Discover how to use digital PR strategies—such as showcasing expertise, telling impactful stories, and building influence—to strengthen your SEO.
For years, link building was seen as the cornerstone of SEO. The more quality backlinks you earned, especially from authoritative websites, the higher your site was expected to rank.
However, SEO has transformed. Google’s algorithms are now far more advanced and nuanced.
Today, achieving stronger search visibility requires a well-rounded digital PR approach. This means highlighting expertise, addressing crucial points in the customer journey, developing engaging data-driven stories, and gaining influence through credibility and recognition.
Key takeaways:
- Digital PR for SEO is not simply link building—it’s a modern alternative.
- SEO and PR now work hand-in-hand. Google’s AI evaluates online reputation in a way similar to humans, making credibility central to rankings.
- Digital PR for SEO goes beyond backlinks and mentions; these are just elements of a broader reputation strategy.
- The focus is on shaping a company’s online reputation, amplifying its products or services, covering customer journey touchpoints, and ensuring its presence across diverse platforms.
- Data-driven campaigns that connect with media trends help secure coverage and boost reputation.
How Generative AI and Search Engines Interpret Topics
The past year has highlighted just how advanced generative AI and large language models (LLMs) have become.
One of the most fascinating developments is their ability to assess a website, its content, or even an individual’s reputation within a particular field of expertise—and this capability is continually improving.
For instance, if you ask ChatGPT Plus about a specific person and their area of specialization, it can provide detailed insights. I tested this by asking, “Who is Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable?” and received an accurate, reputation-based answer.
This shows that both AI tools like ChatGPT and search engines like Google determine authority through more than just backlinks.
Reputation Matters Most
Google’s evaluation extends far beyond analyzing link structures—it actively measures online reputation.
The Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines emphasize how both a website’s and a content creator’s reputation should be assessed. These guidelines are designed to mirror how Google wants its search engine to function.
Here’s what the guidelines explain about reputation:
“Reputation research should be performed according to the topic of the page. For example, if the page contains medical information, research the reputation of the website and content creator for providing medical information. It’s possible for a website to be a go-to source for one type of content (e.g., humorous videos), but an untrustworthy source for a different type of content (e.g., financial information).”
A Shift in SEO Strategy
This perspective requires us to rethink how we set goals and define success in SEO. It’s no longer just about collecting high-authority backlinks.
Instead, SEO now depends on building a strong reputation—for websites, for content, for products and services, and even for the individuals or entities behind them.
The focus must expand beyond link metrics like DR or DA, toward cultivating genuine trust, authority, and recognition across the web.
Integrating PR and SEO
Public relations has long been about managing reputation. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines PR as:
“Public relations is about influencing, engaging and building a relationship with key stakeholders across numerous platforms in order to shape and frame the public perception of an organization.”
When applied to SEO, PR shifts the focus toward how individuals, entities, and content are perceived by the target audience—not just by search engines. This approach ensures that strategies and tactics stay aligned with the signals Google actually values for rankings.
In other words, your reputation with Google is a reflection of your reputation with your audience.
What Digital PR for SEO Is Not
Digital PR should not be confused with traditional link building. The term “link building” oversimplifies the complexity of today’s ranking algorithms, which rely heavily on AI.
While links remain an important ranking factor, they are no longer the entire story.
Even Google representatives acknowledge this evolution. As John Mueller explained:
“Over time, the weight on links will likely decrease as we improve our understanding of how content fits into the context of the web. Links will always matter, since they help us discover pages, but their influence may not be as dominant as it has been in the past.”
This highlights a shift: links are now just one part of a much broader ranking system.
Digital PR for SEO Isn’t:
- Solely about link profiles
- Limited to brand mentions
- Focused on manipulating rankings
- Based on link inserts or guest posting
- Choosing sites by link count, Domain Rating (DR), or keyword-based article totals
Instead, links should be seen as a natural outcome of a strong digital PR program—one built around user experience, credibility, and trust, not merely ranking.
So, What is Digital PR?
Digital PR for SEO is about optimizing not only for search engines but also for your audience. At its core, it focuses on strengthening the reputation of a product or service, a website, the content it produces, and the people behind it.
In simple terms, digital PR is optimized reputation.
Below are the key elements of digital PR for SEO:
1. It’s a Topical Field of Expertise
Expertise is the foundation of digital PR. It refers to a focused area where an individual or organization has deep knowledge and proven skills.
Types of expertise include:
- Individual expertise: Does a person have advanced knowledge and hands-on experience in a specific field connected to the product or service?
- Organizational expertise: Does the company excel in a niche, industry, or product/service because of its culture, processes, or unique approach?
When evaluating expertise, three aspects matter most:
- Depth of knowledge: Strong, specialized understanding along with a broad view of the field.
- Experience in practice: Applying that knowledge in real-world scenarios over time.
- Demonstrated skills: Tangible examples that showcase expertise in action.
Messaging also plays a role here—it’s how expertise is communicated in a way that influences and guides others.
2. It’s Proof of Expertise
Expertise needs to be shown, not just claimed. Providing evidence builds trust and credibility.
Proof of expertise can include:
- Original research: Conduct unique studies that genuinely help your audience.
- Customer or client stories: Highlight how real users solve problems or achieve results with your product, service, or insights.
