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As search has evolved, practitioners of public relations and search-engine optimization (SEO) technicians have frequently founds themselves at odds with one another. Both are tasked with ensuring an organization’s content can be found. Each takes a different approach to achieving that goal. As Google has shifted its priorities (and algorithms) to reward quality content over keywords, and works to punish black-hat SEO efforts, more and more PR agencies are ensuring they have SEO capabilities in-house.

Threepipe, a UK PR agency, recently acquired an SEO shop, possibly the first UK-based agency to take a step that has been more common in the US. In this interview, FIR host Shel Holtz talks with Jim Hawker, Threepipe’s co-founder and business development director, about why the company made the acquisition and how SEO fits into PR activities.

Connect with Jim on Twitter at @JimJimhawker.

About our conversation partner

Jim Hawker is Co-Founder and Business Development Director of Threepipe, a PR and digital marketing agency of 70 people based in London. The agency runs campaigns across PR, SEO and paid media for clients across business, consumer, sports and entertainment sectors. Jim has 20 years’ experience working both in house and agency side in both the UK and US. In his spare time he is a big sports fan as well as an avid reader of Sherlock Holmes (hence the connection to the Threepipe name).

About Shel Holtz

Shel Holtz, ABC (Accredited Business Communicator), is director of Internal Communications at Webcor, a commercial general contractor headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Webcor, Shel spent 21 years as principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. In addition to integrating technology into communications strategies, his expertise includes strategic communications planning, change management, organizational culture, business initiatives and communications research. Full bio