A look at SEO strategy from a media perspective
So far we have looked at how SEO strategy impacts businesses and PR professionals, and now we look how it impacts the media.
The editorial office, not previously seen as a natural place for SEO strategy to be is now commonplace across the world. In this installment of the series we look at why editorial teams care about SEO.
Battle of business
The latest tech gadget is launched at some extravagant press launch which includes some global music superstar and questionable dancing. Editorial teams across the globe rush to get their ‘hands on’ reports filed, or a news story around the launch – but why?
Being first with the news is an age-old challenge for some media outlets, and to be pipped to the post by competition can be frustrating. However, that isn’t the only thing impacting the media these days. Being ranked top on search engines is a focus of publishing houses.
Battle of time
A modern-day publishing house with its editorial teams is at polar opposite to one of 10 years ago. The impact of SEO strategy wouldn’t have even been on editorial teams’ radar back then. However, changes in the industry, rise of digital amongst other elements, means that editorial teams need to be more nimble than ever before, flexing to the ever-changing demands of the consumer. The battle for time from the consumer is one of the challenges facing editorial teams. The average adult in the UK spends nearly nine hours of each day on media and communication, according to research by Ofcom.
Battle of editorial vs SEO
In order to achieve the top spot in search engine rankings editorial teams are looking to content – their weapon of choice in the SEO battle – by publishing articles to help boost their SEO rankings. Putting into place SEO strategy. That said, the double edged sword comes in the form of the play-off drawing the line between pure SEO and pure editorial content. It could be tricky to keep the two separate, and that is a difficult decision to make as to where to draw the line.
Over the series we have looked at SEO strategy from the perspective of businesses, the PR industry and the media. The impact of SEO on those industries is great, and pretending otherwise would be foolish. With the ongoing algorithm changes and changing consumer behaviour it is important for people to pick their battles. Taking one approach isn’t going to work, but looking at the whole picture and approaching it in a collaborative way can. The push in SEO and its technology is forcing businesses, PRs and media closer together as a coherent group to win the battle of being ranked no.1.