SEO TIPS: Using Press Releases Effectively

Are you using press releases to help you realize better results online? Press releases aren’t just for print papers anymore by a long shot. In fact, press releases are a staple item in the online strategies of many big and small brands now because they work wonders – if they are done correctly. Here are a few ins and outs to making press releases work online for your brand as well.

Submitting press releases can definitely help improve your search ranking, but there is ore to it than just shouting “I have something to say!”  Press release distribution can help you get high quality one-way links to your website rather quickly, which is one of the fastest ways of getting indexed in each of the major search engines; Google, Yahoo and Bing. There are hundreds of press release distribution sites, and if you submit press release articles to these sites with the links to your website, you will get one way links pointing to your website. That is assuming you actually have something newsworthy for them.

You should use press release distributions in every possible situation; send them out when you launch your new website,  a new service or when you announce a special offer. You don’t have to wait for Earth shattering news, just news. That is where many webmasters miss the boat and fail to maximize press releases to their full potential.

Even if you are a small brand, think like the big guys. When do they issue press releases? You can issue a press release about plans for expansion, goals you have achieved, special business recognition like receiving an award or certification, or when you upgrade your service setup or infrastructure. See where this is going? You too can act just like the big guys! There are endless opportunities you can take and turn into a press release if you keep in mind that what you have going on is newsworthy. Think big, act big and you will start getting big!

Something to keep in mind, however, is that press releases need to be done a certain way. All press release distribution sites are very picky about not only the quality of the press releases submitted for distribution, but the content and the angle. They do not accept blatant self promotion – they want real news. If you can give them that, you can get your brand out there.

What this means is that when you submit your press releases, you should not use heavy marketing language or a sales pitch. You have to look at it from the angle of true news with the promotion of your brand feeling very incidental. A skilled copywriter can provide just this type of assistance to you.

What happens if you don’t follow the right formula? Your press release submission will be rejected if you break this cardinal rule; also if you do not tie in your business well enough with the newsworthy event. It is a balancing act that can take a lot of practice which is why those skilled in the craft can make a living doing nothing but writing press releases.

However, if your press release is successfully submitted, your press release can circulate in Google news rooms and Yahoo news rooms, and be picked up all over the web! This will bring highly valuable one-way links for your website. The payoff for going by the rules can be tremendous! That is why is is such a valued tool and service.