Here’s an event that you might want to check-out on Thursday evening.

Its a debate hosted by Phil Sheldrake and myself as part of the CIPR’s Social Summer 2010 series of workshop that will ask has the PR industry missed the boat on the optimisation of web content to attract the attention of Google, more commonly known as search engine optimisation?

The emergence of the multi-million pound search industry during the last decade suggests that this may be the case.

Search agencies are increasingly packaging planning, content development and analytics, into a payment-by-results model. It’s a compelling proposition for a marketing director that is seeking guaranteed outcomes.

Now search agencies are starting to use PR tactics such as press releases, bylined content and wire distribution to drive their campaigns prompting the scrutiny of the role of PR versus SEO.

Join participants from the PR and SEO industries including Sourcewire’s Daryl Willcox, Nixon McInnes’ Will McInnes and SiteVisibility’s Kelvin Newman to debate the issue on Thursday evening. The two-hour session will kick-off at the CIPR’s headquarters in Russell Square, London at 5pm. The cost is £10 on the door to cover beers and nibbles.