Google advocates for niche relevancy as a way to improve search ranking. The idea is that links acquired – naturally or via digital PR, of course – from sites within the same industry as your organisation will boost your rank through their high degree of relevancy and authority. The other side of the coin involves identifying high-ranking keywords that are specific to your niche and incorporating them into your website.

In reality, these aspects of niche relevancy only contribute so much to your overall results.

When it comes to niche relevant links, follow Google down the garden path and they’ll tell you it should be a top priority in chasing ranking success. Pull a few loose strings and you’ll see that more generic domains with decent metrics are probably going to be as effective. What was that about Google being opaque?

There are, of course, different ways to use digital PR to earn links. Most are easy when you have the contacts but may be difficult for emerging entities to achieve.

EDITORIALS: This involves having content written in authoritative online publications, mostly established newspapers or magazines. In theory, this publication will write about your field, usually in a light-hearted way that may depart from the “harder” content they ordinarily specialise in. While meandering through tips, advice, and overviews, a sly link, possibly even a quote, will be placed somewhere in the article. The strength of the publisher propels the link into the ether of large-scale readership, ideally resulting in some clicks, shares, and business from the target market.

BUILDING UP NETWORKS OF REPORTERS:Traditional PR involved a lot of schmoozing with reporters and journalists to get print mentions in publications. Nowadays, a similar order of reciprocal back scratching persists, albeit with some changes. Instead of streamlining a brand or company’s entrance into public consciousness through mentions in a high-readership publication, the new objective is the permanent placement of a link. Ideally, getting enough of those will contribute to higher ranking result.

NEWS HIJACKING: his refers to when you take a breaking news story and put your own distinct spin on it. It often involves undermining conventional information spreaders, like the media, and incorporating your brand’s narrative instead. With the tools of social media at your disposal, it has never been easier to spread a compelling alternative perspective so far and so wide.

One of his most striking instances of news hijacking came during the long-winded vote count of America’s 2020 election. Trump’s loud refusal to concede his election loss spearheaded a fiery movement from his supporters who contested the result in defiance of what many would consider to be irrefutable fact. The ordeal led to demonstrations against Joe Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s second impeachment and his permanent banning from Twitter. Yikes.

Of course, Trump’s hijacking of this media narrative is an extreme case, but many other well-known examples exist. Gillette’s Superbowl commercial challenging toxic masculinity at the height of the #MeToo movement is a memorable one. Madame Tussauds removal of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s sculptures from the museum to coincide with their departure as senior members of the Royal Family is another. News hijacking is an art that requires authority, opportunism and a great deal of expertise.