Structured Content and AI Visibility: Why Clear Writing Now Shapes AI Answers

Structured Content and AI Visibility: Why Clear Writing Now Shapes AI Answers

by | Mar 30, 2026 | Digital PR, Posts, Public Relations, SEO

Visibility in AI-generated answers increasingly depends on three things: relevance, authority and structure. This article focuses on the third — and why structured content is becoming a bigger part of the conversation.

As users turn to AI-powered answers for information, industry analysts at Gartner predict that traditional search traffic will drop 25% by 2026, creating urgency around the need for marketers to understand Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). 

GEO is the practice of helping brands communicate to artificial intelligence (AI) systems so that they’ll appear in user conversations with AI answer engines. In most cases, GEO comes down to three pillars working together: 

  • Authority: External mentions (media coverage, backlinks, credible mentions) that help AI systems determine if a brand is trustworthy. 
  • Relevance: Onsite content that aligns with topics brands want to show up for in AI answer engines. 
  • Structure: Onsite content that AI systems can easily interpret, summarize and reuse.

While authority, relevance and structure all influence GEO, today we’ll focus on the third element — structure — as we work to understand how to create structured content that works for both humans and machines. 

What Structured Content Actually Means

Years ago, an early mentor said that reading someone’s writing was like looking through a window into how they think. It made sense that clear ideas, logically arranged on the page would signal that the thinking behind them was clear and logical as well.

Imagine structured content as the visible expression of that clarity. It refers to content that is organized in a predictable and logical way so that readers — and increasingly AI systems — can understand what it explains and why it matters.

In practice, structured content includes clear heading hierarchy, consistent terminology and defined sections with specific purposes that make sense independently from the rest of the article. It also means explaining key concepts directly rather than implying them or assuming the reader already understands them.

At its core, structured content is simply good writing.

The Real Shift: Your Content Now Has Two Audiences

Owned content now serves two audiences at the same time: the human reader and the system interpreting that content for other readers. Since AI-answer engines increasingly act as intermediaries, a potential client, journalist or partner may encounter an AI-generated summary before they ever reach your website — making the need for clear, logical content all the more necessary.

If AI systems can’t determine what your content explains or how it relates to a specific topic, it is less likely to be included in summaries. With concepts being summarized from multiple sources, structure becomes a strategic issue rather than a stylistic one. It influences how expertise is interpreted, summarized and surfaced.

For brands that rely on thought leadership, that distinction matters.

Five Principles for Structuring Content for Generative Visibility

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the structuring and publishing of content in ways that increase its likelihood of appearing in AI-generated responses.

Structured content is an important pillar of GEO because it helps AI systems interpret the other two pillars: authority, built through external mentions and links, and relevance, which comes from aligning content with the questions people ask.

The following principles strengthen that interpretability without forcing content into a rigid formula.

1. Be Clear About the Purpose — and Title — of Each Page

Each substantive piece of owned content — whether a blog post, service page or resource article — should address one primary topic. The title and the content should reinforce that same idea.

For example, a real estate development firm might publish “What Adaptive Reuse Means for Urban Office Conversions.” A healthcare organization might create “How Value-Based Care Models Work.” A manufacturing company might publish “What Supply Chain Resilience Requires in 2026.”

In each case, the subject is unmistakable.

When a page attempts to cover multiple unrelated topics, or when the title and the content point in different directions, it becomes harder for AI systems to determine what the page is about. Clear focus improves interpretability.

2. Use Headings That State Meaning

Headings should communicate substance rather than tone.

Instead of writing a heading like “Looking Ahead,” a clearer heading would be “How Adaptive Reuse Impacts Long-Term Asset Value.” Instead of “Our Approach,” use “Our Approach to Risk-Adjusted Development Planning.”

Descriptive headings act as semantic markers. They signal what a section explains without requiring interpretation.

Clear headings improve both human readability and machine understanding.

3. Define Key Terms When They Matter

Not every industry term needs explanation. But terms that are central to your positioning or frequently misunderstood should be defined clearly the first time they appear.

