Optimizing your online press releases will increase brand exposure, referral traffic, and search engine optimization. Here are a few guidelines that, if implemented, will make your press releases contain more SEO value and convert readers into leads.

Press releases are an excellent promotion tool both online and off. But online, there’s a particular opportunity for maximizing search engine optimization. Digital press releases can be targeted, effective, and improve the search engine presence of a person or organization.

Traditionally, when public relations and marketing professionals disseminated press releases to news media, that meant sending them to specific news editors and reporters via mail, fax, or email to consider running the story in print, or more recently, online.

However, as our focus increasingly shifts from print to digital, the role of mass media gatekeeper, normally reserved for editors and reporters, has expanded to include bloggers and regular Internet users who like to share stories they deem newsworthy with their friends and followers on social media sites. Public relations professionals must consider the power these new gatekeepers can have in propelling a story or brand message, since social networks can reach a large number of people if the story they post goes ‘viral’, or rapidly spreads across the Internet through endless networks of users.

Though press releases have been on shaky ground with search engines in recent years, they remain an effective tool for online promotion. The key is to develop well written, strategic press releases that are search engine friendly. It’s also important to avoid tricks like keyword and hyperlink stuffing.

Most experts will recommend using keywords effectively, making strategic linking decisions, and writing useful press releases while paying attention to details that can help rather than hinder search engine results. Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re writing a press release for the web

Do keyword research before you start writing 

Keywords play an important role in SEO, and they’re just as important in press release SEO. But just as it is the case with regular SEO, you’ll need to be cautious and careful about how you use keywords in press release SEO.

When done properly, keyword research can help you figure out the exact terms your customers are using when searching for your products or services. Never just assume or guess what you think the best keywords are. Use a free keyword research tool to discover the terms you should be targeting. Make a list of some of the top keywords, and use these as a foundation for your press release. A primary — and possibly secondary — keyword phrase should be used in your press release title. Doing so will help it pop out to journalists who are looking for specific information on that topic. Keywords should also appear throughout your content, in the URL, page title, meta description, and in the alt tags of images. Of course, choose keywords that work strategically for your company. Ideally, you’ll use words that already show up strongly in search results for your brand. This will allow you to strengthen existing keywords.

And even though keywords are important, many experts recommend simply writing first, then considering keywords later. This allows you to focus on organic language that readers enjoy while also optimizing for search engines. See which way works better for you – testing and analyzing will help you streamline the process immensely.

Don’t sacrifice readability for SEO 

Why do SEO writers always seem to get carried away with stuffing keywords in every possible piece of their copy? Good press release optimization isn’t about seeing how many times you can get the keyword in your copy. It’s about creating an easy-to-read piece that just happens to also be optimized for the search engines.

Do place keywords toward the top 

Keyword placement is an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of optimizing a press release. To give yourself the best chance of having a well-ranked press release, you should try to include the targeted keyword in the headline, subhead, and first paragraph of the press release. You should also use the keyword throughout the rest of the press release when it makes sense to do so. Remember, the goal is to include the keyword naturally, so don’t force it if it doesn’t work.

Don’t get caught up measuring keyword density 

Keyword density is one of those old SEO myths that just won’t die. Some people still swear that by using a keyword a certain percentage of the time in your copy, you can rank better in the search engines. It’s total BS. Don’t waste your time measuring keyword density, because there is no magic number you need to hit. Instead, focus on creating a natural flow in your press release.

Do use keyword-rich backlinks 

Many times, you can include links back to your website within your press release. This lets readers get more information about your story, and it drives traffic to your website. But that’s not the only purpose of doing this. If you use keyword-rich anchor text in your backlinks, you can actually help improve the rankings of the pages being linked to. For example, if you’re linking to a page on your website about ABC widgets, your backlink should include the words “ABC widgets.” This lets the search engines know what the target page is about, helping to rank it accordingly.

Don’t write press releases just for the sake of SEO 

While press release marketing can be an effective SEO tactic, you shouldn’t do it solely for the sake of improving your search engine presence. That’s how you end up sending out high volumes of poorly-written, uninteresting press releases. Always focus on writing newsworthy, interesting press releases.

 

Recommended: 5 Reasons your Press Release may not get picked by journalists

 

Don’t use too many links

Follow these simple guidelines when using links inside your press release. Use no more than one link if your press release is less than 250 words; two links for up to 400 words; three links for up to 750 words; and five links for up to 1,000 words. It’s good practice to keep your online press releases under 1,000 words. Using too many links can make a press release appear ‘spammy.’

Optimize your multimedia attachments

Press releases are no longer simply text and links. Online, you can include images, videos, even interactive elements that make any press release more attractive and enticing to share.

Make your release media rich by always including at least one image and/or video. Press releases with multimedia typically have higher click-through rates. So, if your wire service allows multimedia attachments such as videos or pdf files then be sure to take advantage of this extended functionality. Here’s a little known trick: don’t forget to optimize the filenames and titles of your multimedia attachments to your press release. This will boost the press release’s SEO power. Again, use keywords and phrases that are relevant to the press release only.

Few tips on your media

• JPEGs provide the best quality and the smallest file size and can be indexed by any search engine. It’s best to save your images in this format.
• Search engines crawl image file names as well as page text. Name your images using descriptive words that you think your audience would use when searching online.
• Don’t forget to take advantage of alt tags. They add SEO value to your site and will help ensure your images show up in a web search.

Pay attention to these content do’s and don’ts

Always inform the reader of something new, interesting, and relevant. Always follow basic grammar rules and avoid the temptation to use bold or uppercase text. Always include a call-to-action in the release to guide the readers who want to know more to your website. Never write a press release to sell the reader something. Remember that the point of a press release is to be something that will be shared by the press. Find a unique angle that makes your story newsworthy. For example, tie it to a recent event that made headlines or an upcoming holiday. Or, if your story has an unusual element, highlight it (e.g. ‘first ever’, or ‘record breaking’).

Make your press release short; one page is ideal. News editors don’t have a lot of time to sift through long releases, and studies have shown that the average consumer of Internet content has an online attention span of just a few seconds.

Use widely understood terms to reach a wider audience.

Specify release date (immediate, or delayed) and ensure the timing is relevant.

Keep your release factual and avoid fluffy, sales-type writing.

Include quotes from authority figures, including sources within your company.

Include a call to action along with all the necessary information needed to act (e.g. enter a contest, visit a website, etc.).

Include a boilerplate at the end of the release. A boilerplate includes information about the source of the release that can be reused for subsequent releases. It should include basic company information and where the reader can go for further details on the company.

Online press releases can be sent using paid or free services. We at newsvoir.com also offer the distribution of press releases and help you get your news the visibility from the right audience. While you’re waiting for your press release to get picked up and distributed, don’t forget that you probably already have a powerful distribution tool available: social media. Once you’ve put together a press release, quickly share it on all your social media outlets, linking to the newswire as well as your website.

By learning how to combine traditional press release writing and distribution techniques with new ones customized for digital media, you’re on your way to taking advantage of the cost-effective marketing potential of the almighty press release.

If you follow these tips, you should be able to enjoy the best of both worlds: media coverage and high search engine placement. The key is to always write newsworthy press releases with a strong hook that draws readers in.