Smart PR can drive business growth in an AI-search world
“This evolution has blurred the lines between PR, SEO, and content strategy. PR is no longer a standalone discipline but a core component of a holistic digital approach.”
Hayley Crockett is Account Director at Perceptive Communicators
Having worked in public relations for more than a decade, I’ve seen traditional media relations evolve in many ways. While I might not be old enough to have faxed a press release, I do remember physically cutting and sticking coverage books together and calculating PR values based on advertising costs. Fast forward to today, and the media landscape has been transformed by algorithms, AI, GEO and zero-click searches. Yet one thing hasn’t changed; PR’s power to drive real business results.
PR has always been about storytelling, connection and influence but how we achieve that has transformed. As an industry, we’ve had to become chameleons, constantly adapting to new platforms, tools, and ways of reaching audiences across various sectors. Working in a fast-paced agency environment, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily churn of content creation and media outreach. Yet I still take real pride in securing coverage that directly supports a client’s business objectives.
We know that experience matters when you’re engaging customers, stakeholders, or employees, but every successful campaign must now include a digital element to be effective. Search engine optimisation (SEO) was once the golden child of online visibility. If you ranked high on Google, the clicks and visitors followed. Marketers fine-tuned websites, keywords, and backlinks to match what search engines looked for and it worked.
But the landscape has changed and today, simply appearing on the first page of search results isn’t enough. Search engines now answer many queries directly on the results page through snippets and summaries. These so-called “zero-click” searches where users get what they need without visiting a website now make up nearly 60% of all Google searches. That means visibility no longer guarantees visits so the goal has shifted from chasing clicks to earning and owning attention.
This evolution has blurred the lines between PR, SEO, and content strategy. PR is no longer a standalone discipline but a core component of a holistic digital approach. At its heart, good PR builds credibility and authority which are exactly the kind of signals search engines and AI models now prioritise
.Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), the emerging art of ensuring your brand appears in AI-generated answers is the new era. We’re not just optimising for humans or search engines, but for algorithms that interpret authority. That’s where PR has a huge edge; credible, well-placed media coverage naturally feeds the signals AI trusts most.
Owned media, the content you control, such as blogs and website copy will play an increasingly critical role. AI systems favour information that’s clear, authoritative, and factual, so your digital content must demonstrate expertise and trustworthiness.
Earned media including credible coverage in established outlets will also become even more valuable. Reports suggest that more than half of the signals AI uses to gauge brand reputation come from editorial and news media, not company websites. In other words, the media coverage you secure today could shape how AI tools view and represent your brand tomorrow. Quality coverage from respected sources acts as a digital vote of confidence, boosting both GEO visibility and human trust.
That’s why I believe in quality over quantity. A handful of high-impact, well-targeted articles will do far more for your brand and your GEO performance than dozens of lower-tier mentions. Similarly, optimised owned content such as FAQs and unique thought leadership blogs can significantly enhance discoverability.
Ultimately, it’s about taking a holistic view of your brand presence. Consistency builds credibility, both with people and with algorithms and to remove PR from your communications armory it could limit your business growth potential.
As communications professionals, we must continue to think digital-first and deliver engaging content that carries the right message to the right audience on the right platform at the right time. At Perceptive that’s what we pride ourselves on delivering for clients.
The tools may have changed, but the goal of building meaningful connections that move people to act, hasn’t. In a zero-click, AI driven world, smart PR earns attention and authority, and that’s what will continue to drive real business growth in 2026 and beyond.
Hayley Crockett is Account Director at Perceptive Communicators