- Expert commentary: Share simplified explanations, practical advice, and actionable insights drawn from your experience.
The goal is to present proof that inspires confidence and encourages action.
3. It’s Data-Driven Storytelling
Unlike traditional link building, digital PR revolves around creating storylines for journalists and publishers. Reporters are always looking for credible experts and reliable data to craft their stories.
Original research and studies are especially powerful for this purpose. While customer research is useful for marketing, media outlets often need broader, trend-based data to build compelling narratives.
The process usually involves:
- Media trend analysis: Identify emerging topics that align with your expertise.
- Research creation: Develop studies or data that uncover insights or support those trends.
- Storyline building: Use the research to pitch stories that resonate with journalists.
Once data-driven narratives are built, media coverage can take many forms:
- Reactive PR: Share insights and expert input when trends are in the news.
- Passive PR: Respond to journalist requests with relevant information.
- Bylines/Op-eds: Publish thought leadership content that leverages your research.
- Inbound PR: Optimize articles so journalists can discover your data when searching for sources.
- Podcasts: Share findings on podcasts that your audience follows.
Pro tip: Don’t just chase trends—anticipate them. Focus on uncovering real pain points that haven’t yet received much coverage. Audiences are drawn to meaningful insights on problems they genuinely face.
Influence and Recognition in the Field
Influence and recognition reflect how your expertise motivates others to take action.
These actions might include:
- Sharing links to your research, content, products/services, or brand.
- Mentioning your brand, research, or customer stories.
- Purchasing your product/service and discussing it publicly.
Recognition typically comes from seven key sources:
- Journalists
- Podcast hosts
- Bloggers
- Influencers
- Content marketers
- Customers
- Awards
The key is that influence and recognition should come from a relevant audience within your field.
Relevancy to the Audience
Effective digital PR is built on targeting the right audience—those for whom your expertise matters most.
To define this audience, ask:
- Which specific segment are you targeting?
- What personas exist within this segment?
- What archetypes or behavior patterns do these personas follow?
Journalists, editors, and content creators aim to serve their audiences with valuable, helpful content. Your PR efforts must align with the touchpoints where these audiences explore their problems and potential solutions.
The Buyer’s Journey
At its core, digital PR for SEO connects closely with the buyer’s journey (sometimes called a customer journey, influence map, or experience map).
A buyer’s journey maps out how someone discovers, considers, and decides to purchase or engage with a company.
While the classic model includes three stages—awareness, consideration, and decision—digital PR often expands on this:
- Awareness: Realizing a problem exists and being triggered to look for solutions (the value proposition stage).
- Identify: Exploring all possible solutions, including non-direct competitors like sticking with the status quo.
- Consideration: Weighing solutions similar to yours.
- Further Considerations: Looking deeper into your specific solution and researching it further.
- Decision: Choosing to move forward with your product or service.
Audiences move through these stages in different ways, encountering various touchpoints along the path. Some of these are passive, while others are actively sought out.
Six Key Touchpoints to Research
To understand where and how your audience engages, focus on these areas:
- Search engines: What keywords and intent do they use when searching on Google or Bing?
- Podcasts: Which podcasts and hosts are they listening to?
- Blogs: Which blogs rank well in search or have active communities discussing the problem and solutions?
- Press: Which journalists or media outlets do they trust?
- Newsletters: Which newsletters cover their industry or competitors?
- Social media: Which platforms—LinkedIn, Reddit, X, or emerging networks—do they use to discuss issues and solutions?
By mapping these touchpoints to the buyer’s journey, you can build integrated SEO and PR funnels that capture audience attention. You can even analyze where competitors are earning engagement and position your brand to compete more effectively.
Another Way to Look at It
To bring everything together, here’s a simple framework for viewing digital PR for SEO.
The entire approach can be broken down into four key buckets:
- What you’re creating – Content, research, or data stories that showcase expertise and provide value.
- How to select sites – Targeting publications, platforms, and outlets that your audience trusts and engages with.
- Techniques to reach sites – Pitching journalists, responding to media requests, sharing thought leadership, or leveraging podcasts and social platforms.
- The type of media – Coverage can range from press articles, blogs, and op-eds to podcasts, newsletters, and social mentions.
Unlike traditional link building, digital PR is broader, more strategic, and focused on reputation rather than just backlinks. It’s a stronger, more sustainable alternative that builds authority, trust, and recognition across multiple channels.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How is digital PR different from link building?
Link building focuses on acquiring backlinks, while digital PR is about building reputation, influence, and recognition through valuable content, media coverage, and audience trust. Links become a natural outcome, not the main goal.
Q2. Does digital PR still help with SEO rankings?
Yes. Digital PR strengthens SEO by earning high-quality mentions, increasing visibility, and improving a brand’s reputation. Google evaluates these reputation signals when determining rankings.
Q3. What types of content work best for digital PR?
Original research, expert commentary, customer stories, thought leadership articles, and data-driven studies are highly effective for attracting media attention and building credibility.
Q4. Who should I target with my digital PR efforts?
Your efforts should focus on journalists, bloggers, podcast hosts, influencers, industry publications, and platforms where your target audience actively consumes content.
Q5. Can digital PR replace link building entirely?
Yes, in many cases. Digital PR not only generates links but also builds trust, authority, and brand recognition—elements that traditional link building alone cannot achieve.