For example, Generative Engine Optimization can be defined as structuring and publishing content to increase visibility within AI-generated answers.

Clear definitions reduce misinterpretation and improve the accuracy of AI-generated summaries.

4. Write Sections so They Can Stand on Their Own

Each section of a page should make sense even if it is read independently from the rest of the article.

AI systems often extract a single paragraph or section rather than presenting the entire page. When a key idea depends heavily on surrounding narrative context, that idea is less likely to surface in generative results.

This does not mean writing in fragments. It means ensuring each section clearly explains its idea without requiring the reader to reconstruct the argument.

Well-defined sections improve readability for humans and interpretability for machines.

5. Structure Cannot Compensate for Sameness

Structure improves clarity, but it does not create originality.

There are several forms of sameness that limit GEO visibility. One is duplicated content, such as press releases that appear word-for-word across multiple sites through wire distribution. Another is overused messaging — language that repeats the same generic claims used across an industry. A third is repetition within your own content, where the same positioning statements appear again and again across blog posts and service pages.

AI systems tend to prioritize distinctive sources over duplicated or interchangeable material. Structure helps those distinctive ideas surface more clearly, but it cannot replace original thinking.

Structure amplifies expertise. It does not create it.

What This Means for PR

Structured content is not a technical trick reserved for SEO specialists or engineers. It is the natural extension of what good PR has always required: clear thinking, clear messaging and well-organized ideas. 

As AI-answers increasingly shape how people discover companies, your audience may encounter an AI summary before they encounter your website or a press article about you. That makes the clarity of your owned content more influential than it once was.

PR professionals are uniquely positioned to help brands with structured content. The same skills used to craft thought leadership, prepare spokespeople and shape messaging also help create structured content that explains ideas clearly and authoritatively.

In other words, structured content is not a new discipline. It is good communication applied in an environment where machines are now part of the audience. And that means PR has an important role to play in how expertise shows up in generative search.

Bring Order to Chaos with a Blog Content Calendar

Bring Order to Chaos with a Blog Content Calendar

by | Apr 27, 2022 | Content Marketing, Posts

There’s no scarier moment for a writer than staring at a blank page, wondering what you’re going to type first. That terror grows even more pronounced when you’re writing on a deadline for a paying client. While some people might thrive on that adrenaline hit, I just get a stomach ache, so I prefer to have a plan in place before opening my laptop.

Creating a content calendar is one of the best ways to bring order to the chaotic world of blogging, particularly with ongoing clients. When used correctly, these documents become a guidepost that will help you develop specific topics that are more strategic, impactful and interesting than anything you could write off the cuff. Here’s how.

Bring Order to Chaos with a Blog Content Calendar

Five Tips for Building a Content Calendar

An effective content calendar offers multiple perspectives at the same time. The macro view should enable you to look months or even years into the future while also providing specific directions for your next post at the micro-level. Your calendar should also be a constantly evolving document open to collaboration between your teammates and the client. But before we get too far down the road, let’s start by deciding where your calendar will live.

 

1. Pick Your Organization Tools

There are endless content management tools you can use to house your calendar, and I’m not here to tell you that one is inherently better than another. What matters most is finding a tool that every stakeholder will use. I prefer a shareable spreadsheet for long-term planning and collaboration. But I also use project management tools to keep assets, research and important dates for individual posts all in the same place. Your tools lay the foundation for your organization, so choose wisely.

 

2. Establish a Blogging Cadence

Once you’ve picked your tracking tools, it’s time to establish a blogging cadence. If, for example, you decide to publish twice a month, you know you’ll need to come up with 24 topics to fill out a year. In many cases, your marketing strategy or available budget will dictate your cadence, and at other times, your available resources might limit your production capacity. Either way, once you’ve established your posting frequency, you can begin developing individual topics. 

