When we discuss press releases or PRs and why they are so important, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) often springs to mind. SEO is the means through which content and web pages are optimized to be picked up by and rank highly on search engine results. 

These days, many of us turn to search engines to find out information, and it is a major driver of visibility and sales for businesses. It is also worth noting that many users don’t even look beyond the first page of search engine results, so ranking highly can be a matter of survival. PR are a great way to secure the benefits of SEO, but this will take some care and deliberate action. Here are a few ways to do this:

 

Winning Headlines

When it comes to winning with press release SEO, you’ll need a headline that is designed to rank highly. Besides the core information itself, you want to include relevant keywords. This will depend on your specific industry, but having a headline that is not only at an appropriate length (55 to 65 characters is recommended) but also has the sorts of keywords that potential customers will search for means that you can have a much higher ranking. 

A catchy and well-crafted headline is also more likely to be picked up by the media and thus gain more attention. 

 

Use Keywords 

 

 

Keywords are one of the holy grails of SEO practices. When search engines crawl for content or users search for it, keywords are what are used. So, while crafting PRs, choose 1-3 keywords and organically input them into the text a few times each. There are tools online that can recommend keywords based on current industry trends, and these should be used as naturally as possible. Avoid keyword spamming, however, as this can lead to penalization from search engines.

If done well, the PR should come up when the term is searched, meaning even more eyes on you. 

 

Create Compelling Text

One thing to remember about SEO is that it is not about tricking the algorithm into favouring you, but showing that you have valuable content that deserves to be shown. And the best way to do this is to make valuable content. The better-written your PR is, the more likely it is to be covered by the press, have a high reader retention rate, and much more. This, in turn, will trigger search engines to rank it highly. 

On the flipside, if you put out a bunch of low-quality content stuffed with keywords, the algorithm is more likely to penalize you by making it rank lower. On top of this, those who do come across it are less likely to take any action, which defeats the purpose. 

 

In-Text Links for Press Release SEO

Ultimately, the end goal of SEO is to drive more people to specific webpages, ideally making a purchase, subscribing, or taking some other action. This is much more likely when you input the right links within the body of the text. As part of press release SEO, link to your website or social media pages within the text. If the PR itself goes on to rank well, the webpage will reap similar benefits. The way search engine algorithms see it, if a highly-ranked piece of text links to a certain webpage, that webpage must be of value to users. Thus, it too gets highly ranked. So, don’t neglect links when developing SEO. 

 

Wide Circulation

It goes without saying, but the more people see your PR, the higher it will rank in terms of SEO. This is thanks to backlinks. As we’ve explained, the more high-ranking platforms link to a specific webpage, the higher the webpage itself will rank thanks to the reputational boost.

This is where we come in; by purchasing one of our packages, you can have your documents published on sites with thousands, sometimes millions, of readers. Having backlinks from several reputable platforms at once means that you can achieve more organic traffic, more sales, and a better reputation within search engine algorithms. However, we cannot stress this enough: don’t try to buy backlinks, as this is more likely to lead to blacklisting than to any positive results. 

 

Social Media

 

 

To generate maximum exposure for your PR, you’re best off harnessing the power of social media. In some cases, the platforms that carry the PR may feature links to it on their social media, which boosts visibility. On your end, you want to link to the page on your social media to get more eyes on it. As we’ve said in previous blog posts, you can always turn your PRs into different content forms, such as video and pictures and share these on social media. In turn, these can boost SEO benefits.

 

Include Images

Believe it or not, you’re allowed to add images and sometimes, even video, to your PR. As long as the media is actually relevant to the press release itself, it can be added. More than this, images can be good for press release SEO. With appropriate alt text, it can lead to higher reader retention, more engagement, and a higher ranking on search engines. Images and video are seen to make a webpage more engaging and robust, so this is certainly something to consider. 

 

Conclusion

Press release SEO is an easy concept to overlook as a business, but it can go on to benefit you immensely if you embrace it. Remember that on the internet, search engine algorithms are always watching, and every piece of published content can be a way to rank your business pages higher. 

It all begins with the development of the press release itself. By having a well-written piece of content with proper keywords, links, a good headline, and even images, you’re already on the path to success. And with our services here at XpressWire to have the press release well-circulated, search engine results should rank your business highly.