The old adage tells us that any press is good press. While this might not always be strictly true, the sentiment behind the saying remains relevant in the world of search engine optimization (SEO). Increasing your website’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) is the primary goal of SEO, and any action that generates buzz and gets your brand noticed can help.
When well executed, a press release has tremendous potential to create interest and gain attention for your brand—from real humans and search engine algorithms alike. This win-win scenario is the reason why the team at First Rank SEO incorporates press releases into our SEO strategy for clients. Below, we’ll explore what a press release is, best practices for writing one, and some of the SEO benefits a properly written and handled press release can offer.
For further information about press releases and their role in SEO, contact us today at First Rank SEO.
What Is a Press Release?
A press release (PR) is a short, specifically formatted content piece that contains newsworthy information about your business and is sent to targeted members of the media. The goal? To pique interest and potentially have a news source pick up on your story. (But don’t worry, a press release can still benefit your business’s SEO even if it’s not picked up by a major news outlet—see below.)
Press releases are short, succinct pieces of content that provide the important details about an event or circumstance related to your business. They cover the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why), adhere to standard journalistic guidelines (such as citing sources and including direct quotations), and also provide background and contact information for your business. Press releases are often written by public relations professionals but may also be created by business owners, marketers, or other team members.
What Can a Press Release Cover?
A press release should cover something newsworthy that people outside your business or organization would be interested to learn more about. The topic doesn’t have to be a sensational, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, but it does need to have some purpose or intrigue for the general public. If you’re really struggling to come up with a topic, perhaps return to the task at a future date. Press releases don’t have a deadline.
While every business is unique, and the potential range of press release topics is virtually endless, some common topics covered by businesses in press releases include:
- Events – Grand openings, groundbreakings, charitable events/fundraisers, special guests, anniversaries, holiday events, workshops, tours, etc.
- Awards – Business awards, product awards, employee awards, recognition from other organizations or businesses
- Launches – Build anticipation for and interest in new products, programs, or services
- Personnel – Executive-level changes, welcomes and farewells
- Funding Announcements – Mergers and acquisitions, grants, fundraising campaigns, etc.
Best Practices for Writing Press Releases
Once you’ve reviewed the press release format and settled on a topic, it’s time to start writing. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
- Write for people, not machines – Consider your target audience and tailor your press release to them using high-quality writing and stylistics. Quality content will organically gain traction and get your business noticed in search engine algorithms. (Incidentally, this principle holds true for any online content.)
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- Optimize your press release – Do use strategically targeted keywords and optimize the content in your press release to help it get noticed in all the right ways. (But don’t go overboard with optimization; keywords should never compromise the overall integrity of your writing.)
- Don’t overdo it with links – Use links sparingly and only as necessary to cite sources and provide easy access to your business website. Too many links can make a press release look spammy.
How Can Press Releases Benefit SEO?
Press releases have many potential benefits for SEO, some direct and some indirect:
Direct Benefits
- When you write and publish a press release, you receive a backlink from the site or platform where it was published. In the world of SEO, backlinks are coveted, and this is one legitimate way to generate one.
- If your press release URL ranks well, it will organically drive traffic to your business’s website.
Indirect Benefits
- If your press release gets picked up by a news source (or even more than one), you’ll receive the benefits of the associated backlink(s) plus a potential citation, referral traffic, and the overall perks of buzz being created about your brand.
- Noteworthy brands receive organic links as information about them circulates on news sites, social platforms, influencer media, and more.
- Circulating news stories generate increased brand awareness, visibility, and recognition.
The Syndication Process
At First Rank, we use a number of different approaches to get client press releases noticed and produce optimal SEO results. These include:
- Press releases are published on their website (often in their news section or their blog).
- Clients are encouraged to share press releases on their social media channels.
- Press releases are published on client Google Business Profiles (GBPs).
- Press releases are syndicated on more than 400 news sites.
Conclusion
To conclude, press releases are concise, targeted content pieces that are distributed to media sources for the purpose of piquing interest in and gaining recognition for your business. They follow a specific journalistic format and are usually written by public relations or marketing professionals.
Press releases are an important element of search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that can organically help build backlinks, drive traffic to your website, and create positive buzz. When properly written and distributed, they offer both direct and indirect SEO benefits.
To learn more about how press releases and other SEO strategies can help to increase your business’s visibility and organic traffic in the ever-changing world of digital marketing, contact our dedicated team at First Rank SEO today.
We look forward to working with you!
Jacob Kettner is the owner and CEO of First Rank Inc., a digital marketing agency based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He currently sits on Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Small Business Advisor Council which assists people grow their small businesses in Manitoba.