 

3. Track Events, Observances & Holidays

Every business has its own rhythms, milestones and cycles that can potentially offer blog topic inspiration. Obvious examples are tax season for accountants or Black Friday for retailers. During onboarding, you should ask about these inflection points, note them in your calendar, and then create content that supports the larger goals related to that event. 

Annual observances can also be an excellent source of content. If you’re blogging for a client in the healthcare industry, then National Nurses Day on May 6th might be interesting. You could create content for plumbers around National Skilled Trades Day on the first Wednesday of May or use National Eat Your Vegetables Day on June 17th to promote a Farmer’s Market.

The same principle applies to national holidays. The key is to marry your content calendar with the actual calendar to develop relevant content pegs and inspiration. 

 

4. Use Keywords for Inspiration

Many larger marketing teams include a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist who uses Google advertising tools to target particular keywords in online search terms. These keywords are a goldmine for bloggers who can use them to develop content that’s relevant to customers and helps boost a website’s search position. Even if you don’t have a dedicated SEO specialist on your team, there are plenty of online resources that will help you develop your own keyword lists. Any blogger worth their stripes can turn “best blue sneaker” into something interesting.

 

5. Consult the Client

Your clients will always be the experts on their business and their industry. But too often, clients don’t know what they know. Or, more specifically, they don’t see the value in what they know. That’s why it’s important to bring them into content brainstorming sessions whenever possible. It may take some coaxing and coaching, but they have a wealth of knowledge to make the content you produce more authentic and valuable for the end-user. Including the client also draws them in to the process, making them more invested in the outcome.

 

Plan Better to Create Better

With a content calendar in hand, writing doesn’t have to be a white-knuckle affair. Instead, whenever you open your laptop and face down the empty page, you’ll be armed with a relevant topic that meets a strategic goal. At the same time, you’ll be able to work ahead by assembling the assets you’ll need for future topics before you start writing. You’ve now created the framework to produce higher-quality content that packs a bigger punch — all with fewer stomach aches.

Featured Image courtesy of Jodie Cook via Unsplash
This Is Why to Use Podcasts for Digital PR

This Is Why to Use Podcasts for Digital PR

by | Mar 16, 2022 | Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Digital PR, Posts, Public Relations, SEO

Podcasts and Digital PR Go Hand-in-Hand. Here’s How.

With podcasts now cemented as a staple of many people’s media diet, it’s easy to forget how young this medium really is. The word podcast first appeared in print in 2004, and for the next five years, this new form of online radio appealed primarily to a niche audience of early adopters. A 2009 survey revealed that only 43% of Americans were aware of podcasts and audience growth remained slow for years until 2014 when the podcast Serial* became an overnight cultural phenomenon. Suddenly, podcasts were big business, and listenership doubled to 90 million over the next five years. Today, more than two million active podcasts exist, and American listenership stands at more than 100 million. Those eye-opening statistics are enough to make any public relations (PR) pro take notice. 

*Admittedly Serial was the first podcast I ever binged…it is so good!

 

The Same Principles Apply

While the podcasting medium is relatively new, the techniques PR pros use to leverage them are not. PRs learned how to harness the internet’s insatiable content appetite for their client’s benefit long ago. The same principles apply here. Not only are podcasts always hungry for new content, but many also include valuable link opportunities that support broader SEO efforts. What’s more, Google is now indexing and featuring podcast content, making these shows a critical component of every digital media list. So how do PRs begin accessing the large new audiences this medium can reach? They can start by booking podcast appearances for their clients.

 

Booking Clients on Podcasts

The most common way of leveraging the power of podcasts is by positioning a person from a company to share their opinions or insights into a relevant product, service or industry. PRs create these opportunities in the same way they do with other mediums: by building a media or target list.

