Is press the new SEO? How press coverage gets you found on Google and AI
If someone asked ChatGPT for a business like yours tomorrow, would it name you?
A lot of people are skipping the ten blue links now. They type the question into an AI tool, or read the AI summary at the top of Google, and go with whoever gets mentioned. And those tools don't take your word for it. They look for what other people have said about you.
That's where press comes in.
The quick answer: press coverage doesn't replace SEO, but it's now one of the biggest things that decides whether you get found. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini lean heavily on earned media, such as articles and features, when they recommend a business. Press also gives Google links and mentions from trusted sites. A good website gets you in the running. Coverage is what gets you named.
How has the way people find businesses online changed?
Remember when being on page 11 of Google still felt like a chance? That's long gone.
For a lot of searches, Google now shows an AI summary at the top, above the links. Plenty of people read that and stop. The results further down get far less attention than they used to, so if your website isn't near the top, most people won't see it.
At the same time, people are going straight to AI tools for recommendations. They ask ChatGPT for a good photographer in their area, or the best PR consultant for a founder-led brand, and they get a short list of names back.
So there are two places you want to show up now: the top of Google and the answers AI gives. Your own website helps with both. But on its own, it's you saying you're good. Both Google and AI look for other people saying it too.
What does AI look at when it recommends a business?
Mostly, what's been written about you somewhere else.
When someone asks an AI tool who's good at something, it looks for proof that you know your stuff, from sources it trusts. Press coverage is high on that list.
Muck Rack looked at what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cite when they answer questions. 84% of it was earned media, like press coverage, while paid and advertorial content made up 0.3% (Muck Rack, What Is AI Reading?, May 2026). So paying for an advert won't do the same job as a journalist choosing to write about you.
I tested this on myself. When I asked ChatGPT and Claude to name UK PR consultants earlier this year, I wasn't on either list. My own website wasn't enough, which is a big part of why I'm writing posts like this one.
If nobody has written about you in places AI trusts, there's a good chance it won't think of you at all.
Is SEO still worth doing?
Yes. Please don't delete your blog.
SEO hasn't gone anywhere. A website with clear headings, plain words about what you do and helpful posts still gives Google and AI something to read. It's the reason this post has headings written as questions.
But SEO on its own can only take you so far. You can optimise every page and write a blog a week, and still be overlooked if nobody else is talking about you.
Think of SEO as building the road to your business. Press coverage puts up the signposts, so people (and AI) know the road's worth taking. You want both.
SEO is also slow. Rankings take months to climb. A good piece of coverage sends a strong signal straight away, because a trusted publication has decided you're worth writing about.
How does press coverage help you get found?
In a few different ways, and they add up.
Links. When a trusted news site links to your website in an article, Google treats it as a sign you're credible. Those links are hard to get any other way.
Mentions. Even without a link, your name in an article tells Google and AI that you exist and that people are talking about you. AI tools often pick up mentions like these when they answer questions.
Your website. "As featured in" logos and links keep working long after the article's gone, for every visitor who's deciding whether to trust you.
Journalists. They Google you too. Once you've been in the press, you're the easy call for the next one.
Coverage also travels. One BBC local radio interview I landed for a retailer was picked up across the BBC network, then The Guardian came asking for the story too. Every one of those is another trusted place with your name on it.
How do I get press coverage that helps me get found?
Start with a story, not your business.
Journalists don't write about businesses because they exist. They write about something interesting: a trend you've spotted, data you've collected, a founder story or a strong opinion on something in the news. Find that first, then work out which journalist covers it.
Local and trade press are a good place to start. They're often easier to land, and they're where bigger stories get picked up.
Pitch one journalist at a time, with a short email that tells them the story and why it matters to their readers now. If they run it online, it's fine to ask if they can link to your website, but don't make it a condition. A mention still counts.
Then use what you get. Add each piece to your website, link to it from your About page and share it, so the people who find you can see it too.
Questions people ask
Does press coverage help SEO?
Yes. Coverage on trusted news sites can give you links to your website, which Google treats as a sign of credibility, and mentions of your name, which help Google and AI tools understand who you are. It works best alongside a clear, well-structured website.
How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to recommend?
AI tools like ChatGPT draw on what's been published about a business across the web, and they lean heavily on trusted third-party sources. A Muck Rack study found 84% of what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cite is earned media, such as press coverage.
Does press coverage need a link to count?
No. A link to your website helps with Google rankings, but a mention of your name and what you do in a trusted publication still helps Google and AI tools recognise you. Both are worth having.
Is PR replacing SEO?
No. SEO still matters, because your website needs to be clear and easy for search engines and AI to read. PR adds what SEO can't: other trusted sources saying you're worth knowing about. The two work best together.
Is paying for an advert the same as press coverage?
No. Press coverage is free, because a journalist chooses to write about you. Adverts and paid features are bought space, and AI tools rarely cite them. In the Muck Rack study, paid and advertorial content made up just 0.3% of AI citations.
Want to find the story that gets you named?
That's where I start with every client. In the Debrief, you talk, I ask the questions, and I find the stories journalists will want. Get Featured adds the rest, including a tidy-up of how you look when a journalist Googles you.
Or book a free 20-minute call and tell me where you'd love to show up. If press isn't the right next step for you, I'll say so.
PS. If you'd rather do your own PR, my PR guides and templates are a good place to start. For behind-the-scenes PR tips, follow me on Instagram.
Becky here, running on flat whites and a non-negotiable 3pm Diet Coke. I'm Becky Newmarch, a PR consultant for founders and brands in the UK. I find the stories hiding in your business and get them to the journalists who'll run them.
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