Understanding and working with authoritative media outlets is key for any successful PR campaign. However, it can be tricky to know what to look out for to determine which media outlets are worth putting your money behind.
In this blog, we explore the concept of ‘authoritative media’, explaining what it means and how you can identify the most credible media outlets to put your PR efforts behind.
What does authoritative media mean?
Every media outlet – in print or online – has its own authority ranking. These are ranked by independent organisations, such as Moz or SEM Rush, and are often termed ‘domain authority’.
This ranking determines the authority of an outlet, based on how likely it is to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s a numerical ranking, from 0 to 100, with the likes of the BBC sitting at circa 99, and trade and technical media outlets ranging anywhere from 15 to 95 (depending on their reach and specific sector).
As a general rule of thumb, for trade and technical media, anything over 25 is authoritative, with anything over 35 being seen as highly authoritative. Anything over 50 is definitely a media outlet you want to work with.
Why is coverage authoritative media important?
If your business name – or better yet a backlink to your business’ website – is included in an authoritative media outlet, you’ll be rewarded by Google and other search engines, as their credibility ‘endorses’ that of your website.
In time, this will see your search engine ranking improve, making your website easier for people to find when they type in your key search terms. This will bring more quality traffic to your website and increase your chances of earning leads and enquiries.
Knowing a media outlet’s authority score will give you additional information to help inform your advertising and other paid media opportunities. For example, if you’re looking to put a ‘paid for push’ behind a compelling piece of content, you want to be sure you’re spending your money with a credible and authoritative title. It puts the raw costs into perspective.
How do you know a media outlets authority ranking?
You can search for any website’s authority ranking using various URL checkers. As an example, Moz’s URL checker is accessible here. You can create a free account, with a limited search facility of up to 10 different URLs per month.
Alternatively, if you have a media database subscription, many of these will include outlet authority rankings within the outlet description or additional details.
Are you looking for authoritative coverage to boost the authority of your brand’s website, to draw in higher quality traffic that converts?
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