 

Building a Podcast List

The audience should be your first consideration as you begin to build a list. To start to segment, I’ll put podcasts into a few broad categories: 

  • Entertainment: These podcasts cover a variety of topics and appeal to a broad group of listeners. Sports, celebrity entertainment, news, history, how-to, food & drink, etc., etc. 
  • Industry or Trade-Specific: This podcast category generally features smaller audiences. However, they’re typically more targeted and highly engaged. From a PR perspective or media relations perspecitve, think of the trade outlets or industry publications.
  • Media-Hosted: These are newsy podcasts produced by media organizations. 
  • Traditional-First Podcasts: Some organizations syndicate their radio and television programs in podcast feeds.

Once you’ve selected the categories you want to target, it’s time to find specific opportunities. We start this process with a media database search (we use Muck Rack), use podcast specific tools like Podchaser, and/or search Google. We also discover new opportunities by asking our clients what podcasts they listen to or are interested in pursuing. 

After you’ve identified several possibilities, refine your media list by asking a few critical questions:

  • Does the podcast follow an interview format? If not, there’s probably no role for your client to play.
  • How does the podcast publish? Do the episodes live on a website, or are they only hosted through one of the popular podcast syndicators? If the podcast is not hosted on a website, there is less opportunity for a valuable link or mention.
  • Do they offer an episode write-up that includes links for the guest? If so, are they follow or no-follow links? What is the podcast website’s domain authority? 
  • Is the podcast well established with a high and/or engaged audience? Are they still publishing? There are many podcasts that you will find that are no longer creating new episodes, you don’t want to pitch these.
  • Does the podcast host have a strong and engaged social following? If so, do they share podcast episodes on their social channels? 

With the answer to these questions in hand, you’ll be in a more favorable position to select the opportunities that best match your objectives. Now it’s on to the pitch.

 

Creating a Podcast Pitch

Pitching guests to podcasts can be different from pitching story ideas to the media. Sometimes you need to send an email to the host, and some podcasts have online forms you need to fill out. Other times you might pitch a producer. Each podcast approaches its booking process differently, and you’ll need to do some legwork to figure this out. 

Before sending out pitches, we often create podcast bio pages for our clients with their social media links, a short bio and topics they’re interested in discussing. You could also include links to other podcast appearances or keynote addresses they’ve given. Make sure you include the company URL in your client’s biography so when the interviewer copy-pastes that information into the show notes, you’ll get some added SEO value.

As you begin drafting your pitches, come up with a few general topics your client can talk about. Then turn those topics into specific ideas that will resonate with each podcast’s audience. Current event content is always highly desirable. Make sure to include the URL for your client’s website bio page. This cannot be a set-it-and-forget-it process. You must put thought into every pitch you send out if you want to get your clients booked.

 

Other Considerations

After you’ve booked a client and they’ve completed their interview, don’t forget to send the host or producer an after-interview thank you email. Within this note, be sure to include links to your client’s social handles, key company links and the desired headshot. Not only will these messages convey your genuine appreciation, but they’ll also serve as subtle reminders that you’d appreciate a link opportunity in return for providing valuable content.

You’ll also find many pay-to-play opportunities in the podcast world. You can evaluate these opportunities the same way you’d consider a sponsored content post. How much does it cost? What’s the reach? Will you receive a link? If so, what kind of link?

Now you have a framework for pursuing all the opportunities other people’s podcasts can bring you. However, there’s a whole other side of this media modality that can serve PRs and their clients in big, big ways. 

 

Creating Your Own Podcast

While creating your own podcast takes a lot of time and money, it also brings plenty of advantages from a content marketing perspective, particularly for link building. For starters, all the leading players like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon and Google provide descriptions that can point back to your website when you send them your podcast (only Google actually has a link, which is no-follow). However, getting the most out of your podcast from a digital PR perspective requires a few essential things.

  • You must have a place on your website to house podcast content. Otherwise, you won’t get the value of any links or mentions your podcast earns.
  • You also need to include a write-up of each podcast episode. That way, when you promote your podcast, it generates traffic and links back to your website. However, this adds another layer of time and cost to podcast content creation.

 

Booking Guests for Your Podcast

If you’re creating a podcast for digital PR purposes, you’ll also want to book guests so there will always be someone else to share the content. But booking guests brings another set of questions. Do you target big names? Or do you stick with up-and-comers?

