[Column] Jacqui Mills: PR is the new SEO in South Africa’s AI era

For years, companies relied on paid campaigns to secure online visibility. Google Ads and similar platforms kept brands at the top of search results, but only for as long as the budget lasted. Artificial intelligence is now disrupting that model, reshaping how people search, evaluate, and trust information.

Tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot do not display ads; they provide answers drawn from credible sources including trusted media, thought leadership, and authoritative websites. In this environment, credibility has become the decisive factor—and public relations is emerging as the driver of visibility.

Authority as the new algorithm

Research indicates that this shift is already underway. A Search Engine Land survey found that 79 percent of users expect to rely on AI-enhanced search within the next year, with 70 percent saying they trust the results generated. Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer reinforces the trend, showing that while trust in traditional media is under pressure, earned media remains far more credible than paid advertising or brand-owned content.

Commentators argue that visibility in the AI era depends less on keywords and more on authority. A Brainz Magazine analysis urged brands to integrate PR into their digital strategies to stay competitive, emphasising that algorithms reflect human behaviour: they highlight information from independent, third-party sources rather than marketing-driven material.

PR delivers long-term returns

In South Africa, businesses continue to invest heavily in paid campaigns. PwC’s Entertainment & Media Outlook projected that internet advertising spend would reach R8.7 billion by 2023. Paid visibility delivers reach, but only as long as funds are allocated. Earned media, by contrast, compounds its impact. Studies have found that PR can deliver returns up to 11 times greater than paid advertising, while also strengthening reputation and search discoverability long after initial coverage.

The strongest results come from combining the two approaches. Paid campaigns attract attention, while PR ensures what audiences and algorithms find is credible and authoritative. Together, they create sustainable visibility that lasts beyond a single campaign cycle.

Risks for South African competitiveness

For South Africa, the stakes are high. If local brands fail to adapt to AI-driven discovery, they risk becoming digitally invisible in both domestic and international markets. That invisibility could hinder foreign investment, export opportunities, and the ability of small businesses to expand.

Jacqui Mills, Founder of Everything Is Written: “In the AI era, PR is not about noise – it is about being the source the machine trusts. South African brands cannot afford to be absent from that conversation.”

Credibility as currency

PR has always been about building reputation and trust. What is different in 2025 is that technology now actively rewards these qualities. Visibility is no longer determined by who spends the most, but by who earns recognition as a trusted source.

The future belongs to brands that tell authentic stories, secure placement in respected outlets, and build credibility that both people and algorithms recognise. In a search landscape increasingly shaped by AI, credibility is currency—and trust is the ultimate ranking.

Jacqui Mills is the founder of Everything Is Written