Is Your PR Reaching Real People? A Google Update Reveals Your Brand's True Audience
When people hear about a company (from a press release, news article, or word-of-mouth), the very next thing they do is Google it. That moment of curiosity, the search, is one of the most important and least understood outcomes of great public relations. It’s the digital echo of a well-told story.
For years, measuring that echo has been a noisy process. But a recent, quiet update from Google is helping to filter out the static, giving us a much clearer picture of how PR efforts are truly resonating with the public.
So, What Exactly Did Google Change?
Imagine you ask Google a question. Normally, it shows you about 10 results on the first page. For a long time, there was a special command you could add to a Google search URL called &num=100. This command basically told Google, "Show me 100 results all on one giant page, please."
This wasn't something most people used. It was mainly used by automated software (bots) that SEO agencies and other tech companies use to track website rankings. These bots were constantly using this command to gather lots of data quickly.
Recently, Google just turned this feature off. You can read more about the technical details on Search Engine Journal and PPC Land.
Okay... So Why Does This Matter for My Brand?
This matters because a lot of the "traffic" and "impressions" in your past reports weren't from real people - they were from those bots using the 100-results trick.
Think of it this way: Imagine you own a shop, and you find out that for years, half the "people" who walked by your front window were just delivery robots on their routes, not actual customers. Now, all of a sudden, the delivery robots are taking a different street. Your "passerby" count will drop, but you'll have a much more honest headcount of real potential shoppers.
That’s what’s happening here. Your reports might show a drop in impressions, but the good news is that the numbers you see now are more real. They better reflect the actual human beings who are seeing your brand on Google.
What This Means for Your PR (The Simple Version)
This technical stuff has a very human takeaway. It reinforces a few core truths of good PR:
Focus on Telling Good Stories
At the end of the day, you want to connect with people, not bots. This change is a great reminder to all of us to focus on crafting compelling stories that make actual humans curious enough to search for our brand.
Google Your Own Brand
Seriously, do it right now. What you see is your company’s digital front door. Is it clean, positive, and inviting? Managing what people find when they search your name is a crucial part of modern public relations.
Make Sure Your Good News Can Be Found
A brilliant article in a magazine or newspaper is fantastic. But for that story to have a long life, people need to be able to find it easily when they Google you weeks or months later.
Ultimately, this Google update is a healthy reminder that our goal is to connect with people. And now, the data we use to measure that connection just got a little more honest. If you're thinking about how to ensure your brand's reputation shines in today’s digital world, Publicity Bureau is here to help guide that conversation.