Both approaches have their pluses and minuses. Well-known guests add credibility to your podcast and may bring their own audiences to your show. However, they’re also harder to book and may be less likely to share your content. On the other hand, up-and-comers may be more excited to appear on your show and more excited to share, but they don’t always have an existing audience you can co-opt. 

One way to solve the sharing problem is to follow up with your guests after the interview or when the podcast launches, asking them to share it on their social feeds. You can also include suggested post copy to make the sharing process as easy as possible. Sometimes that soft extra nudge is all it takes.

 

A Tool You Should Learn to Use

Podcasts are an incredibly effective tool to share your client’s message with targeted and engaged audiences. They can also play a critical role in link-building strategies for PRs who want to help their clients leverage every possible benefit from these hard-won opportunities. As the popularity of podcasts continues to grow, PRs everywhere should become podcast experts. If not, they risk missing out on valuable opportunities and exposure for their clients and themselves.

Featured Image courtesy of Soundtrap via Unsplash
Staying Ahead of the Puck that is Google with Michael Cottam [Podcast]

Staying Ahead of the Puck that is Google with Michael Cottam [Podcast]

by | Feb 24, 2021 | Podcast, Public Relations, SEO

Staying Ahead of the Puck that is Google with Michael Cottam

“I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” — Wayne Gretzky.

Somewhere in the middle of the PR Talk conversation I had with Michael Cottam he cited this quote in reference to how he approaches search marketing. This means that Michael doesn’t just focus on what Google is doing, he broadens his view to what Google will be doing. There couldn’t be a more fascinating way to think about the ever-evolving topic of search, and especially how it relates to PR.

Michael Cottam is a renowned search engine optimization (SEO) expert who many in the search industry already know. Beyond providing highly-coveted search consultation for clients, Michael is the founder of Visual Itineraries, which he calls his SEO “sandbox” because it is where he tests search theories for clients.

Always full of great information, I am normally talking with Michael either at a busy conference or while collaborating on a mutual client. So I took this dedicated time to really dig in and get my questions answered. Even if my questions are in the weeds or are very technical, I don’t care because it will help us help Veracity’s SEO PR clients!

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Battle of the SEOs: Does Michael Agree with Rand About Links?

First, I had to know if Michael agreed or disagreed with Rand Fiskin’s notion that links are not nearly as important as they once were for SEO (check out the last PR Talk interview with Rand titled “The Wall Street Journal Problem” for more context). 

Michael wholeheartedly agreed with Rand. 

The backstory is that Google used to rank web pages higher in search engines by relying on quantifying their external links. But now, Google has improved its ability to recognize quality content within web pages. While links are still important, websites that thoroughly cover specific topics will in turn rank for those specific topics.

 

Google’s E-A-T Attempts to Take the Consumer’s Place

Michael explains that in addition to links, Google is now considering “E-A-T,” which stands for “Expertise, Authority and Trust,” to rank web pages. For example, Google can determine the authority of a web page by attempting to discover who wrote the page and then follow a trail back to previous content by that author. If the author has written authoritative posts and been included (mentioned) as a source in other websites, Google will consider them an expert, thus trusting the page. Therefore, thought leader names are becoming just as important, or possibly even more important, than company names — in terms of establishing credibility and resulting SEO.  

Since Veracity handles a lot of guest article placement for thought leaders, I wanted to dig into this concept further. I would think that name credibility could be built by landing many guest article placements. However, Michael said that interviews (or getting names included in articles) by credible third-party sources (such as reporters) are just as important. You want a mix of both to build your thought leader’s name, as well as the company name. 

The E-A-T concept allows Google to mechanically re-create what consumers would see along the decision-making process and ultimately what websites they would click on. In this way, Google essentially acts like a consumer to serve its customers (web searchers).

