Press releases should be an integral part of any business. They are a compelling way to inform the world about your company’s latest news and upcoming events. But they can have an added bonus too. If you write your release in an SEO-friendly manner, you can also help your search ranking.
By adopting an intelligent SEO-friendly press release strategy, you can index extra links and increase your search ranking. To put it another way, your press releases can help boost your SEO ranking as well as increase your brand awareness if you write them correctly.
With just a bit more effort, you can kill two birds with one stone. Your press release can achieve its initial purpose, while also helping your search engine optimization. For help with writing press releases or SEO, contact SEO Design Chicago today!
Table of Contents
Tips for Writing Your Press Releases
Here are five tips from the experts at SEO Design Chicago to help you write SEO-friendly press releases.
Optimize the First 250 Words
Unlike other forms of content marketing, it’s important to optimize the first 250 words of your press release. In other words, get to the crucial part of your message first. Use the inverted pyramid principle of writing used by journalists and media outlets, and put the most important information (including your keywords) at the top.
There are multiple reasons to follow this style. First, it helps search engines understand your press release. And second, it helps your readers understand and keeps them engaged so they will hopefully read the whole release. Even if they don’t, they will get the important information at the top.
Hyperlink and Bold Important SEO Keywords
It is a good idea to hyperlink and bold any relevant SEO keywords and phrases you use in your press release. This helps boost your SEO ranking.
Use Hyperlinks Well
One mistake many amateurs make when trying to write an SEO-friendly press release is to include way too many links. While you should definitely link your keyword the first couple times, don’t over-link! If you do, it will make it hard for your readers to read, which defeats the entire purpose. It also makes search engines see your press release as spammy and it can actually hurt your SEO and link building strategy rather than help.
Keep it Newsworthy
It might sound obvious, but make sure that your press release distribution is actually newsworthy. If you write too many press releases, your audience won’t be interested when you post a new one. Keep in mind the interests and desires of your target audience. Here are a few topics that might work for an SEO-friendly press release:
- Achievements by your company or employees;
- Upcoming events;
- Charitable donations;
- Awards won or given;
- Scholarships being offered;
- Giveaways and promotions;
- New products or services;
- Improvements to your company;
- Expansions of products or services; and
- Organizational and staff changes, like prominent new hires.
Add Contacts and Links at the End, Too
Now you’ve finished writing your press release! Right? Not quite. At the end of your press release, make sure to provide your contact information, and the contact information for your company, too. Don’t forget to include any appropriate links. (Some websites that display press releases might not allow these, but include them whenever you can.)
More Advice About SEO-Friendly Press Releases
If you are going to write press releases often, make sure to change your focus keyword in each press release. You don’t want to use the same keywords over and over again. For SEO, it’s important to use varying keywords and links.
It is also a good idea to consider creating an online press room on your website. This is a web page specifically devoted to containing all of your company’s press releases. This is not just a place to announce a new product launch.
It should also include the name and contact information for your primary media contact. It should also have a high-resolution logo for your company in several different formats, as well as photos of any high-ranking employees who might be highlighted in your releases.
You can also use this page to link to your products, case studies, social media, product or service reviews, other pieces of content, and any media coverage of your company.
Still Need Help with SEO and Press Releases?
If you still need help with writing press releases or SEO in general, contact SEO Design Chicago today! We can help you write SEO-friendly press releases or help you boost your SEO in other ways. We provide a variety of digital marketing and SEO services.
Contact Us Today!