How To Optimize Your PR Strategy With Local SEO
Reach a Wider Audience with Targeted Public Relations
When thinking of the ideal PR strategy, a people-centric marketing approach, thought leadership articles, and promo events may come to mind.
It may not be outright obvious at first, but for these PR tactics to be truly effective, every single one of them should be localized.
Search engine optimization can do exactly that, which is why it should be used in conjunction with your PR strategy. When implemented correctly, local SEO can make your business more discoverable online in for consumers in your area.
Below, we’ve outlined four tips on how you can optimize your PR strategy with local SEO.
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4 Tips For Optimizing Your PR With Local SEO
Invest in On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is one of the most important ways that you can optimize your content and become more discoverable online. Although you need a bit of technical knowledge to get going, it’s not as difficult to implement as you might think.
On-page SEO can power your business strategy and also support your PR efforts. It can help you to broadcast your company’s local events to more people in your immediate area. When used together, local SEO acts like a megaphone that magnifies all of your marketing and PR efforts.
There are two main ways that you can optimize your website with local SEO in mind.
Setting Up Your Website
Your website should give visitors all the information they could possibly want regarding your products and services. Designing and building a website takes time. So, if your website is still a work in progress, be sure to at least include the most crucial information from the get-go.
Your company’s name, address, and contact information should always be readily available on your website. This not only allows people to get into contact with you but also gives Google what it needs to consider you for local search results.
Use The Right Keywords
Do some keyword research before writing the copy for your website. Thorough research will enable you to identify what people are searching for when looking for the products and services that you offer.
To simplify this process, you can use free keyword tools, like Google’s Keyword Finder. Your keywords should be strategically placed throughout your website. Page titles, meta descriptions, and the first sentence of each page should always include your keywords.
When wanting to boost local SEO, it’s best to combine your keywords with your location on your website as often as you can.
Establishing and implementing your on-page SEO strategy can take a while, but it’s so worth it because it will help to boost your domain authority.
Set Up Google My Business
The first thing people do when they want to know more about your business is to look you up on Google. For this reason, it is critical that you list your company on Google My Business (GMB). Your GMB listing should include your company’s name, address, and up-to-date contact information.
A GMB listing will not only appear when people search for your company. It will also pop up when someone searches for the products or services that your company provides. This means it offers free local advertising for your business and can also refer people to your website should they want more information about your company.
Don’t forget to include keywords in your Google My Business title and to choose a primary category that most accurately explains what your company offers. Lastly, try to incite people to leave reviews on your listing. This will also help you to rank higher on search engines.
Encourage Local Publications To Link Back To Your Website
For your website’s domain to gain more authority over time, Google needs to recognize that your website provides valuable content in your area of expertise. To prove your authority, you need to have other reputable sites linking to your website.
The more quality backlinks your site has, the more Google will prioritize your website’s ranking on its results pages.
This is a great PR opportunity! If other reputable websites use the right keywords and location mentions when linking back to your site, the better you will rank on Google.
Be sure to focus heavily on media relations when revisiting your annual PR strategy. By publishing content in local quality publications that link back to your website, you could boost brand awareness and up your local SEO ranking all in one go.
List Your Business On Multiple Local Directories
When listing your business on various local directories, you create more backlinks to your website. As previously mentioned, this is essential if you want to rank higher on Google’s search engine for local searches.
You can opt for popular directories, like Facebook and Yelp, but don’t completely discount more niche directories.
In Summary
Your local SEO efforts and PR strategy should go hand in hand when it comes to promoting your business.
When your website ranks high on Google, your PR and digital marketing efforts will be much more effective and reach a wider network of people in your area.
Founder and President at The Hoyt Organization
With over 25 years of experience, Leeza’s campaigns have garnered over 150 awards from top public relations organizations nationwide. Additionally, THO serves as the Los Angeles area partner of the Public Relations Global Network, granting clients access to over 50 global markets. The agency was also named to one of the top 200 firms in the country by Forbes magazine in 2021, and she has been named by Globest.com as a Woman of Influence and a Woman to Watch, among other designations.
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