How has a tweak in its search
results saved the ailing tool of public relations?
What exactly has Google done? Why? And what
implications does it have for public relations?
The death of the press release has been
exaggerated because Google has resurrected it.
Just a few days ago, Google revealed that it
made a small but significant change to the way it selects search results. It has widened the range of sources
that appear in the “in the news” section of its search results page.*
This means that now, company statements top
the list of news links shown when users search for information about them.
Previously, only links to stories on news sites (newspaper and TV station
sites, for example) appeared in this section.
Google’s decision breathes new life into the
good old company statement, news announcement or press release (call it what
you will), because company press releases will automatically top the list of
company news on Google each time they are released.
The people at Google say that users want the
most up-to-date / right answers from a search as quickly as possible, which may
mean showing an article not only from established media sources, but also from
niche sources and from press releases themselves.
The news has concerned traditional news
media. They are already embattled by the proliferation of online sources and
see another of their competitive advantages being chipped away. Conversely, it
should please other companies and the public relations industry because it revives
their primacy as the sources of news about themselves and their clients.
As news media are increasingly under pressure
to compile stories rapidly, this could prove to be very useful for raising the
profile of corporate and B2B companies, because reporters will pluck the
lowest-hanging, fastest-to-reach fruit, which will now be the company
statement.
Perhaps paradoxically, it means that press
releases, which many had suspected were fast becoming redundant, will once more
be a vital tool in companies’ PR and marketing communications arsenal.
And, as other
reports have noted, some companies may see this as an opportunity to “game”
the system in their favour by using search engine optimization techniques in
their company announcements, to force their press releases into the “news”
section and pump up their visibility.**
All the more reason for the old-fashioned
skills of writing clear, concise media announcements to be honed and encouraged
in corporate communications departments, PR agencies and courses. After all,
this skill remains the foundation of the creation of solid content, sound
communication and robust brand and corporate positioning.
The key is to do it well, so that what you
write is easy to read, simple to understand , interesting and impactful for
audiences. That’s the real trick.
It’s ironic that one of the most dominant
forces of the digital information age has made a move that is a shot in the arm
for one of the most traditional PR tools. Proof, if proof were needed, that
sometimes it’s the old techniques that are still the winning ways of
communicating. If, as many proclaimed, the press release was dead, then long
live the press release.
What do you think?
