Tips for Press Release SEO

Press releases are often overlooked when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). In fact, the online syndication that comes with press release distribution provides an awesome opportunity for SEO. Below are five tips to help you tie press release writing and distribution to your SEO efforts.

Key into Keywords

Keywords form the foundation of any SEO effort, including within press releases. Given the relatively short length of most releases, it’s best to focus on two to three keywords per release.

My favorite tool for identifying ideal keywords is the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. I like to enter a few of my own ideas in the “Word or phrase” field and then analyze those against the keyword ideas the tool suggests. The best keywords in my opinion are those with a high number of monthly searches and a low amount of competition. This usually means more specific keywords are preferable to broader terms.

Hyperlink Keywords

When considering press release SEO, the best words to hyperlink are not always the most obvious.

Take the following hypothetical example – The Barkery, a company that makes gourmet dog treats, is issuing a press release about its new line of dog biscuits. Traditionally, the hyperlinks in the first line of the release might look something like this:

The Barkery, your pup’s source for the tastiest gourmet dog biscuits, today launched a new line of treats.

But if The Barkery is hoping to build traffic to its site from people searching “gourmet dog biscuits” online, a better way to handle the hyperlinks follows:

The Barkery, your pup’s source for the tastiest gourmet dog biscuits, today launched a new line of treats.

Use Keywords in Headline

When your release is syndicated online, it’s likely that the headline will become a hyperlink in a list of articles, which readers can then click to view the entire text. Given this, it’s an ideal place to include keywords.

Use Keywords Early

Since there’s no telling how far into your piece a search engine “spider” will crawl, it’s important to use your keywords as early as possible within the body of the release for press release SEO. Even the subhead is a great place to start.

Don’t Ignore the Obvious

Many wire services offer special features for press release SEO such as the opportunity to tag releases with keywords. Take advantage of these when you can!

And don’t forget to post your keyword-filled release on your own web site. Make sure to find opportunities on other pages of your site to link to the release page to reap even more SEO benefits.

If you are interested in further press release writing and SEO help, Firework Writing offers a flat-fee press release writing service. For more information, contact us.