How AI is Increasing the Strategic Value of PR in SEO

For decades, public relations has focused on reputation management, brand storytelling, and building strong media relationships. Those fundamentals haven’t changed. What has changed is how audiences discover, consume and act on stories.

In a world where most journeys begin with a Google search, the role of SEO within PR can no longer be overlooked.

From Headlines to High Rankings

When our agency first began, success was measured in column inches, prime-time broadcast slots and the prestige of print coverage. While those traditional wins remain powerful, their impact is multiplied when they also deliver digital authority.

A feature in a national newspaper or a leading lifestyle magazine does more than raise awareness: if it appears online with a backlink to your website, it boosts:

• Search visibility

• Website traffic

• Long-term brand discoverability.

PR and SEO: A Natural Partnership

Our industry has always relied on compelling storytelling. Yet, in today’s digital-first environment, storytelling must also deliver search visibility.

Research shows:

• Websites with PR-driven backlinks achieve around 50 per cent better search performance than those using traditional SEO tactics alone.

• Consistent media coverage in respected outlets correlated with a 43 percent uplift in rankings for competitive keywords.

Key Trends PR Teams Must Embrace

1.      AI-Powered Search is Reshaping PR Outcomes

Gone are the days when backlinks and keywords alone could secure rankings. With AI chatbots and answer engines becoming primary discovery tools, PR content must be structured and authoritative enough to appear in:

o   Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO): Q&A-style, structured content designed to surface as direct AI-generated answers.

o   Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): Content optimised to be cited or referenced in AI-driven search results.

2.       Digital PR is Now the Standard

Digital PR combines traditional outreach with digital-first strategies and is one of the most effective SEO drivers in 2025. It amplifies brand visibility through:

o   High-quality backlinks

o   Media mentions

o   Social proof signals

Google’s AI-powered algorithms are penalising spammy link tactics, which means earned editorial coverage is more important and more valuable than ever.

3.       Cross-Discipline Collaboration is Imperative

More than half of PR teams are now closely aligned with SEO and content marketing counterparts, reflecting a shift toward unified digital strategy execution. Creativity, cultural relevance and strategic messaging remain essential.

The Future-Ready Agency

At Dovetail, we remain committed to the core principles of storytelling and strategic media relationships. Our campaigns today also reflect the demands of the AI era:

• We optimise press releases and thought leadership for both readability and AI search formats

• We leverage data-driven content, expert commentary, and digital-first narratives to maximise coverage

• Measurement goes beyond media clippings – we track traffic and domain authority

• We commit to closer collaboration with SEO and content teams, to build campaigns that deliver cut-through now, and continued visibility later

We have seen firsthand how the fusion of PR and SEO transforms brand outcomes. The future of PR isn’t about abandoning tradition; it’s about evolving with the digital age.

By combining compelling storytelling with search-led strategy, we ensure our clients not only make headlines but also secure visibility, trust, and measurable growth.