In the past, businesses relied heavily on press releases for SEO, as they provided businesses with backlinks that improved their rankings and credibility. However, the misuse and abuse of press releases over time have led to a decline in their effectiveness. Companies began issuing press releases for trivial matters, which audiences and journalists found uninteresting and clickbait-like. As a result, Google has discounted the value of these links, reducing the impact of press releases for SEO.
According to Google’s John Mueller, press releases are no longer a reliable way to obtain links and improve rankings. News websites are now instructed to use no-follow links, which do not provide significant value for optimization and ranking purposes. However, this does not mean that press releases are no longer useful for SEO. They can still indirectly contribute to various metrics, including traffic and credibility. Let’s explore how you can leverage press releases to improve your SEO efforts.
The role of press releases for SEO
First, let’s define what a press release is and how it can benefit your website‘s SEO in 2022.
A press release is an official statement from a company or individual used for various purposes, such as clarifying a problem or conflict, announcing new products or services, business expansions, special offers, or upcoming events. While the direct impact of press releases on SEO has diminished, they can still provide indirect benefits to your website.
To illustrate this, let’s consider two examples:
Example #1:
Company A frequently issues press releases about every small change within the company, from team updates to furniture upgrades. However, journalists rarely pick up these releases unless there’s something genuinely important or the company pays them for coverage. People quickly realize these releases offer no interesting content and leave the website, never returning. As a result, the company’s reputation suffers, and major events or important news fail to garner attention. The website may also be penalized by Google, resulting in a loss of SEO value and wasted promotional efforts.
Example #2:
Company B strategically crafts press releases for significant events, business expansions, new branches, special offers, and official statements addressing conflicts. Each release is well-prepared, engaging, and contains relevant keywords that journalists can incorporate into their articles. News websites eagerly pick up these valuable statements, boosting their own traffic and providing readers with interesting articles.
While the links within these releases may be no-follow, visitors still click on them, visit the company’s website, explore further, share articles, and even make purchases. This increased engagement leads to higher rankings, easier acquisition of paid backlinks, increased revenue, and smoother promotion.
It’s clear that releasing top-notch statements when needed is more effective, cost-efficient, and establishes your business as serious, honest, and reliable. Both internet users and Google recognize this natural growth strategy, which builds trust.
Optimizing press releases for effective promotion
To make the most of press releases for promoting your site, follow these best practices:
- Engage your audience: Create releases that are interesting and capture the attention of both journalists and readers, encouraging them to read until the end.
- Prioritize safety: Ensure your releases respect your company’s and visitors’ safety. Read articles on trust.zone to learn about potential threats to avoid when posting press releases.
- Use industry-specific language: Showcase your professionalism by using appropriate industry-specific words in your releases.
- Incorporate keywords: Although keywords may not significantly impact on-page SEO, journalists may use them in their articles, enhancing the authority of the links they include.
- Maintain a friendly tone: Whether you’re addressing a conflict or discussing another brand, always be friendly and polite in your press releases.
- Make it appealing: Craft statements that are appealing to journalists, making them eager to write articles about your news.
Ultimately, the best PR you can achieve through online press release submissions is to become exceptional at it. By perfecting your press release strategy, you’ll generate more attention with each statement, attract natural backlinks, and increase website traffic.
Strategically use press releases for SEO
As with any link-building and SEO strategy, it’s crucial to use press releases wisely and avoid overdoing it. Otherwise, you risk being blacklisted by websites that accumulate spammy links or engage in bulk purchasing, as well as using outdated and harmful optimization techniques.
Consider hiring a skilled team capable of crafting outstanding press releases for every occasion. This approach will communicate the most important statement of all—that you represent a reliable company.