As Google has evolved, search engine optimization has struggled to keep pace. What was once a fairly simple and straightforward process has been integrated with social media, site design and user experience, content development and recently, public relations.

Many search engine optimization professionals have begun to realize just how much of a positive impact public relations can have on their job. Below are just a handful of the ways that public relations helps with SEO.

Relationships
Relationship building is a topic with a lot of buzz around it over the last year or two. Instead of looking for places to drop links semi-anonymously, SEOs are finding a powerful benefit in actually building relationships within the industry.

When people within an industry know one another, they are likely to eventually link to each other’s websites, helping to drive traffic and improve rankings. Public relations helps those relationships form.

Outreach Can Earn Press
Getting links from bloggers and other online business owners is fantastic. The only thing better is getting a link from a major site like Mashable, Forbes, CNN or any other major outlet with massive traffic, credibility and influence.

A good public relations worker can get content in front of the right people. They can build on their previously existing relationships to reach outlets that are usually outside of the average SEOs grasp.

When a site gets a bit of press from a credible organization, it can be a business turning event. Getting in the media should be the goal of any online business owner for this very reason.

Reputation Management
Eventually, every site owner with a big enough audience will experience negative reviews and putdowns. There are those on the internet who may wish to attack the reputation of a company, deserved or not.

The job of the search engine optimization team is to keep their clients’ sites ranking well for relevant terms. If and when someone begins to attack the reputation of their clients, a PR person can be highly valuable.

Using the above mentioned relationships and media connections can result in positive press, more links, and higher rankings for any term related to the client’s brand. In essence, a well spun PR effort can control the conversation, and push things in a positive direction.

While there has always been some overlap between public relations and search engine optimization, the two sides are just now acknowledging each other in a positive light. As search continues to evolve, we can surely expect public relations and search engine optimization to integrate further.