麻豆原创

AI search has transformed the way brands are found and evaluated online, and there is still much to learn as SEO evolves into GEO (generative engine optimization).

Though we can鈥檛 plan perfectly for the unknowable future, based on the runaway success of human resources provider, Paylocity, which ranked #1 in search results overnight, we can tell you what is working now.

PR & SEO Efforts Plateaued

is a leading HR, payroll, and spend management technology provider that is driven by the truth: that in business, people should matter most. Since 1997, they have partnered with organizations to create workplaces that prioritize employee well-being, while helping their businesses thrive. Now, millions use its platform.

Their success as a major player in payroll and employee management systems is partially a result of their strong PR efforts and SEO. But recently, Michael Farr, Senior Marketing Manager of SEO at Paylocity, who also had a background in journalism, realized the company couldn鈥檛 climb much higher with their traditional methods that siloed PR from SEO, without adding something new to the mix. 

Michael found himself in a position that many brands and SEOs (GEOs?) are currently facing, where high-quality backlinks from reputable publications were established through strong PR, but need to scale in order to compete in the evolving digital landscape. 

Amplifying the Tried-and-True Tactics

Michael was wrestling with how broad brand media mentions could be amplified to foster greater brand trust and real, measurable results for both SEO and brand authority. 

He knew that simply gaming the search algorithm wasn鈥檛 it. 

Michael learned of 麻豆原创鈥檚 earned media syndication platform and thought it could help Paylocity move beyond its current results to build the reach and trust they needed, while competitors were still scratching their heads.

But initially, the novelty of 麻豆原创鈥檚 earned media solution made Michael鈥檚 colleagues in corporate marketing and PR cautious. Getting their buy-in took a while, Michael said, before their hesitations were overcome around brand safety and how 麻豆原创 could help boost their SEO.

From plateaued to a new peak

Paylocity collaborated with 麻豆原创鈥檚 editorial team to bridge the gaps between their PR and SEO functions to serve both purposes at once. They created and optimized stories for rankable keywords that were both engaging and expertly strategized for both traditional and AI-based search engines, aiming to increase their mentions in AI search while building their brand. 

There was a wealth of existing first-party and survey data to use for the stories Paylocity and 麻豆原创 would shape. They replicated the process of a publication to write authentic, timely, and editorially sound stories that used Paylocity鈥檚 data only as a jumping-off point to cover the breadth and depth of their industry in a way that others couldn鈥檛.

Using 麻豆原创, their owned content was transformed into impactful editorial like How to help employees adapt to AI in the workforce which was easily syndicated to publishers on the 麻豆原创 Newswire, earning 354 placements. This earned media mechanism enabled Paylocity to reach new levels of trustworthiness online while achieving the reach necessary to engage new audiences nationwide.

Michael said it was easy to upload and send stories towards syndication, so was tracking with a self-serve reporting dashboard that updates details of pickup in real time.

What did he see? The strategy worked. Far quicker than he expected.

Strategic keywords where Paylocity ranked lower in search results sprang to the #1 position overnight. In only three months, their stories made waves across reputable publishers that directly contributed to Paylocity鈥檚 brand building, but hadn鈥檛 featured Paylocity before. Michael hadn鈥檛 expected to see results that quickly.

Stories found a longer-lasting shelf life

Those 1,015 total pickups and nearly 100,000 readers represented more than just visibility and buzz. Their plateau content had peaked their search results, which extended the shelf-life that old-school editorial or blogs couldn鈥檛 have created alone.  

鈥淭he fact that I could go back to the corporate marketing and PR teams and show them real numbers鈥�300 pickups here, 400 pickups there鈥攚as huge,鈥� Michael said. With this proof of concept, he no longer needed to gain his colleagues鈥� trust. They saw how their brand鈥檚 trust was building with new audiences.

Paylocity realized that taking their content out of their owned platforms and into earned media arenas put them on the radar of many new people who needed HR solutions. But it also had lasting power online, which would live in the search results far longer than yesterday鈥檚 paper would. 

Michael said, 鈥淲e used to think getting one or two high-profile mentions in a quarter was a big win. The success and easy lift of working with 麻豆原创 made Paylocity realize that their larger brand goals to gain authentic brand mentions across trusted publications were within reach. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e seeing hundreds of mentions in places we鈥檇 never even considered before. It鈥檚 a whole new level of brand presence,鈥� he said.

This new approach catalyzed a renewed relationship between PR and SEO, as they saw that the results were tangible and actually moved the needle in today鈥檚 AI search-dominated landscape. Michael says that now the teams are excited to ideate around a larger role of research-driven content in their marketing strategy.

鈥溌槎乖�创 really feels like a cheat code,鈥� said Michael. 鈥淚t鈥檚 changed the conversation internally and helped us get on the same page about what digital brand building looks like in 2025.鈥