Whilst only a relatively new sub-category when compared to the broader PR phrase, digital PR has taken the industry by storm. There are various reasons behind this, with one of the most prominent being the fact unlike standard PR, where experience and contacts are key, digital PR revolves heavily on a lot of information and knowledge that can be found online, for free, making it possible for anyone to become au fait with a large amount of the techniques involved.

With that mind however, to carry out an effective PR campaign that encompasses a range of digital PR techniques, a professional, or someone with experience in the field, should be hired. It may seem expensive initially, but their knowledge and skills will soon prove invaluable and you should begin to see a distinct increase in your website traffic.

Of course, not everyone can afford to hire a professional. In that case, there are five points that should be carried out that will provide some great foundations for a website and business to grown on.

1. Top quality content. Without doubt the most important basic factor for digital PR is to have website content that is of a high standard. Spelling, punctuation and grammar should be faultless and the copy should be relevant and easy to read, ensuring that the readers attention stays with the article and therefore on the website.

2. Aesthetically pleasing website. First impressions always count and the same principle is true for websites. If a website is unattractive, for example, through the use of harsh colours or fussy, detracting background images, no matter how good of a PR campaign is carried out, visitors are very unlikely to stay for any substantial period of time.

3. Easy navigation. Similar to the use of proper colours and images, a website should be very easy to navigate around, in terms of both menus for internal linking and on each individual page. If the visitor cannot find what they are looking for on the website, they will become frustrated easily and leave, with a negative image of the website and company firmly etched in their mind.

4. Knowledge of competitors. As with any type of PR campaign, knowing your competitors is essential. Whether it is simply knowing the products that they are selling and the market they are targeting, or more in-depth information such as the amount of people that visit their website, it is all vital to ensure your business succeeds.

There are plenty of statistic websites that will show, for a small cost, the amount of visitors that frequent any specific website, as well as where they came from and a whole host of other information.

5. Free advertising. Unlike a lot of standard PR techniques, there are many methods used within digital PR that are completely free. For example, posting regularly on blogs, as well as commenting on other relevant blogs, ensuring your website is mentioned somewhere, is a fantastic way to drive traffic to your site. Similarly, contributing regularly and heavily, without spamming, on forums is another great way, assuming that a link to your website is included in your forum signature.

The Spa Way Digital PR has created a number of well devised successful campaigns for a range of businesses to help them seek the right exposure in the market.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Public Relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.