Using SEO as a PR Metric - Measurement Base Camp Winter 2024 - Greg Jarboe - Feb 6.pptx

"Using SEO as a PR Metric" presentation by Greg Jarboe of SEO-PR at Paine Publishing's Measurement Base Camp Winter 2024

1. Using SEO as a PR Metric Greg Jarboe President and co-founder, SEO-PR Measurement Base Camp Winter 2024 Tuesday , February 6, 2024

2. Publishers and news sites are using SEO metrics, and you should be using SEO as a PR metric, too The New York Times , CNN, and other major news sites use SEO metrics. When they started using SEO back in 2006, there was initial pushback from journalists. But 5-25% of a news site’s search traffic now comes from Google News, according to the Nieman Journalism Lab. You can use SEO as a PR metric, too. SEO-PR started using SEO metrics back in 2003 and we’ve taught SEO best practices to a variety of organizations – including publishers and news sites. Today, I’ll share the latest tips and strategies with you.

3. Incorporate SEO into your measurement program

4. Most communications professionals learned about Lasswell’s model of communications back in college Professor Harold Lasswell’s model of communication was developed in 1939 and published in 1948. As the Chief of the Experimental Division for the Study of War Time Communications during World War II, he had analyzed German propaganda and found five elements impacted the effectiveness of communication via mass media: Who : The sender. Says what : The message. In which channel : The medium. To whom : The receiver. With what effect : The outcome.

5. Lasswell’s model of communication was one of the first and most influential models of communication In 1939, it was conceived specifically to analyze German propaganda via newspapers, magazines, posters, radio broadcasts, newsreels, and rallies. After the model was declassified in 1948, it was used by many marketing and communication textbooks as a general model of communication. Most communications professionals have focused on measuring outputs (clippings) instead of outtakes (surveys) and outcomes (anecdotes).

6. I was one of the first to realize that Google News had reversed the classic model of communication Who : Identify your target audiences. Seeks what : Find relevant keywords your target audience is likely to use. In which channel : Use one of the press release distribution services crawled by Google News. From whom : Make sure your press release headline actually includes your target keywords. With what effect : Add links to related website content and measure results.

7. Katie Paine said back in 2003: “What a concept: Totally measurable results from your PR agency!” This counter-intuitive model of communication combines SEO and PR to generate traffic, leads, or sales, as well as publicity. This counter-intuitive model has also enabled my boutique agency and a wide variety of clients to get credit for our contribution to the bottom line. I’ve been teaching this class at Market Motive since 2007, in the Rutgers Mini-MBA Program since 2010, and at Measurement Base Camp since 2020.

8. Optimize your press releases

9. Think about the words users would type to find your release and then conduct keyword research Like consumer research, keyword research can help communications professionals discover what words that people would use to look for their content. Google Search Essentials say: “Use words that people would use to look for your content, and place those words in prominent locations on the page, such as the title and main heading of a page, and other descriptive locations such as alt text and link text.” Source: Google Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines)

10. Here’s a list of a few places to find keywords and some tools for conducting ad hoc keyword research Places to find keywords: Google Trends . Autocomplete in Google News. Autocomplete in Google. “People also ask…” boxes in Google. Related searches boxes in Google. Keyword research tools: Answer the Public . Keyword Tool.io . Moz Keyword Explorer . SEMRush Keyword Magic Tool . SpyFu . Source: Greg Jarboe, SEO-PR, “ What is the best keyword research tool for SEO? (It’s your brain!) ,” Sept. 25, 2019

11. Enter your brand name and up to 4 competitors into Google Trends to see your share of search By default, Google Trends shows you the web search trends for the past 12 months. Now, click on the Web Search tab and select News Search. This shows you the news search interest in these terms. Now, click on the Past 12 months tab and select the past 7 days. Now, scroll down and look at the related queries for these terms. Source: https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=US

12. The engineers who developed the Google News algorithm seem to have used the inverted pyramid The headline is the most important news SEO factor. Headlines should be clear, concise and more than 2 and less than 22 words long. Subheads are weighed slightly more heavily than body copy. Subheads must stay true to the story, may contain relevant synonyms. Include keywords that relate to your subject in the first few sentences. Google’s systems analyze the content to assess whether it contains information that might be relevant and helpful.

