Your website may be your most important marketing and communication tool because more people view your web pages than any other tool. Your website can convey a tremendous amount of information and create active engagement opportunities for users. It can be your ultimate PR tool – and yet communicators often overlook the value of a website. Read in this article about 7 ways to use your website for PR advantages.
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Headlines are online everywhere – in email subject lines, blog titles, social media posts, meta descriptions and page titles. They powerfully attract a reader’s initial attention and are likely to determine if the reader will continue to read the rest of the content. So what type of online headlines are the most effective? Point-first headlines produce best results. A point-first headline begins with the main point you are trying to make to the reader. The headline frames the rest of the reader experience in reading the piece.
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Is there a point of convergence between public relations and SEO? PR practitioners used to play the all-important role of developing and implementing public messages largely through media relations. This role is still relevant in the modern business environment, but the internet is a different playing field altogether. SEO is now a huge factor in determining communication success. Here are several tips to help PR pros to use SEO and analytics to make an online impact.
Read moreIn the past, we were told our Google results page would need to show our site at the top to be effective. These days, we are better off: As long as we appear within the first 5 results, we have around a 10–20% chance of getting a click and a 40–80% chance of getting a look. In a detailed summary of today’s typical search engine results page (SERP), which is mostly about Google results, ...
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Blogging is a key part of our digital environment: more than half of marketers say blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority. In view of this, you should capitalize on the power of blogging and writing articles.
Read moreThis article by Mark Macias explains the options for removing commercially or legally sensitive material from Google and other search engine archives. Out of curiosity, we all like to Google ourselves to see what is said about us in the search engine, but what happens when Google turns up results we don't like? How do we get our name removed from search engines when the material is damaging? A reputable financial consultant discovered one ...
Read moreFor some reason, informational web pages about organizations can be difficult to find or they give only minimal or formal information. It should be easy for visitors to your website to find out the basics of your organization, large or small. But surprisingly often, this important information is hard to find or is even missing. An 'About Us' or 'About [the name of your organization]' page should give concise summary information (but not just ...
Read moreWeb design and writing expert Jakob Nielsen has unearthed many important facts from his research about website visitors. His latest study shows that users hunt for facts online, so factually rich content will attract readers and keep their attention. Here is his summary of findings: Emphasize facts There's so much corporate jargon and waffle in websites that straight talk stands out. Journalists - the ultimate fact seekers When journalists used corporate websites in the ...
Read moreHeadlines are the most important part of any written content. Advertising legend David Ogilvy pointed this out decades ago, and his words are still quoted. Ogilvy said in his classic book Confessions of an Advertising Man in 1963: "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.” But Ogilvy’s often-quoted comment related only to advertising – and he died in 1999, before the internet really got going. ...
Read moreReflecting today's more complex issues, today’s search engine results pages can have many possible complex layouts, and users don’t always process search results sequentially. Their attention on a page tends to jump around more across the page than in the past, and has been compared to the pattern in a pinball game. A traditional pinball machine arcade game (left in the image) is a glass-covered cabinet using an angled play field with various bumpers, ...
Read moreManaging or supervising a hybrid PR team can be challenging when you want to achieve effective coordination and communication. It
Many people hate the idea of playing office/organizational politics. But staying out of such activities may hold back your career
The public relations field has changed remarkably in the past decade. Hiring practices have also changed as a result -
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