// our services
Digital PR
Google moet berispte arts verwijderen uit zoekmachine (Trouw, 2019)
Dutch surgeon wins landmark 'right to be forgotten' case (The Guardian, 2019)
'Vergeetrecht' wordt op het web lang niet altijd toegekend (NRC, 2017)
Rechter verbiedt amateurbeelden zonder toestemming op pornosite (AD, 2022)
Comeback Ali B strandde nog voor hij het podium op kon (RTL Nieuws, 2026)
// Digital PR
Digital PR: strategic placements that strengthen your reputation online
For clients who want to be visible in the right way in both Google and AI, we build a layer of online publications on authoritative sources. Easy to index, relevant in context and, where possible, able to rank for the questions and searches that matter. No standalone link building, no mass advertorials, no traditional press campaign.
// introduction
Curious what digital PR can do for you?
Book a no-obligation introductory call. We look at your situation and outline which placement strategy fits.
Book an introductory call// scope
What digital PR is (and is not)
Digital PR is the strategic acquisition and placement of online publications, whether editorial, paid or through your own channels, with the aim of strengthening online reputation and findability in Google and on AI platforms. Unlike traditional PR, the emphasis is on online impact: indexability, rankings for relevant search terms and influence on AI answers.
Before we turn to what we do, here is what digital PR at MediaMaze is not:
Not traditional link building.
We do not build a network of random links purely for SEO purposes. Every placement must be relevant to the client in substance and in context.
Not mass advertorials.
No purchased placements on low-quality networks, no article schemes that appear on ten sites at once.
Not a traditional press campaign.
We do not work primarily for offline media or broadcast. Our focus is on what can be indexed, stays online and contributes to long-term visibility.
// our approach
The three pillars of our digital PR
We work with three types of media activity, combined within a single programme.
01
1. Editorial placements
Mentions, interviews, expert contributions, background articles and profiles in online media that are relevant to your situation. That might be a newspaper, a trade publication, an online business magazine or a regional platform; what fits depends on your audience, sector and positioning.
We focus on online publications that are easy to index, are picked up quickly by search engines and, where possible, can rank in their own right for search terms and answers that are relevant to you. Ideally with a targeted backlink to your own website or expertise page. That way every placement delivers twice: direct visibility, plus findability through searches and AI answers.
02
2. Strategic link building
Alongside visibility, we build the authority of your own channels through strategic link building, also known as PR link building: relevant, contextual references from authoritative media to your website or profile pages. Not standalone links on random sites, but backlinks embedded in the substance of full articles, written or supervised by our editorial team and placed within the editorial context of the publication.
03
3. Owned media channels
The client's website, blog and social channels are a structural part of a digital PR programme. They serve as the landing place for traffic arriving through placements, as a source for expert contributions we pitch elsewhere, and as an authoritative reference under your own name. We advise on content architecture, schema markup and internal linking, so that your own channels grow along with the external effort.
// ai reputation
How digital PR works for AI reputation
AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity draw their answers largely from the same sources that Google ranks: news media, authoritative sites, specialist databases and structured web content. This means a strong digital PR layer works twice over: visibility in search results and a position as a source in AI answers.
For clients who specifically want to improve their AI reputation, we tailor the placement strategy to what LLMs read and cite: structured facts, quotable statements, authoritative context. This is one of the three core services on the page Improving your AI reputation, where you can read how digital PR becomes part of a complete GEO strategy.
// how we work
At MediaMaze, a digital PR programme supporting your online reputation typically runs for 6 to 12 months. We almost always start from a concrete reputational trigger, such as a negative article or an incorrect AI mention. Over the course of the programme the scope changes: what starts as reputation repair becomes, after a few months, an investment in media presence, and eventually regular PR work focused on authority and thought leadership. That is why many clients stay longer than the original trigger would suggest.
01
Briefing and objectives
We map your goals and audiences. What should have changed about your name in Google and in AI output a year from now?
02
Reputation audit
We analyse your current search results for the most important terms, scan what AI platforms say about you, map your existing media presence and identify gaps where authority is lacking.
