● The short answer
Yes, often more than owners expect. Earned coverage can create backlinks, unlinked brand mentions and new brand searches, all signals search engines use to judge authority. For AI search, an Ahrefs study of 75,000 brands found branded web mentions were the strongest correlate of appearing in Google's AI Overviews, ahead of backlinks. PR is not a ranking switch, but it compounds.
Key takeaways
- PR creates backlinks, brand mentions, brand searches and citable descriptions.
- Ahrefs found branded web mentions were the strongest correlate of AI Overview visibility in its 75,000-brand study.
- Steady coverage across reputable local and industry sources beats one big hit.
How PR feeds search and AI
Search engines and AI assistants both try to answer a basic question: is this business real, relevant and respected? Independent sources writing about you are some of the strongest evidence available. PR contributes in four ways:
| PR outcome | Effect on search | Effect on AI answers |
|---|---|---|
| Backlinks from news and trade sites | Links remain a core way Google discovers and weighs pages. | Linked pages are easier to retrieve and cite. |
| Unlinked brand mentions | Help associate your name with topics and places. | Ahrefs found branded web mentions correlated with AI Overview visibility more strongly than any link metric. |
| Brand searches | People who read about you search your name, which reinforces your entity. | Ahrefs also found branded search volume correlated with AI Overview mentions. |
| Citable facts | Articles provide third-party descriptions of what you do. | Assistants can quote or summarize them directly. |
The Ahrefs numbers, for the record: Spearman correlation of 0.664 for branded web mentions, 0.392 for branded search volume and 0.218 for backlinks, across brands in its sample. Ahrefs is clear that correlation is not causation and that AI features are still changing. We read it as strong directional evidence, not a formula.
The how is where we come in.
What we walk through with you, for your business:
- What kind of PR helps most
- Making PR work for SEO and AI
- Our take
Every business is different, so the plan is too. Tell us where you want to show up and we will show you what it takes.
Talk to usMore questions
Do no-follow links from news sites help SEO?
They can still help indirectly. Google treats nofollow as a hint, the coverage drives real visitors and brand searches, and the mention itself associates your name with a topic. For AI visibility, the mention and context may matter as much as the link attribute. Do not turn down coverage because of nofollow.
Is digital PR the same as link building?
They overlap but are not the same. Link building focuses on acquiring links. Digital PR focuses on earning coverage that people actually read, which often produces links as a byproduct. The coverage-first approach tends to produce more durable results and avoids the risks of link schemes.
Sources
- Ahrefs: An Analysis of AI Overview Brand Visibility Factors (75K Brands Studied)
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
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