AI + PR = SEO
By now we’ve become numb to the headlines touting how AI is disrupting this industry and that.
But one disruption that could directly impact you is search.
Google has been the undisputed king of the hill when it comes to search, and even they are testing AI snippets before showing search results.
But beyond Google, the slew of AI chatbots are gradually increasing in popularity: ChatGPT, Claude AI, Grok/xAI, Gemini, Perplexity AI search.
Headlines recently have announced deals between AI firms and media properties, where the chatbots have permission to scrape their news stories for use in their LLM.
“In the months since OpenAI officially launched ChatGPT Search in October, referrals from the chatbot have shot up for many publishers, but by far the most cited news source has been The New York Post, with 760,000 clicks.”
This has potential profound implications on your search visibility in the future.
It’s not a stretch to imagine a future where, if you aren’t mentioned in news articles, you are invisible to AI.
That means that PR could be the best and only way to do SEO in an AI-driven search landscape.
Even before AI, PR was one of the best ways to boost SEO.
Getting brand mentions or a backlink from a high domain authority news website is gold to Google’s algorithm.
With AI, PR is a must-have if you don’t want to become invisible.
Here are 3 things you can do right away.
Good
Write a press release and put it on a reputable wire service (we prefer GlobeNewswire, but BusinessWire and PR Newswire are also solid choices).
Yes, a release that’s syndicated automatically on news sites doesn’t have a ton of organic value.
But at the very least it gets your brand on these sites so AI chatbots see them. Consider it a minimum level of visibility to AI.
Better
No time or budget to do full blown media relations campaigns?
Then consider doing pay-for-placement articles.
These are ones that look completely organic (no “paid” or “promotional” or “sponsored” tags) to both the reader and the AI LLM.
If you’d like to learn more about these pay for play articles, let me know as we have access to curated high quality articles.
Best
Any company serious about their brand and growth will invest in PR.
In an AI search future, brands who are all-in with public relations are the ones who will come out the winner.
If OpenAI is signing deals with The New York Post, how valuable would it be if you were in one of their articles? Or the AP, USA Today and The Guardian, who have all signed deals?
In essence, getting constant media mentions both in top tier and trade publications almost guarantees that AI will see you as the most important brand in your space for any queries.
I purposely did a “Good Better Best” list so you can take action and not have paralysis by analysis.
Do something. Anything.
Action action action is paramount in a world speeding towards an AI future.
Need an action plan? Contact Firecracker PR today, and let us help you figure out how to dominate the AI future.