13. Google’s news algorithms are now designed to help users find timely, trustworthy news and information Does your headline provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content ? Does your content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis ? Does your content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic ? Does your content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious ?

14. Add links to help people find interesting, related content on your site and measure your results The primary reason to add links to a press release is to help people find interesting, related content on your site, when it’s available. But you can also use Google’s free Campaign URL Builder tool to help you measure your results. This tool allows you to easily add campaign parameters to your URLs so you can track Custom Campaigns in Google Analytics. You also have the option of converting the long tracking URL to a short link. Source: Google Analytics Demos & Tools, Campaign URL Builder

15. You need to use a press release distribution service or have a newsroom that’s indexed by Google News Several press release distribution services are indexed by Google News, including: BusinessWire.com. PRNewswire.com. GlobeNewswire.com. If you primarily publish press releases on your site or within a particular section URL of your domain, then it may be crawled if your site is popular. For an example, take a look at the Kodak Press Center . Source: https://www.kodak.com/lk/en/corp/press_center/default.htm#

16. Measure what matters

17. Here’s part one of a case study that shows you how to use GA4 to make better data driven decisions GA4 measures our contribution to outputs, outtakes, and outcomes. Yes, this represents a paradigm shift. But it also enables us to get a seat at the big table where the decisions are made. Now, I’ll show you how to use GA4 to make better data driven decisions. Katie and I just used Google’s Campaign URL Builder tool to add campaign parameters to URLs in a series of LinkedIn and Facebook posts about this course. Our goal was to drive new users to a landing page and generate leads (e.g., “Click here to register now”}. We not only measured our PR campaign in GA4, but also learned something new.

18. I wrote a 1,150-word chronological narrative from scratch about four award-winning case studies In 2005, SEO-PR and Southwest Airlines linked $2.5 million in ticket sales to four optimized press releases. In 2010, SEO-PR and SES Conference & Expo “put butts in seats” at a series of events during the Great Recession. In 2013, SEO-PR and Get City Dealz drove an 85% increase in referral traffic in February over January. In 2019, SEO-PR and Rutgers generated 27% of the leads for a new online master’s degree program.

19. I used ChatGPT 3.5 to draft a 500-word listicle of five reasons to elevate your PR game with GA4 ChatGPT’s first draft was too chirpy. “Hey fellow PR and communications enthusiasts! Are you ready to take your campaigns and programs to the next level? Say hello to your new secret weapon: Google Analytics 4 (GA4)!” The second draft provided 5 reasons why GA4 was a “game-changing” tool: Precision meets insight . Short-term wins, long-term growth . 360-degree attribution . Data privacy, front and center . A skill that sets you apart .

20. I used Bard to draft helpful content that is 550-words long using a spiral approach to instruction The initial focus of instruction is the basic facts of a subject. GA4 is the future of Google Analytics . GA4 is more powerful than UA . GA4 is more privacy-focused . Further details are then introduced, similar to the inverted pyramid. GA4 can help you track the impact of your earned media . GA4 can help you identify your target audience . GA4 can help you track the success of your campaigns over time .

21. I used Claude 2 to draft a Q&A that is only 325 words long with 5 questions and 5 short answers Q : How can GA4 benefit PR and communications professionals? A : GA4 can help PR and comms pros better understand campaign performance and optimize efforts. Q : What key metrics can I track with GA4 for PR? A : Website traffic, referrals, backlinks, social media engagement, email open/click rates, lead generation, content engagement, brand awareness surveys and more.