03
Strategy and plan
Based on the audit, we select the right media, content formats and frequency. We distinguish between placements that support your name, placements that build expertise, and placements aimed specifically at AI sources.
04
Production
Pitches, expert contributions, background articles, profiles and interviews. Written to editorial standards by our colleagues.
05
Placement and distribution
Coordination with editorial teams, follow-up of publications, indexing monitoring, and distribution through your own media channels where relevant.
06
Measurement and adjustment
Monthly reporting based on Reptor.ai: what has changed in search results, in AI output, in branded mentions?
Based on that, we adjust the programme where necessary.
// how it unfolds
How a programme develops
Because programmes usually run for 6 to 12 months, the nature of the work changes over that period:
| Phase | Focus | What we often do |
|---|---|---|
| Months 1-3 | Reputation repair | Right-to-be-forgotten requests where possible, first suppressing placements, expert contributions in trade media |
| Months 4-6 | Media presence | Profiles and background pieces on authoritative sources, strengthening owned content, targeted link building |
| Months 7-12 | Regular PR and authority | Thought leadership, international placements, a structural expert position |
Not every programme goes through every phase; shorter repair assignments often stop after phase 1 or 2.
// cases
For a year and a half, a Dutch SaaS company saw a critical article about a data breach feature prominently in the search results for its company name. Over a 9-month programme we used a mixed approach: expert contributions by the CEO in trade media, background articles in business titles, profile interviews on specialist platforms, supporting placements in regional media, background pieces on the company's own blog and targeted link building to existing pages. The critical article was pushed down to page 2 of Google. At the same time, branded mentions in ChatGPT answers became more neutral, because the LLM cited the new placements as more recent sources.
A director in the financial sector was linked to a sector-wide scandal in an article from 2015. The article ranked high for his name, and ChatGPT repeated the association as fact. We combined two tracks: a right-to-be-forgotten request for the search result and, at the same time, new positive content. This took the form of a background article in an authoritative business publication, two expert contributions on trade platforms, an extensive profile on an international authoritative source, and an updated biography on his own domain. Result: the original mention disappeared from the relevant search results, and ChatGPT answers are now dominated by the new sources.
// frequently asked questions
Answers to frequently asked questions
Traditional PR aims for visibility in (offline) media: a mention in a newspaper or on the evening news. Digital PR aims for lasting online findability: an article that can be indexed, ranks high for relevant search terms and is cited as a source by AI platforms. Traditional PR measures reach at the moment of publication; digital PR measures reach over the lifetime of the article.
Every programme is tailored. We usually work on a retainer basis for 6 to 12 months, with a fixed monthly budget for pitches, production, placements and monitoring. During a no-obligation introductory call we prepare a tailored quote.
Our focus is on editorial placements, sometimes for a fee. Whether we use them depends on the objective, the publication and the quality of the contribution.
Yes, where possible. We see backlinks as supporting a substantive placement. A good article with a targeted backlink keeps working for years; a standalone backlink on an irrelevant site does not work or is counterproductive.
Yes, but in our own way. For us, PR link building means earning high-quality, durable backlinks through genuine editorial placements, not through standalone links on random sites. Every reference is embedded in the substance of a full article in an authoritative publication, so the backlink lasts for years while also generating publicity and findability.
Yes. AI platforms draw their answers largely from the same sources that Google ranks. A strong digital PR layer therefore works twice over: visibility in Google plus a position as a source in AI answers. Clients with a specific AI reputation question are referred to Improving your AI reputation.
The first placements usually go live within 4 to 8 weeks. Shifts in search results for your brand name become visible between months 3 and 6. Fully suppressing a persistent article often takes 6 to 12 months, depending on the authority and quality of the result being suppressed.
Both. We almost always advise on your own media channels as well (website, blog, profile pages, social media), because external placements only deliver their full value when your own environment is in order.
About the author
Suzanne Muller, Senior Copywriter at MediaMaze. LinkedIn.
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