Semalt: Are Press Releases Still A Good Idea For SEO?



With our world demanding that service providers, as well as producers, share a more intimate relationship with their customers, Press releases are no doubt a useful tool. In the arsenal of weapons to get your customers to understand and like your brand better, Press releases should come top 5.

This is proven by the several dozens of questions we receive on how influential are press releases to websites SEO performance. We're talking Search engine visibility as well as link building capabilities. However, this only happens when done right.

As part of our commitment to providing our clients with a wide consumer reach as well as the development of their website to not only rank on search engines but also to appeal to their target audience, it is important we cover the advantages of Press releases. With our help, your website gets placed in advantageous positions that make it easy for people to find your press releases at the exact moment when such information is critical. 

Let's face it; you probably haven't used a press release. Although it is no alien term, it's not something that most small scale or medium scale businesses bother doing. Back in the day, press releases were a rich gold mine for SEO points. However, as time passed and things changed, we began to wonder if press releases were worth the hassle.

Like with your many other SEO questions, Semalt has the answer. And, the simple answer, in this case, is YES! Press releases have a significant impact on your SEO efforts. Now the benefits of press releases go beyond just benefiting your SEO performance and go further to help your marketing efforts.

But like many issues we discuss, press releases are hardly discussed to improve website performance. Better still, many fail to completely grasp its concept and end up making the wrong choices that negatively affect the outcome of the press releases. In the end, the chance is that this causes more harm than good.

Best believe that doing your press releases the wring way will only harm your website. If done in the wrong manner, press releases can damage your website.

All these and more are what we will be discussing in this article, so hang on a bit longer…

What are press releases?

Press releases are a term we must have heard a couple of times in companies. This form of public address is a way of distributing and announcing events, updates, products, and other critical developments to the press. According to Google, they are "an official statement issued by companies to new agencies containing information on a particular matter. "Press releases have no specify format in which they must be delivered. However, they can be written, delivered in video or audio format.

Press releases have long been used as a way to drag the attention of the public to certain events. Today, we see large companies use press releases to launch new products, announce release dates, and build anticipation, which helps their products or services skyrocket.

So this means, if you're looking for a way to get the public's attention, press releases are what you need. You can write your content and have it distributed in newspapers, the radio, television, and social media.

This sounds so plain and simple, but getting the media's attention is something many will find very difficult. It gets harder as you try to get press editors to look through your content before it gets published. This is because your editor will need to filter and sculpt your press statement to perfection. This ensures that the best and only the best news makes it out.

What is the influence of press releases on Search Engine Optimization?

Having your big and important new feature on big websites, as well as blogs, will cast the stage light on your website. With your brand name all across town,  you are going to get more traffic to your website. The most important part of having press releases is their potential to generate backlinks. Let's say you publish your press release to the New York Times, Washington Post, or any other popular new agency; you have the opportunity to add links to your press release. This means that you immediately tap into the soaring number of traffic those websites enjoy. These backlinks are also of top quality, so all you have to do is sit back and let it get to work.  

Building backlinks will be one of the toughest hurdles to surpass in SEO. Building high-quality backlinks are only harder. Now imagine having to do this manually, without the option to buy or cash in favors. With press releases, you can get all three parts in one. This alone makes press releases an essential tool if you hope to build a vast network of links.

Do press releases still matter? 

Until Google whips up some advanced intelligence that watches our every step, we will always have a place in our hearts for news. Without press releases, the truth is several companies will fall to the ground; the public wouldn't know the position of a brand on particular issues, and new products won't get the audience they deserve.

Press releases are like domino pieces. Once you set it right, it starts a chain reaction that not only gets you backlinks, but it also gains you social media recognition. Take Sony, Google, iPhone, and many other top dollar companies. Thanks to their press releases, they experienced tremendous mentions across the internet and social media platforms. So as long as we have opinions, topics and news, press releases would still matter.

Many clients who have spent the better part of the century on the internet will confess that press releases have lost a large portion of its momentum. The answer to why this happened is SPAM.

What is SPAM?

As the internet and SEO began to attract more attention, more editors and journalists became frequent victims of scams. To stop this, they began filtering the news stories with stricter guidelines. This process continued and only became more difficult, making press releases a less effective strategy. It wasn't a bad idea in SEO; instead, it became much more difficult to access.

There was another contributing factor, which is the penalties themselves. Since press release was used to build links, it became less popular as soon as websites realized a way to get links artificially.

However, you shouldn't give up hope on press conferences just yet. By focusing on the right things, such as improving your business, website, services, and products, your press conference will achieve its primary purpose, which is to grab the media's attention. Once this is achieved, creating backlinks wouldn't be a problem.

The secrete to a successful press conference

In reality, you do not need all the stations in your local area to pick up your press release. Knowing this secrete is what distinguishes many successful press conferences. Of course, that's besides proper research and interesting content. Back our secrete, you need just one reporter to find your press releases worth it. Once you can land a big reporter with a powerful website, and many of the other reporters would "kill" to get a hold of your press release.

By targeting individual reporters, you stand a better chance of being successful. Have a piece of great news with sufficient graphic details to help keep your audience engaged. Once you do this, get a reporter that's very passionate about the content you've provided. If your press release is about child care and early motherhood, finding a reporter who recently had a baby would be amazing. This will be because she is naturally willing to learn more, and your content is a perfect fit at that moment.

Using this when selecting your content, platform, and the reporter would enable your press releases to be as effective as it should.

How to make press releases.

This topic is so vast and important that we have a dedicated article describing just this. To learn more about how to make better press releases, go ahead and click here. However, let's provide you with a glimpse of how to get your press conferences done right.
Essentials 
  1. Have an interesting piece of news you wish to share.
  2. Your headings should be given significant attention. Headings should be spot on. 
  3. Your press releases should be brief, rich, and interesting. Always go straight to the point.
  4. Distribute your press releases to only relevant places. 
  5. Wait patiently and keep tabs on the results.
Remember, there is a lot more you need to know, so endeavor to read its adjourning article.

Besides, there are basic Don'ts you must learn.
  1. Do not write press releases about just anything. If you hope to have a press release once every month, ensure that you have innovative, original, and exciting news to publish.
  2. Do not SPAM your editors.
  3. Don't post on every press release platform you come across.
We hope you've learned more about press releases and how it benefits your SEO. Remember, Semalt is here to help, and if you have more questions, we would be delighted to help.