Compelling content is critical for attracting website traffic and promoting the brand’s message. But even the best content goes ignored if search engines don’t know about it. While great content attracts audiences and raises awareness, technical SEO helps search engines find and rank content. Higher search rankings increase website traffic.
Search engines may miss high-quality content more often than thought. Hamlet Batista, CEO at SEO platform Ranksense, said he’s found well-done, timely articles on Huffington Post that Google had not indexed. Some articles were not indexed for months.
While PR pros generally understand the importance of backlinks in guest blog posts and media pitches, they’re usually less adept at the more technical aspects of SEO. Search engines referred more traffic to websites than social media last year, underscoring the value of search engine marketing, according to Shareaholic.
Understanding a few key SEO fundamentals can help PR pros significantly boost their company’s search engine rankings and website traffic.
The Google Search Console
Google is introducing its new Search Console, formerly Webmaster Tools, that significantly improves search analysis. The Index Coverage report shows website URLs that Google indexed, warnings about potential issues, and reasons why Google isn’t indexing some URLs. It automatically alerts you when there’s an indexing error and can help find the problem. A link in the left navigation bar of the console shows if you have the updated product.
For a more in-depth and meaningful analysis, combine data from Google Analytics with data from a crawl tool, Batista recommends. Seek patterns such as if indexed pages have more copy or more internal links than non-indexed pages.
By combining data from a crawl tool with the Google Analytics Spreadsheet add-on, you can see how a variety of factors affect indexation, organic traffic, conversions, and more, gleaning deeper insight into how you can best drive users to your site, he explains.
Canonical Tags
If your website has identical, or nearly identical pages, canonical tags can tell search engines which page to report. Canonical tags can also prevent problems with duplicate content caused by identical guest posts on different websites. The HTML code:
<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://yourwebsite.com/blog” />
tells search engines that the link points to the original, authoritative content that should be indexed. It is placed in the web page’s header section.
However, unneeded or improper canonical tags can mistakenly remove the wrong pages from indexes, Batista warns.
Organize Content into Topic Clusters
Organize content around topics to help Google understand the web searcher’s intent, recommends Drew Fortin at HubSpot. Instead of first listing keywords to target, list topics or “pillars” associated with your product. Then list long-tail keywords associated with those particular topics with the help of a keyword research tool.
About five to ten long-tail keywords can support each pillar. Build pages for each topic and write blog posts that focus on a long-tail keyword and link to the topic page. When one post performs well in search results, the entire cluster gains a boost.
“This SEO model is called a “topic cluster,” and modern search engine algorithms depend on them to connect users with the information they’re looking for,” Fortin says. Remember to blog primarily for your audience, not search engines. Avoid keyword stuffing: Not more than three or four mentions of the long-tail keyword per post.
Seek Mentions that Lack Links
Other websites may mention your company or products without linking to your company website. A media monitoring service can identify those mentions that lack links, and many editors and website managers will add a link if they receive a polite request and URL.
“Do not ask for links just because you’d like to have them,” warns Beki Winchel at PR Daily. Editors and website managers need a reason to add a link. Requesting links just because a story covers your niche or mentions a competitor will only annoy them.
Bottom Line: Creating fantastic content is only the first step for digital PR. Understanding key technical aspects of SEO can help PR pros improve search engine rankings and increase website traffic.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
