Tips For Making Press Releases More SEO Friendly

Many businesses are sending out new press releases on a daily basis, letting the rest of the world know what they are up to and what their ‘next big thing’ is going to be. Have you ever wondered, however, whether you can use your press releases to steer even more traffic to your website? The good news is that this is completely possible, and you can use these search engine optimisation (SEO) tips to do it.

• Use your keywords
  This is important to do in both the headlines and the body of your press releases, as these are the words that your current and potential customers are using when they search for businesses similar to yours (and form the backbone of your SEO strategy). If possible, try to keep the keywords as close together as possible in your headlines and try not to overuse them in your body.
• Provide relevant links
  In the body of your press release, do not be afraid to provide links to additional information, providing that it is relevant to your customers and what you are talking about. If you can, provide links to sections of your company’s website, as we all know how useful external links are for SEO and boosting the credibility of your ranking.
• Optimise the opening paragraph
  When it comes to press releases, the first 250 words are critical in determining your success; this is the area that the search engines pay closest attention to and is where you will lose a reader if your content is not engaging. Remember to always write your releases in the third person and to use all of these SEO techniques in the first 250 words.
• Be patient
  As with any SEO strategy, getting number 1 rankings for your press releases is not going to happen overnight. Because of this, you need to be patient and give your strategy time to take effect. Keep in mind that it may be a little easier to rank better with a press release, as not all companies will be SEO-ing theirs just yet.
• Write engaging copy
  As anyone who works in the SEO industry will know, optimisation is nothing if you are not coupling it with engaging copy that current and potential customers want to read. For example, avoid using dates in your press releases, as this can make your content seem outdated (and could, potentially, hurt your SEO strategy).

For many businesses, press releases are a part of daily life – so why not optimise them and encourage even more users to visit your website? You never know where your next sale or client is going to come from, so use ethical SEO techniques wherever you can, cross your fingers and hope for the best. As well as the above tips for using SEO in your press releases, use any of the other techniques that you regularly practice.