The digital revolution has been changing the practice of PR for some time now. My first class on digital PR and social media launched more than 10 years ago.
Most PR practitioners now feel comfortable with social media, but some of the more technical aspects of digital PR still cause their eyes to glaze over. The connection between domain authority and PR is one of those.
So, what is domain authority and why is it important to PR?
Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). A Domain Authority score ranges from one to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater ability to rank.
In simple English – when a website has a high domain authority score it gets more attention from the search engines and ranks higher than other websites. The volume of content on the internet is vast – and growing daily. In one way it’s good for us. There are so many more opportunities to get your branded content published.
And this is where the DA come in. It’s a valuable tool for PR . It allows us to compare websites and decide which ones would give us the best bang for our PR buck. Instead of the broad shot approach – publish everywhere and hope for the best – why not find the websites with high DA and concentrate on getting published where your content will be seen by the right audience on a trusted site with good visibility online.
Just as with print publications, the top tier websites are harder to pitch. But you can still use the DA to guide your content strategy.
The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer showed a marked downtrend in trust and revealed that people don’t know where or who to turn to for reliable information. According to this report, 70% of people say brand trust is important when making purchasing decisions. HubSpot’s Research Trust Survey show that more than half of the respondents trust companies less than before.
How do you build this trust?
It’s not only built solely on relational factors anymore. It relies heavily on online sources, such as reviews, social media, and online news and information.
Without this shift, Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb would be nothing more than pipe dreams. These once small startups understood how to leverage the new dimensions of trust and grew into thriving enterprises.
How can you include this information in your PR plans?
- Embrace the fact that trust is vital to your success as a brand.
- Figure out a content strategy that will build trust and thought leadership.
- Put together a “media” list of websites, blogs, influencers, and news sites that could publish your content.
- Use the domain authority of these sites to forward your content impact.
- Think about the possibility of content partnerships with some of these online news publishers.
- Build a community online and nurture that group with relevant content that builds trust and loyalty.
- Listen to your community.
- Learn how to use data and analytics to discover what your customers or clients want to know.
- Share content that your customers and followers can use right away.
- Always be open to the concerns of your community
Need help with building a loyal and engaged community online? Call us 626 676 6419
