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How to Use Press Releases for SEO

Newspapers in a stack

Holy guacamole – Digital PR is on everyone’s minds right now!  Between Google’s helpful content updates, AI search engines, and AI overviews in Google, it’s clear that it’s more important than ever to build your brand online & find additional sources of traffic. 

And, as you might imagine, as soon as Digital PR comes up in a conversation, the idea of a press release bubbles to the top of the list.

Press Releases as Part of Digital PR

At a high level, press releases are designed to share newsworthy content. They can also complement your existing SEO strategy, which may include a social presence, blogger outreach programs, blogging, or content marketing. At one point, sending out a press release was a sure-fire way to inject some visibility, links, and brand recognition to your company online.

However, like many things on the Internet, a bunch of SEOs figured that out, started sending out spammy press releases en mass, and ruined it for everyone + gunked up the Internet with a bunch of lame press releases.

So, all that to say: beware that press releases no longer hold the same SEO value they once did, as Google has become more discerning about their use for gaining backlinks rather than sharing genuine news topics. At Volume Nine, we help clients with Press Releases & Digital PR as part of a comprehensive Digital Strategy – not just as an SEO tactic.

Overall, we recommend writing a press release if you have something newsworthy to share, and it’s a great idea to include SEO best practices so you get extra value from that effort. But please, don’t just send out random press releases because someone told you it’s good for SEO – you’ll be wasting your time and money.

Should you use press releases as an SEO Strategy?

Before you Start Writing a Press Release...

Before writing, submitting, or sending out a press release, consider two important questions:

#1 – Do people outside the company need to know about the topic?
Recall the saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Similarly, for press releases, “If you don’t have anything newsworthy to say, don’t write a press release at all.”

For example, most companies are itching to send out a press release when they relaunch their website. Here are a couple of angles to think through:

  • Wahoo! We launched a new site that’s prettier! No one outside your company probably cares.
  • Go us! – We made our service offerings way clearer on our website. Ok, this *might* be press release-worthy, especially in your local geographic area, to let local businesses know you offer more things.
  • Yay! On our new website, we built a free tool or set of templates people can use. Awesome! This is interesting to a broader audience and a great angle for a new website launch.

 

#2 – Is a press release the best way to share the topic or information?

Once you can affirmatively answer both questions, the next step is to start writing!

What Are the SEO Benefits of a Press Release?

The most significant SEO benefit of a press release is its indirect value. Direct value occurs when the press release URL itself ranks in search engine results pages (SERPs), which is rare but possible. For instance, a press release appearing in Google News can drive organic traffic and boost brand awareness. However, the real value lies in the indirect benefits:

  • Natural Links: If your press release is picked up by media outlets or blogs, you gain natural links, which build backlinks and site authority. 
  • Brand Visibility: Press releases increase brand visibility and recognition. They can appear higher in search results, making your brand more top-of-mind for online users.
  • Referral Traffic: They generate referral traffic from external sources. Even non-follow links can drive traffic, as search engines view these as endorsements for your content.

Who Should I Write the Press Release For?

  1. People, Not Robots: Write your press release for people, not machines or search engines. 
  2. End Audience: Focus first on the end audience who would find your press release interesting 
  3. Journalists: Focus secondly on the journalist who needs interesting angles for the content they are writing about. It should be interesting, useful, and valuable.

 

Beware: Vapid, non-newsworthy content can actually harm your SEO strategy. 

What about the Role of Keywords in My Press Release?

  • DO NOT START WITH A KEYWORD – Start with a topic and unique angle, and consider working a keyword in afterwards, ONLY IF IT MAKES SENSE. 
  • If optimizing for a keyword phrase ruins your angle and makes the press release sound less juicy, then moonwalk yourself right outta that keyword. 

Optimizing a Press Release for SEO

  • We strongly recommend light optimization to help you get SEO value without ruining the integrity of your press release. 
    • **A great press release should only be about 500-600 words**
  • Proper keyword research is crucial for optimizing a press release for SEO. 
  • Use at least one keyword target in the headline, the first paragraph, and one anchor link. 
  • Avoid keyword stuffing, as Google penalizes this practice. 
  • Utilize semantic keywords (related keywords) throughout to make your press release topically relevant
  • Include at least one link back to your website in the content. 
How to Optimize a Press Release for SEO

Helpful SEO Tools designed to help you optimize your content:

Here are a few tools we’ve used over the years for content optimization that work great. Please note again, use a light touch here – avoid hitting these tools’ “auto optimize” buttons. 

What about Anchor Links in My Press Release?

  • Anchor text and links contribute to a press release’s indirect value. 
  • Be cautious with links and anchor text; use only 2-3 links per 500 words. 
  • Links should drive users to a relevant page that gives them more information about that topic 
  • Anchor text should be helpful & descriptive (avoid anchor text like “Click Here”) 

Recommendations Press Release Submission

If you are going to write & distribute a press release, we absolutely recommend paying to get it out there. Here are a few companies that we’ve used for press release distribution that have worked great: 

  • PRWeb
  • PR Newswire
  • PR.com 
    • Website: Pr.com 
    • Pricing: Starts at $60 per new release 
  • Business Wire 

Summary – Do Press Releases Still Work For SEO?

Despite discussions about their diminishing value, press releases can still have SEO benefits if they provide value to readers. This ensures others will pick them up, giving you backlinks and referral traffic. Press releases should be part of a holistic SEO strategy, not the primary focus.