22. Analyzing the landing page report helped us learn what worked – and provided some bigger surprises Here’s what we were looking for: 550-word spiral post drafted with help from Bard generated 8 new users . 1,150-word chronological story written from scratch generated 7 new users . 500-word listicle drafted with help from ChatGPT 3.5 generated 5 new users . 325-word Q&A drafted with help from Claude 2 generated 1 new user . But here’s what we discovered: Direct traffic generated 122 new users and 3 conversions . PRSA.org referrals generated 9 new users and 1 conversion .

23. link:https ://painepublishing.com/training-education/ga4-for-pr-and-comms-course/

24. If you click on the image in Katie’s post on LinkedIn, then you go directly to the GA4 landing page

25. I wrote an 800-word chronological narrative from scratch about eight award-winning case studies 21% of initial revenues for SEMPO in 2003. $2.5 million in ticket sales for Southwest Airlines in 2004. 1.3 million searches for “florists” on SuperPages.com in 2005. 450,000 unique visitors to The Christian Science Monitor ’s site in 2006. 1,199 attendees to the Wharton Economic Summit in 2007. 36% increase in searches for Better Homes and Gardens in 2008. 859 inbound links to Parents magazine’s website in 2009. 3x return on marketing investment for Rutgers University in 2010. Source: Greg Jarboe, LinkedIn, “ Do you need Digital PR or Google Analytics 4 training courses? ,” Oct. 20, 2023

26. I used ChatGPT-3.5, which drafted a 600-word listicle with 10 items after I had revised my prompt Data-Driven Decision Making. Audience Understanding. User Journey Analysis. Conversion Tracking. Multi-Platform Tracking. Improved Privacy Compliance. Event Tracking. Real-Time Insights. Content Performance Analysis. Competitive Advantage. Source: Greg Jarboe, LinkedIn, “ Elevate Your PR & Communications Game with Google Analytics 4! ,” Oct. 21, 2023

27. I then used Bard, which drafted 550 words of helpful content – again using a spiral approach GA4 is a powerful tool that can help PR pros track: Specific user interactions, such as article clicks, video views, and social media engagement. The number of visitors coming to a website from specific media outlets. The entire customer journey. GA4 also offers a number of features that PR professionals can use: Cross-platform measurement. Machine learning-powered insights. Data-driven attribution. Source: Greg Jarboe, LinkedIn, “ Google Analytics 4: The PR Pro's Secret Weapon for Measuring Impact ,” Oct. 22, 2023

28. I used Claude 2, which drafted a 350-word Q&A with 5 short answers to 5 concise questions again Q : How does Google Analytics 4 help measure awareness and engagement for PR campaigns? A : Features like scroll tracking and time spent on page can show how far visitors scroll and how long they engage with content. This demonstrates awareness and interest. Event tracking can show actions like video views, clicks, downloads that show engagement. Source: Greg Jarboe, LinkedIn, “ Q&A: How to Measure PR Success with Google Analytics 4 ,” Oct. 23, 2023

29. Helpful content using a spiral approach generated more new users, but listicles generated more leads When I analyzed the landing page report in GA4, I discovered: Bard’s helpful content using a spiral approach generated 10 users and 1 lead . My chronological narratives written from scratch generated 8 users but 0 leads . ChatGPT’s listicles generated 5 users and 4 leads . Claude’s Q&As generated 6 users and 2 leads . But Katie’s image link generated 151 users and 5 leads . So, add image links to all your posts.

30. Going forward, you will want to know how to use GA4 to show your contribution to the bottom line Today, I told you why adding campaign parameters to URLs can help you measure PR campaigns in UA. Thankfully, this works in GA4 as well. Next week, I’ll cover 6 more important things you need to lean about GA4: Who needs an editor’s role? What does Google mean by “events”? Where do you create conversions? When should you build PR audiences? Why is data-driven attribution better? How do you analyze GA4’s reports?