The document discusses how public relations (PR) is well positioned to lead search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. It notes that SEO is no longer just technical but focuses on creating great content and user experiences. Google rewards sites with compelling content and links from trusted sites. The document provides guidance on how to develop an effective content strategy for SEO, including understanding audiences, creating different types of content, promoting content, and measuring effects. It emphasizes that PR should be involved from the start to align content with audiences and build relationships to drive traffic.

1. T H E C O N V E R G E N C E
IMPERATIVE
Why PR is Positioned to Rule SEO

2. LET’S START BY DISPELLING A FEW MYTHS
SEO IS JUST
TECHNICAL

3. GOOGLE HAS CHANGED

4. SEO IS NOT ROCKET SURGERY

5. IT’S NOT ROCKET SURGERY “ Google rewards sites that deliver
great content and a compelling user
experience to their users
Tw e e t t h a t ,
Fool

6. THE BASICS
(IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS)

7. HOW GOOGLE WORKS
SEARCH STARTS WITH THE WEB. IT’S MADE UP OF OVER 60 TRILLION
INDIVIDUAL PAGES
AND IT’S CONSTANTLY GROWING

8. HOW GOOGLE WORKS
Google navigates the web by
CRAWLING
Software called “spiders” follows
links from page to page.

9. HOW GOOGLE WORKS
Google then stores the crawled pages in an INDEX Capturing a wide range of information about the page
It’s over 100
million gigabytes

10. HOW GOOGLE WORKS
When a search is entered, Google uses
ALGORITHMS
To rank the results and deliver users the most relevant results.
We use +200
factors to rank
the results

11. THE ROLE OF SEO
40.0%
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Enquiro
(2007)
Chi9ka
(2010)
Slingshot
(2011)
CTR BY POSITION

12. TO BE AN SEO SUPERHERO
GET MORE LINKS

14. GOOGLE: NO LONGER FOOLED
> In 2011, Google launched
major updates designed to
stop spammers
> As a result, SEO has become
an earned media approach

15. GOOGLE LOVES
PUBLIC RELATIONS

16. SITES GOOGLE LOVES
COMPELLING CONTENT
1
UX
GREAT USER EXPERIENCE
2
LINKS FROM TRUSTED SITES
3
TECHNICAL GEEKERY
4

17. PUTTING PR TO WORK
1. Become a hunter
2. Develop killer content
3. Give it a home
4. Market and promote the content
5. Get the basics right

19. WITHOUT CONTENT,
YOU DO NOT EXIST

20. “
Content is the currency for building
social relationships that boost
earned media
@LeeOdden

21. WE’RE ALREADY IN THE
CONTENT BUSINESS
Messaging
Press Releases
Pitches
Blog Posts
Editorials
Guest Posting
White Papers
Social Media
Events

22. SO, WHAT MAKES CONTENT “GREAT”
Original Simple Valuable &
Useful Entertains Emotional

23. ABOVE ALL, CONTENT MUST BE
RELEVANT
TO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

24. 5 1Content
STEPS TO 2Content
AN EFFECTIVE 3 CONTENT 4 STRATEGY 5 Distribute
Strategy Planning Creative & Market Analyze
> Understand your
brand identify and
positioning
> Core messaging
> Personality
> Curation strategy
> Audit existing
content
> Governance
> Plan & Schedule
topics
> Staffing
> Copywriting
> Design asset
production
> QA Compliance
> Market across brand
channels: owned,
earned and paid
> Pitch to online
influencers
> Gauge interest and
engagement
> Use tagged analytics
to gain larger view of
trends

25. QUICK START GUIDE
Who is your audience?
Why will they care about you?
What are you doing to earn their interest?
What incentive do they have to share?
Finding Topics
> Ask your sales team
> Map the buying cycle
> Q/A Sites – Quora,
Yahoo! Answers, etc.
> Mine social media
> Follow industry, peers

26. CONTENT PLANNING FRAMEWORK
HYGIENE
Low cost content
designed to be regularly
created and optimized to
serve as inbound
content for longer-tail
search traffic.
HUB
Content that is more
involved in production and
is designed to give a fresh
perspective.
HERO
Large-scale, high cost content
that is designed to attract
attention and serve as a basis
for driving public relations
outreach efforts.

27. LATEST RESEARCH
Study: 83% of Web Content Unfit for
Human Consumption

29. TELLING YOUR STORY
Marketing the Content
> PR should be involved from outset
> Ensure content aligned with audience
> Build and nurture relationships
> Custom pitches
> Utilize social media

30. PUTTING
IT ALL
TOGETHER

31. PR LEADS TO A
MORE HOLISTIC
SEARCH PRESENCE

32. WHAT WE DIDN’T TALK ABOUT TODAY
KEYWORDS PRESS RELEASES

33. Nothing wor“th havin
ELASTICITY
+
THERE
IS
NO
FRESH
BROCCOLI
g comes easy
- Theodore Roosevelt

34. FOUR TAKEAWAYS
1 2 3 4
SEARCH IS STILL
NUMBER ONE
THE DAYS OF
GAMING THE
SYSTEM ARE GONE
YOU MUST BE
WILLING TO INVEST
AND BECOME A
PUBLISHER
WITH A COMMAND
OF CONTENT AND A
ROLODEX, PR IS AT
THE VANGUARD OF
MODERN SEO

35. ANDREW
BARNETT THANK YOU
CONTACT
@andybarnett
GoElastic.com
GET THE SLIDES!
WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/ELASTICITY