 

Schema Markup Can Help Us Tier Press Lists

Back to my favorite topics of links, if all else is equal, of course you’d place more intrinsic value on the website article that also provides a followed link to your website. However, we could also review the “schema markup” (a type of structured data) of web pages. This hidden code enables search engines to understand what the page actually is about — so it can more readily appear in searches. For example, appropriate schema markup will tell Google that a webpage is really a press article, as well as who published and wrote it. 

PR people should not inquire or advise press/web contacts about schema markup. This is a much bigger deal than simply asking the press to add a link into a previously written article.  Additionally, there are ways we can discover who is using ideal schema markup in order to tier websites/press by using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or Rich Results Test to see if the site is using structured data (see more about these tools in this Search Engine Land article).

 

Are No-Follow Links the Devil?

For a long time we have been talking about no-follow links not being very great for SEO. However, Mike Rosenberg has been unsure about this for a while, so we posed the question to Michael Cottam.

He said that Google cares very much about “user-generated links” (links generated by others), which are found on social media sites, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, and on forums and places like Reddit and Quora. You want a mix of outside press (links and/or mentions from other websites) and buzz from user-generated links, which are no-follow, because they show what is hot right now.

However, there should be a natural bell curve pattern in the links. You don’t want to do a bunch of Facebook ads to generate comments and links for users at only one time. Ideally, you’d get some outside press coverage first and then share that article on social media (with some budget behind it) to show Google that people are also talking about you, which will increase the search impact of the original article.

 

We talked about so much more in the interview. More detailed questions — such as how to approach keywords when writing press materials — were answered. And larger topics, such as: 1) how search and PR teams can effectively work together, and 2) if search and PR could ever be combined into one role. That was an easy no!

 

Don’t Miss an Episode

You can access more great episodes by subscribing to the PR Talk podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio and Spotify.

About the guest: Michael Cottam

Michael Cottam is the founder of Visual Itineraries, a sales closing and lead-generation tool for travel agents, and is an independent SEO consultant, focusing on technical organic search engine optimization, Panda optimization, and Google penalty recovery. The former SEMpdx board member is currently involved in the Rotary Club of Greater Bend, where he recently moved to be closer to the outdoors. 

Connect and follow Michael on social media:

Michael Cottam technical seo consultant

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

Engage Preview with Wil Reynolds, Seer Interactive [Podcast]

Engage Preview with Wil Reynolds, Seer Interactive [Podcast]

by | Mar 4, 2020 | Digital Marketing, Industry News, Podcast, Public Relations, SEO

Engage Preview: Wil Reynolds and the Power of Data

If you’ve ever attended Portland’s Engage Conference (formerly Searchfest), you’ve probably seen Wil Reynolds speak. He’s a long-term Engage presenter, as well as the founder and director of strategy for Seer Interactive in Philadelphia.

With Engage right around the corner, PR Talk host Amy Rosenberg talked with Wil for a preview of his upcoming presentation and for a discussion about how data will change marketing forever. If you haven’t purchased your Engage tickets yet, there’s time. During the conference, you’ll join the area’s search and marketing all-stars for two full days of learning at Portland’s Sentinel Hotel, March 12th & 13th!

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An Unexpected Career

Wil began his interview by referring to himself as a heads-down worker who’s not much into personal branding. However, this humbleness disguises his tremendous success. Seer Interactive, which Wil founded in 2002, is a search, social and analytics agency employing more than 200 people in Philadelphia and San Diego.

Wil never wanted to work in marketing or build a business. Instead, he went to school to be a teacher. When he started his professional career in 1999, times were tough. Wil spent 18 months knocking on doors before finally landing a job. A few years later, Wil’s manager at another firm declined his request to work through lunch so he could leave early for a volunteer opportunity. He quit soon after and started his own company. For Wil, entrepreneurship was a necessity rather than a goal.

These days, Wil’s immersed in data — specifically paid search data — which in Wil’s mind holds the key to so many business answers.

“When you understand that somebody’s looking for an answer, I think it’s a really cool job to figure out how to answer their question,” he said.

