SEO and media relations are often seen as two separate disciplines: one belongs to the digital marketing world, the other to public relations. In reality, they are closer than ever today. SEO improves online visibility, while media relations build credibility. Combined, they create a powerful synergy that allows Belgian companies to be both better found and better recognized.
Belgium, with its multilingual and regionally differentiated market, offers unique opportunities. Thanks to its local media, niche platforms and varied cultural realities, companies can deploy an extremely targeted strategy — provided they understand how SEO and media complement each other.
How Media Relations Influence SEO
Media relations are not just a PR tool: they are also a valuable source of SEO value. Each mention of your brand in an online publication can generate a backlink to your website. Backlinks are one of the most important signals for Google in terms of authority and reliability.
Here’s how it works:
- When a recognized Belgian media outlet (newspaper, blog, industry platform) links to your site, Google interprets this as a vote of confidence.
- The more quality and relevant backlinks you receive, the more your domain authority increases.
- This enhanced authority then improves your positions in search results (SERPs).
But links are only part of the equation. Brand mentions — even without a clickable link — are increasingly recognized by search engines as signals of popularity and relevance. Moreover, media articles often generate organic traffic: readers who search for your brand, visitors who arrive at your site, etc.
In short: strong media relations offer press visibility and improved online visibility.
Belgian Examples of SEO and PR Synergy
In Belgium, many companies successfully combine SEO and PR. Here are some typical cases:
- Technology scale-ups in Ghent and Antwerp rely on media outlets like Bloovi, Made in Oost-Vlaanderen or Datanews to build their thought leadership — and obtain powerful backlinks.
- Sustainability-focused SMEs share their studies and reports on industry platforms like Gondola or Bouwkroniek, generating extremely relevant links.
- Retail and hospitality brands collaborate with micro-influencers or urban blogs, which boosts their local SEO through geographically targeted content.
What’s the common thread? Relevance. Backlinks have real impact when they come from sources aligned with your industry, your audience and your region.
Best Practices for an Integrated Strategy
1. Create Content That Is Both Newsworthy and SEO-Friendly
Stories that are interesting to the press can also be optimized for search engines. Use relevant keywords in titles, subheadings and anchor text.
2. Publish Your Press Releases on Your Site
Create a newsroom. Each publication becomes an SEO lever thanks to:
- an optimized URL,
- well-crafted metadata,
- media resources that are easy to share.
3. Think Multi-Platform
Don’t limit yourself to email. Use LinkedIn, your social networks, your blog, and digital PR tools. Make sure each piece of content points back to a specific page on your site.
4. Prioritize Reliable Partners
Not all links are equal. A backlink from Trends or Le Vif is worth far more than a dozen mentions on low-credibility sites.
5. Monitor and Optimize
Combine:
- Google Search Console / Ahrefs / SEMrush (SEO & backlink analysis),
- Meltwater / Auxipress (media analysis).
This gives you a complete picture of your reputation and visibility.
The BackstageCom Approach
At BackstageCom.be, we view SEO and media relations as two sides of the same coin. A strong brand must be both visible and credible. That’s why we develop integrated strategies where content, PR and SEO reinforce each other.
Our four-step method:
- Analysis: SEO audit, media analysis and reputation assessment.
- Strategy: identification of priority themes, channels and keywords.
- Creation: production of stories, press releases and optimized web content.
- Distribution & Follow-up: distribution to the right media and measurement via KPIs (backlinks, traffic, rankings).
This holistic approach allows our clients to build visibility, authority and trust: three essential pillars in today’s digital economy.
SEO and media relations naturally reinforce each other. SEO allows you to be found; PR allows you to be believed. Together, they form a powerful engine of lasting brand awareness.
For Belgian companies, the key lies in integration: coherent strategies where content, media and SEO work in synergy. Applied rigorously, this approach ensures not only better online visibility, but also a solid and lasting reputation.
Don’t invest in SEO or PR. Invest in their synergy.
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