Most marketers know the value of a well-timed press release sent to local, regional, or national media outlets. Unfortunately, many don’t realize the value of a press release that has been optimized for the search engines. Used properly, press releases are a search engine optimization tool that can drive targeted traffic to your website, build your link profile, and help you promote your products and services without spending a lot of money. If you decide to use online press releases to promote your business, make sure every release has the following.
Website Links
Building natural links to your website is one of the most important aspects of optimizing your pages for the search engines. Every time you submit a release to an online distribution service, the release should have at least one link to your company’s website. Because Google is always changing its ranking algorithm, be sure to vary the anchor text for each link. If you have 20 links with the same anchor text, your site may be penalized.
Keywords
When publishing press releases on your own website, they should contain keywords related to your products and services. When people use search engines, they type in specific words and phrases. These words and phrases, known as keywords, help people find the information they need. Your SEO press releases should contain relevant keywords to attract search engine spiders and website visitors. When selecting keywords, pay close attention to phrases that are at least three words long, as they usually have less competition.
Optimized Title
Optimizing your press release title gives you the opportunity to attract attention and use your target keyword. If the distribution site limits the number of characters displayed in the title, optimize the title for your keyword instead of focusing on an attention-getting headline. Distribution sites often use the title of your press release as the page title or in the page description, so you want to be sure you use your keyword. If the distribution site allows you to create a subtitle, use this additional space to create a compelling lead.
Relevant Quotes
Every SEO press release should include at least one quote, preferably two. Using a quote in the introduction of the press release may convince people to keep reading. Sprinkling quotes throughout the body of the release is a great way to add promotional language or more information about your products and services. Using quotes works especially well if you have a paid subscription to PR Web, as the site uses pull quotes to highlight the quoted information found in press releases.
Summary and About
If you plan to use a press release distribution service, your press release should have a summary. The summary should be one or two sentences that contain at least one of your keywords. Your release should also include a short blurb about your company. Write this blurb in the third person and be sure to include a link to your company’s website. Use keywords whenever possible to attract search engine spiders and help improve your site’s search engine ranking.
Contact Information
Although you might want to use press releases to enhance your SEO strategy, the primary goal of a press release is to get a journalist or blogger interested enough to contact you for more information. Because potential customers will also see your release, it should contain several types of contact information. Include your telephone number, website URL, and e-mail address. If you have a physical location, include your mailing address. Including this type of information will make it easier for people to contact you and learn more about your company.
Optimized press releases should be a part of every marketer’s toolkit, but optimizing a release can be tricky if you have never done it before. An experienced corporate blogging consultant can help you learn the ins and outs of optimized press releases so you can attract more positive attention to your business.
