If you ever wondered if a press release is good for SEO, the short answer is yes, it is. The purpose of a press release is to generate publicity and attention about newsworthy content. Controlling a crisis isn’t the only reason a company will send out a press release. They also use it to build a reputation and gain media coverage. It sounds similar to how search engine optimization helps improve search engine rankings to drive online visibility.
Now you’re likely wondering a second question, How do I write an SEO press release? You can easily find out by reading this article and learn five secrets to creating an optimal SEO press release. Let’s take a look at how writing a good press release can help business owners reach their target types of audiences.
The Power of Press Release SEO
The goal of a compelling press release is not only to publicize important news. Press releases work to improve your brand name search results while at the same time increasing referral traffic. Consumers will follow your press release links which will take them back to your sites. The entire process may need a press release distribution company. An effective press release will expose you to more channels, so it’s a worthwhile investment. Are you now asking yourself, what is the best press release distribution service? Your business shouldn’t need to invest more than $500 or 25 hours of labor into a single press release.
So, the best press release service is one that will fit into your digital marketing budget.
When And How To Craft a Press Release
Your digital marketer should always consider the impact and need of the release, be it public relations or information release. Your readers want relevant content about news relating to your company posted online. In general, companies should use press releases to announce a new product launch, brand mentions, or even to announce new employees.
The 7 Steps To Creating A Press Release
You may be asking yourself, at this point, what are the seven steps to creating press releases?
Let’s keep it simple and look at how to write one in just seven steps:
- Figure out what you are writing about
- Create a headline
- Craft your initial paragraph
- Optimize your body copy
- Use supporting quotes
- Write perfect boilerplate test
- Include media contact information
The Benefits Of Optimizing Press Releases For SEO
SEO is boosted indirectly by press releases. Well-written press releases can attract your readers’ attention and can be featured on a news site. These sites help create more traffic to your site as users read your SEO press and become interested in your products. Don’t go overboard with your anchor text. Create amazing releases that your audience will want to share on their own sites. A quality link, relevant keywords, and a catchy headline will impact your SEO and impact your Google page ranking. You control a public relations nightmare by a quick response that molds the outcome to your benefit. Optimal SEO, in this case, means search engines are tossing back your response first.
5 Secrets To Optimal SEO Press Release
Now that you have an idea of what, how, and when press releases are utilized, you can optimize them for SEO. There are five secrets journalists should know on creating optimal press releases and bringing quality content to their audiences.
Optimize Your First Paragraph
55% of users will spend 15 seconds or less on a site, so you need to make every second count. The first 250 words of your message are the most important. Having the relevant information upfront allows a search engine, like Google, to understand your information better. But most importantly, you want to keep the attention of your audience longer than that 15 seconds. Your biggest audience online is the public, not the press. Your press releases need to be relevant to both parties. Optimizing your content starts with asking the big six: Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. Consider those questions as your bonus six secrets for SEO in press releases – you will find them valuable to your strategies.
Find and Include Long Tail Key Phrases
Seo efforts include bolding primary and secondary keywords and phrases are part of the SEO process. But do you know about long-tail keywords? Long-tail keywords are a phrase consisting of three to five words. Since they are specific terms, your keywords will draw more quality traffic to your sites from niche demographics.Keyword research and creating lists of prioritized keywords are also important as well. There are also billions of unique keywords. Having a smart strategy to develop a list that targets your audience is part of the optimization process. Create buyer personas and brainstorm what keywords that you think they would use in a search engine. Include these in your headlines and lead paragraph, and you will create successful press releases.
Google Search Engines Devalue Releases With Too Many Extra Links
As media outlets pick up hundreds of news releases a day, there is a problem with the oversaturation of press releases in the publishing world. Algorithms can tell if you’re using press releases for improper netlinking. The entire press release can be penalized in the results of search engines, like Google results. Google’s John Mueller says that they ignore links from press releases because these companies write about and include links for themselves. He does not recommend using press releases for link building. These ‘nofollow links’ will not boost your press release in search engines anymore. In other words, you need to have the right journalists with the right intentions for your SEO press release. In general, you shouldn’t be writing press releases solely for gaining links to your site – keep it relevant, and the SEO will work for your website. But, this doesn’t mean that your company shouldn’t focus on the press release for SEO- be sure you are using natural links appropriately.
Figure Out What You Are Writing About
This step ties into the section about when to use press releases, so to sum it up: write about what is newsworthy. Journalists love exclusive data and research, so give them a media release that has both. Keep in mind what your users want in terms of news and how you want to get them to your website, and you will create a successful press release. Conduct research on who you will send press releases to in order to determine if what you are writing belongs in that field. This goes back to the tip on optimizing your content. If you answered those six questions, you would have the answers you need to be successful here as well.
Include Company Contact Information
Provide a link to your company and contact information where appropriate in your press releases. Some sites that display press releases may not allow a link, however, make sure you include this information at the end of your release.
Bonus Secret
Technology has made it even easier for marketers to track the success of their online content. You can measure metrics like lead generation, brand awareness, web traffic, and many other areas using web analytics. Knowing where you are succeeding and where you have more opportunities is how you continue to optimize your content even as it ages out of relevancy.
The Final Word On Press Release SEO
You want to encourage your readers with a call to action. Getting them to respond or share on social media will act as additional content for your SEO ranking. Hire someone who can constantly monitor and engage your social media profiles, and it’s worth the investment! SEO is one of the strongest marketing strategies and is a cost-effective means of driving brand visibility. Combining it with the press release will only benefit your brand and business.Avoid bad habits like keyword stuffing or spamming links, but keep your material related to your audience. Be consistent in your keyword spelling. Look for and use the one most frequently used when searching. Don’t overdo bold and italics even if it does impact your search results positively. When creating the optimal press release, always include your company name. Your release will drop in ranking as it ages out, so make a smart campaign that includes multiple press releases to continue to drive results.
All of these secrets combined will aid you in a successful press release campaign. Don’t be afraid to use free templates online to make the job easier. It will save you time and money. You want your readers to read your press release, and this strategy will aid you in accomplishing that.
Author Bio:
Sortlist is an independent partner who knows the competitive landscape of marketing and providers. We make it easy to find your ideal agency. Compare, contrast and discover agencies from 28 marketing expertises and 80 countries for free. With only a few clicks our matchmakers will give you a selection of quality agencies, and help you find your perfect creative partner in just 48 hours.
