Since Google’s Penguin Update in April 2012 avowed that links within press releases should not improve your search engine rankings the jury has been out on whether this useful marketing tool can help your SEO.
First of all, it’s important to remember that great content is just as important as backlinks for generating good SERP rankings and driving organic growth in traffic. If you have something worth saying in a press release then it’s of prime importance that you continue to do so. Publishing regular, well-written and relevant content on your own site is a good thing.
Secondly, the clue as to whether there is any truth in the assertion that press releases could benefit your SEO is the term ‘should’; there is proof that press releases can generate link juice if they are picked up and published by high-quality PR sources.
How Can Press Releases Generate Traffic?
If Google states that links in a press release are automatically discounted from their page ranking algorithm then how can they drive traffic?
Press releases can help build online traffic but are limited when it comes to link building. Image via Pixabay.
In their own right, press releases have an importance in achieving publicity via journalists, news sites and blogs; they are an essential marketing tool to raise awareness of new products, services and information.
A well-written press release containing useful information will always attract the attention of journalists and reviewers keen to add their commentary and (with bloggers particularly) generate their own traffic. In doing so, press releases are often accompanied by additional content that can often contain additional links to your website or specific URL.
However, a press release that is simply republished on another site is, in fact, duplicate content and will not perform well in terms of additional link juice. That being said, additional coverage can be a source of good organic exposure for real people and not just for the benefit of a search engine.
Key to Good Press Release Distribution
As with any SEO marketing campaign, it is essential to establish quality sources over the quantity (or breadth) of your exposure. It is far more likely that you will see a positive impact on your page rankings and extra traffic if you secure a press release being published on a high-quality PR or news site than if you were to generate a couple of dozen published instances across low authority ranked domains.
A press release, irrespective of where it is being distributed, should have something newsworthy to say. Image via Pixabay.
To achieve publication better quality sites, you need to remember that your press release must be well-written and have something newsworthy to say. By virtue of it being a ‘press release’, it should be targeted to journalists who want to report on something worth publishing.
In order to get the press release published you will need to target your audience (journalists, bloggers or reviewers) specifically with something that is likely to catch their attention.
Find out more from Opace
To find out more about how press release distribution can help generate traffic and what you should be doing about converting this visibility for more backlinks, contact Opace on 0845 017 7661 to discuss your SEO requirements.
The qualitative sources will ensure the publication of press releases on the site with a high level of attendance. The placement of additional links will help in this.