How PR can boost your rankings & get you on the map
One of the biggest challenges for any business is being covered by the press. Press coverage can give your business credibility that no amount of ad dollars can purchase. In fact, studies have shown that it is harder and harder to get ad clicks in Google search, as more and more consumers have become hip to digital marketing efforts.
Seeing your business discussed in Forbes or the New York Times can do a world of good for you. Just think about it: If you are a local Realtor, and you have the credentials of having been covered in the Wall Street Journal or even a digital publication like The Street, you have an advantage over the Realtor who did NOT get that coverage. So what can a business do to get more coverage in the press, and what other benefits do press mentions provide?
Press Coverage Gives Your Website E-A-T
SEO professionals understand E-A-T is an important three letter acronym. Google has established E-A-T as one of the most important ranking factors in SEO. So what is E-A-T and how does a business go about establishing it?
What is E-A-T for SEO?
E-A-T stands for expertise, authority and trustworthiness. Google has explained that E-A-T is how content on a business' website can rank higher on the SERP. It makes sense when you think about it: Content that demonstrates expertise, authority and trustworthiness is going to be more valuable to a searcher than content that does not.
So how do you establish all of these factors for your website? There are many different ways, and Google has not given specific guidelines about this, but the basic process has never really been a secret. So let's break down what each of these factors mean, and how you can establish it for your website.
What is Expertise in Relation to E-A-T?
Expertise mainly refers to the creator of the content. How much of an expert is the content writer on the subject at hand? For example, an article about how to bake a turkey from Bobby Flay would be high in expertise, as Bobby Flay is a world renowned chef. However, the same article, even written with the same exact content, but published by Justin Timberlake, would not.
Expertise is demonstrated by your relation to the subject matter and the signals sent via web visitors. Are they consuming your content? Are they taking action on your site? Is your bounce rate low? If all of your answers to these questions are "yes" then you are well on your way to proving your expertise to the Google algorithm.
How Does PR Help With Expertise?
PR helps demonstrate your expertise on a wider scale. While your blog might have the same information, your website most likely doesn't have the reach of a national press organization. By getting your thoughts in a highly respected publication, you will immediately see the impact. Instead of someone telling their friend "I saw the information on a blog by a business that sells a service", that same person can now say "I saw it in an article in Forbes".
What is Authority in Relation to E-A-T?
Authority and expertise might sound like the same thing, but they are two different signals in the search algorithm. Authority really means being comprehensive. When content is considered authoritative, it is really considered to be the most thorough content on a specific subject.
An example of authoritative content would be Wikipedia. Because of the way Wikipedia sources their content, they are considered an authoritative source on virtually every subject. When you are researching purchasing life insurance, for instance, you would take what Wikipedia says on the subject as fact, while a blog on a life insurance company's website as opinion. Authority is fact-based.
Authority is also all-encompassing. When it comes to creating content, you want to answer every conceivable question about the subject at hand, especially from the consumer's perspective. Let's look at the topic of estate planning. Our friends at The Mitten Law Firm write about it extensively in their blog. The cover all topics with an in-depth approach. Most websites won't cover the topic of digital wills, for example, but they do. By covering all topics within a given subject, their content becomes more authoritative.
How Does PR Help With Authority?
When it comes to authoritative content, most reputable media outlets already have high marks. Publications like Forbes, Money, The New York Times and others are respected for their in-depth coverage of subjects. So appearing as a source of information in their content immediately positions you and your business as an authority on the subject at hand.
A good example of this comes from an example of media we earned for a client. An article in Forbes about data privacy and security needed input from experts. Our client runs a private and secure platform and we were able to secure a good placement in the article for their brand. This works to establish the brand as an authority on the matters of data privacy and data security.
What is Trustworthiness In Relation to E-A-T?
Trustworthiness is another signal the Google search algorithm places significant weight on. Signals that alert Google to your brand's trustworthiness might be the most varied of all signals. Some of the signals can be technical, such as your site having an SSL certification. Others can be outside of your control like online discussions about your brand. A site and brand with high trustworthiness will rank well on SERPs.
How Does PR Help With Trustworthiness?
Aside from press outlets being implicitly trustworthy, the signal that your brand is being discussed on their site can lend trust credentials that no amount of blogging can earn. As you grow your PR portfolio, you will start to see your site climb the ranks for high value keywords.
In addition to this, you will earn "non-digital" trustworthiness with consumers. There is a reason brands post "as seen in" sections on their homepages. It gives the consumer a sign that the brand is trusted right from the start.