What’s SEO Got To Do With It? My First Week As An Intern

By Amy Glasgow

23 SEP Amy Glasgow Intern White Background-7542

A FEW months ago, I applied for a job at a large PR agency through in Glasgow. During a telephone interview, the Account Manager asked me if I had much experience with SEO. Frankly, I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about and at that point it was clear the job was not fated to be mine.

In hindsight, I’m glad it wasn’t because I had no concept of what working in a PR agency was like, if it was the kind of working environment I would enjoy, or what on Earth SEO even stood for. A lot of people decide on a PR career simply because it sounds glamorous, without actually having an understanding of what the job really entails.

Having been working as an intern at Holyrood PR for just over a week now, I can honestly say I have a much better grasp on how an agency runs, the services provided and what SEO means!

Search Engine Optimisation has become a huge part of the PR world, with clients desperate to achieve that ‘first page status’ on search engines such as Google. The world of media is certainly a digital one and prior to my stint at Holyrood, I would have been a little lost in it.

Many PR agencies these days offer services promoting their client’s digital presence, whether that is through social media or through SEO, they’re all doing it and Holyrood is no different. The reason I am choosing to focus on it is because being here, learning about it, is the kind of experience that I think will really help to shape my career.

I’ve been able to get involved in a range of tasks in my short time here, uploading press releases, writing copy for media coverage, all of which take SEO into account. This is one particular skill is helping me develop in terms of my career, as well as helping me to build and improve my own social media presence – something that will benefit any wannabe PR pro!

In just one short week with the Bluehat Marketing, I have learnt how certain tags, words and hyperlinks can help boost your website and increase your chances of getting on that coveted first results page. Placing photos, how you write copy, all of these things contribute to getting better SEO results and I for one am taking note.

Having seen the way press releases and all copy is written on the Holyrood website, I have learnt to change and adapt the way I write, to include hyperlinks a-plenty and be careful and smart about the tags you use.

Part of the reason for my interest in this part of PR is because I write my own blog and it always becomes a topic of discussion with potential employers. Since last Monday, the way I write my blog posts for my own site, the way I tag them, and the whole site in general, has changed slightly. Before, I would throw about twenty tags onto my post, now I know it is important to choose a 4-6 smart and repetitive ones which will increase your chances of sites like Google including you in their database.

My blog is a way for me to show my writing skills, give a sense of who I am and my online presence and use one my passions (eating, mostly) to showcase that.

I still have three weeks here at Holyrood and I know now what a great working environment a PR agency can be. My advice to anyone seeking real, hands on experience in a PR agency, consider an internship here. I’m certainly glad I did.