A comprehensive brand strategy
Digital PR doesn’t operate in isolation.
It needs to integrate with your other marketing efforts to create a unified brand message across all channels.
Every piece of content—be it a press release, social media post, email, or blog article—should contribute to the overall brand story.
In this way, we consider all aspects of a digital marketing strategy.
Media is fragmented these days.
An audience may discover a brand on any number of platforms, which is why reach is an essential part of Digital PR.
In other words, your messaging needs to find people at various stages of their buying process—from awareness to conversion.
Measuring success beyond link building
Link-building campaigns typically focus on metrics like the number of links acquired or how much domain authority increases.
Digital PR takes a broader view of success.
We measure impact through metrics such as:
- Media mentions
- Audience engagement levels
- Sentiment analysis
- Overall brand awareness
We analyze how the content connects with audiences, and we track changes in public perception over time.
This means we can show brands not only how many links they've built over time, but also how those links contribute to their overall brand perception and business goals.
For example, if a campaign generates significant positive media coverage but results in minimal backlinks, it may still be deemed successful if it leads to increased inquiries or sales.
Are SEOs killing Digital PR?
Building backlinks is only one part of a far bigger equation in a complete Digital PR strategy.
Brands with small budgets, or those who believe backlinks are a magic solution to attract attention, don't appreciate the complexity of Digital PR.
We're looking at visibility and credibility.
That's why a diversified approach works best.
It gives us insights into how our efforts influence public perception and customer behavior.
Remember, Digital PR is primarily a human endeavor:
- It's about creating stories that impact real people.
- It's about building relationships with journalists and publishers.
- It's about engaging with an audience in meaningful ways.
When we reduce it to a numbers game, we're not just limiting our potential—we're missing the point entirely.
Spooky Engine Optimization (SEO)
It's Halloween, but for SEOs and site owners something else feels spookier right now.
For $500, the answer is: "What is helpful content according to Google?"
Despite Google’s stated intention to improve the quality of search results and support smaller publishers, the August update did not deliver on this promise.
Winners and losers
For the losers, the path to recovery is littered with challenges.
Many site owners are unsure how to proceed after experiencing significant drops in traffic and visibility.
We've all seen the guidance from Google on impacted sites, but there's no guaranteed timeline for recovery.
The uncertainty surrounding how long it will take for rankings to stabilize adds to the frustration felt across the community.
Do we understand helpful content?
There is ongoing debate over what constitutes "helpful" content in the eyes of Google.
Over the years, Google has updated their pages of documentation on creating helpful content.
Among their descriptions of what constitutes helpful content are:
- helpful, reliable information
- original information, reporting, research, or analysis
- insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious
- substantial value when compared to other pages
- demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge
- content that is useful to visitors
This post caught my eye:
One LinkedIn user states (his caps not mine):
GOOD CONTENT IS NOT ALWAYS HELPFUL CONTENT
The same rings true the other way - helpful content isn't always good content.
Both "GOOD" and "HELPFUL" are subjective terms.
What YOU consider as good, someone else may not.
What YOU consider as helpful may not be helpful to someone else.
Aligned with the above are questions about content length.
A self-proclaimed SEO specialist recently asked John Mueller:
"Should we focus on creating longer, in-depth articles, or can short-form content rank just as well if it's concise and valuable?"
Mueller's response:
"There is no universally ideal content length. Focus on bringing unique value to the web overall, which doesn't mean just adding more words."
This led to a conversation about the precise meaning of "unique value."
Is that part of helpful content?
One commenter (SEOBot) asked:
"We really eager to learn and know how the content is actually generating value to the web. If all the value is being generated by top publishers/brands then what exactly the small publishers/niche site owners suppose to write to survive?"
His question might seem naive, but it points to the confusion many publishers experience over how Google ranks websites.
How did Mueller reply?
"If you're looking for a mechanical recipe for how to make something useful, that will be futile - that's just not how it works, neither online nor offline. When you think about the real-world businesses near you that are doing well, do you primarily think about which numbers they focus on, or do you think about the products / services that they provide?"
The conversation then shifts to the definition of helpful content, and how users determine whether content is helpful, or not.
The lesson; we're not creating content for Google, we're creating content for people.
Related: Information is not knowledge.
Google Search Web Creator Conversion Event
Yes, that's what they called it.
By the time you read this, Google will have wrapped up an invite-only event at the GooglePlex.
The summit focused on Google Search and publishing, and several independent publishers were invited to contribute.
Barry Schwartz wasn't invited, but Rutledge Daugette, the CEO of TechRaptor, was.
Mark Hardaker, founder of the Mountain Weekly News, is also attending (and his site has been hammered).
Will this event make a difference to publishers who are seriously attempting to write helpful content?
Time will tell.
Event Update
Mark Hardaker just published an excellent overview of his time at the event.
Mark says:
"I'm 44 years old, luckily I don't have a mortgage, I barely getting by, I'm eating at the food bank now, I had grossed $250,000 last year and I just don't know where to go from here my traffic is down 97%."
And, the VP of Google Search said:
I have to say I am very very sorry for you, this is not great at all. I can't also give you any guarantees about recovery or not, I think that would not be responsible for me to say this. Because I can't tell what is going to happen. It's just the unfortunate state of how we operate here.
—Pandu Nayak
I'm sure everyone is reassured that Google operates in an "unfortunate state."
I hope these insights help. For more tips, follow me here.
