How to Use a Press Release for SEO

Press releases are typically developed by the public relations team to get the word out about anything newsworthy, however if crafted the right way, a press release can also provide SEO benefits as well. In order to build links pointing back to a website that will improve search engine trust over time it’s necessary to create and publish content, like press releases, on other web properties. Of course, a press release should never be created solely for SEO purposes. A press release that doesn’t have any newsworthy information will never get picked up and is only a waste of time and money. However, if something newsworthy is going on, you might as well use it to your SEO advantage right? 

Here are 5 important press release for SEO steps:

Choose Keywords
If you are currently executing an SEO campaign, you should know which keywords you are targeting on your website. Choose a few keywords that are most relevant to the press release content to target within the press release.

Implement Keywords into Content
The keywords or keyword phrases being targeted need to be implemented into the press release title and body content in a natural way. Including too many keywords will result in a poor reader experience. It also might get the press release rejected from the distribution service. Be sure to add anchor text links to the keywords being targeted that direct a visitor to a relevant page of your website.

Distribute Through a Paid Service
There are plenty of free services to distribute a press release through but the free services often come with limitations. Links typically aren’t allowed in a free press release and there is little control over when it gets distributed. The best chance of getting a press release picked up on other sites is if you go through a legitimate paid service.

Include as Web Page/Blog Post
To get the most out of a release, write a different version of it and post it on your web property. This helps to build site content (which the search engines like) and ensures that the content lasts and can be easily found in the future by website visitors looking for more information.

Promote via Social Media
Once the press release has been published, promote it via social media channels and encourage others to share it by including social sharing buttons. If the press release content is interesting to your target audience (which it should be!) and gets shared in social media it will help to improve your social signals.