Taking Data Away From Search People

In what has become something of a controversial opinion, Wil believes the biggest problem with search data is that it got in the hands of search people. He thinks of Google as an “intent engine,” which contains customer insight that can help businesses build new products, better understand customer experience and so much more. As a result, this data belongs in the hands of key decision-makers at the center of a business. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to extract meaningful data from all the digital noise. This is where Wil comes in.

By focusing on bringing meaningful data into one place, Wil’s team can answer client questions with speed and accuracy. “I thought I knew things before I got good at data,” Wil says. Most marketers fall back on their limited experience or best practices when making recommendations to their clients. While these recommendations may be correct most of the time, they will always lead a certain number of clients down the wrong path. Wil’s approach is different. By using good data that’s easily accessible, his team makes fewer wrong guesses and delivers better results for his clients in the process.

 

Data is the Future of Marketing

As Wil sees it, data mastery represents the future of marketing. “We like to build the engine that creates tentacles that other types of marketing can take advantage of if they’re willing to invite us in,” he says. Wil plans to expand on this theme during his presentation at Engage, where he’ll talk about how to use massive amounts of data at scale to better optimize all parts of your business.

This topic is especially critical for CMOs, who, as a group, are under attack right now. CMOs, in general, are not good at data and not good at answering questions the way CFOs are. This disconnect creates the impression that CMOs don’t bring the same value that other c-suite members do. This is also why CMOs are paid less than other c-suiters and are usually the first to go during restructuring.

When asked how Engage SEO and SEM attendees will react to his view that they shouldn’t own search data, Wil acknowledges the tension. He understands that his message is sometimes controversial because it invalidates the thing that makes search marketing pros feel valuable. But, in his view, this approach is all about improvement.

“I hope I put things to people in a way that makes them think a little bit differently, and that thinking leads to eventual change in terms of the work we do every day for our clients.”

Purchase Your Engage Tickets Today 

Listen to the entire episode to hear more from Wil Reynolds — including why he can’t wait for the next recession. Wil will also be giving the morning keynote presentation during the second day of the Engage Marketing Conference at Portland’s Sentinel Hotel. So purchase your tickets today. 

As always, if you’d like to stay up-to-date with all the latest in PR, subscribe to the PR Talk Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify.

About the guest: Wil Reynolds

Wil started Seer Interactive in 2002 as a one-man operation out of his living room. Today, Seer is home to over 200 employees across Philadelphia and San Diego. In his free time, Wil hangs out with his wife Nora, sons Rio and Niko and pup Coltrane. He also serves Philadelphia’s homeless and runaway youth at Covenant House, where he participates in a yearly sleep out.

Connect and follow Wil on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

Maximizing PR for SEO: Mike Rosenberg: CommCon2019 [Podcast]

Maximizing PR for SEO: Mike Rosenberg: CommCon2019 [Podcast]

by | May 1, 2019 | Digital Marketing, Podcast, Public Relations, SEO

Traditional PR Transformation: Maximizing PR for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

I will be presenting at PRSA Oregon’s CommCon event on May 3rd to help PR and communications professionals add SEO to their marketing toolbox. With a short history lesson, the overall basics of SEO and some specific how-tos, I hope attendees will realize that they are already doing many SEO-worthy activities. A little extra work and strategic planning can pay major dividends.

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Presentation Abstract:

Many traditional communications professionals may be surprised to learn they’ve been part of the “IT” crowd all along. In fact, we’re leading the way. Due to continued competition and Google’s ever-evolving ranking algorithms, it continues to be difficult to achieve high rankings in Google for a website. Instead of completely removing “traditional” PR’s role, now the most technical search marketer must rely on our savvy to take their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to the next level.

This presentation will offer attendees a deeper understanding of the SEO game, instilling them with the confidence, language and basic understanding to insert their skillset into any digital or website discussion. We’ll then delve into how to transform typical PR strategies to include SEO results. And finally, we’ll offer hands-on practical tips that should be infused into any digital PR campaign.

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.