SEO: Albany PR, Gramercy Communications, Tom Nardacci

"SEO: Albany PR, Gramercy Communications, Tom Nardacci" by Thomas Nardacci

I am learning that effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) takes time, energy, consistency, and creativity. This sounds like effective PR.

Two years ago, I opened my Albany, NY PR firm. Part of my marketing strategy involved developing a basic “storefront” presence on the internet. One tactic was based on my assumption that many people prepare for or follow-up on a meeting by googling you or your business. So, I decided early on that it was important to help my search engine optimization when people did simple searches. Terms such as “Tom Nardacci,” “Thomas Nardacci,” “Thomas A. Nardacci,” “Gramercy Communications” “Albany PR,” “Albany, NY public relations” “public relations in Tech Valley,” “Tech Valley communications,” “public affairs in Albany,” etc. now took on a new meaning.

There are web marketing companies that specialize in SEO, and I could probably do much better to drive traffic to my site by hiring someone. But, part of the reason to personally undertake the effort is to help me to fully understand the concepts that I learned in my digital communications class at Columbia.

Public relations has grown dramatically in the past 5-7 years to include the internet. Distributing press releases online is now nearly as relevant a part of the Strategic Communications Plan as cultivating relationships with beat reporters. PR firms, including those in smaller markets like Albany, NY are increasingly including online efforts as part of their strategy and as a measurement of their success. Also, there are now online tools that actually measure your press release for "optimzation." The tools rank the strength of terms and words and make suggestions on edits that could be made.

(As a side note, I have found it amusing that so many PR firms are now espousing their knowledge of and belief in “social media,” yet in some cases their senior execs don’t have a MySpace or Facebook page; maybe they have written a blog entry or have a Linked In page? Facebook is clearly the leader today of social communications revolution. It was difficult for me to comprehend these mediums until I developed my own pages. It takes time and effort to keep them relevant.)

In order to keep your SEO fresh, you need to review your web statistics. Monthly reviews help to understand what people are searching for. It’s a little eerie when someone searches something specific, such as “Thomas A. Nardacci Gramercy Communications Albany” or “Gramercy Communications firm that moved from New York to Albany.”

Also, it is important to pay attention to typos. “Grammercy Communications” is one that comes up every month for me, so in the future I may want to embed that term in the html code for the webpage.