When things go full circle (aka is SEO dead?)

In the spirit of complete transparency, our business suffered when the digital revolution in marketing first arrived.

We stood in shellshocked awe as digital marketing ‘experts’ popped up on the scene, peddling their wares to businesses who’d previously valued getting their names and messages in the media.

I don’t think anyone would deny that in those early days, there were many disreputable purveyors of snake oil. They used smoke and mirrors to bamboozle wide-eyed clients, while promising them the earth.

As Google tightened up its act and clamped down on black hat tactics, the market was purged, leaving only the decent digital agencies to survive and thrive. 

PR remained a poor relation to SEO. Until now.

In recent months, we have been approached by several digital agencies asking us for support. They have all had one thing in common … clients who want ‘more profile’ and who want to be ‘more visible’. In other words, they need some PR!

Naturally, we’ve been happy to help. 

But this trend does raise some interesting – some might say controversial – questions: has SEO had its day? Is having great content on your website enough? Are people actually reading it? Has SEO become a victim of its own success?

Having become so ubiquitous, the battle for top rankings has become increasingly more competitive. Businesses are having to set aside progressively larger budgets to see a ROI for their SEO spend.

Your website might have brilliant SEO. You might consistently feature on page one of Google – alongside several competitors – but this does not guarantee people will click through to your site, let alone read the messages your content writer has so lovingly crafted. PR on the other hand, delivers messages directly to your audience, without them having to do anything.

Whoever your target audience, they will read some form of news feed, be it a national news site; regional business publication like The Business Desk or Insider; national business portal like Business Leader; trade publication such as Real Deals, Estates Gazette or TradeWinds.

So, is SEO dead? Of course, it isn’t (in fact, we provide an excellent, evidence-based, SEO service). As long as the internet exists, businesses will always benefit from Google serving up their content at the top of the search results. But it has to be considered as part of a wider marketing strategy.

Give us a call if you’d like to speak to us about your current marketing mix and how PR could help reinforce your brand positioning and bring your business to life.