In today’s digital marketplace, companies have a great advantage when it comes to tracking every dollar and getting a huge return on investment (ROI). For many businesses, the name of the game is increasing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to edge out the competition for your potential clients. But while many companies know the advantages of boosting SEO– and know they need to focus their attention there in order to stay competitive– they don’t realize that an integrated approach to digital marketing is part art and part science. For instance, did you know that sending a press release is just as vital to your SEO as choosing the right site-building platform? Simply, if you aren’t satisfied with your search engine rankings it may be because you are neglecting press releases.
Let’s make sure you understand why sending a press release is great for SEO:
What Is a Press Release?
Also called a media release or a news release, a press release is something your team will create to shape a story. This story can range from new product lines to answering a customer concern. Celebrities, government agencies, sports teams, and businesses all use press releases to help target a story. And anyone in journalism knows that a well thought out press release may very well provide the basis for a news story. News outlets and digital media journalism sources often reward a properly formatted press release by using it as the basis for a story. Ever wonder why the coverage on a business report seems so similar across platforms? This is because companies who know how to create a great press release often craft the stories themselves. They control the story. Combining this strategy with digital marketing techniques is sure to boost your SEO if you know how.
What Can Sending a Press Release Do?
You’ve heard content is king right? The truth is that in today’s digital market there may be no better ROI regarding marketing than crafting unique content. It helps many business owners to think of a press release in terms of targeted content. For SEO it is important to understand Google’s algorithms, the importance of keywords, and the necessity of shareable and pertinent content to build inbound links. And yes, an investment in content creation can increase inbound traffic by up to 3000% in a single year. But when that content is framed around sending a press release you can also create conversions and inbound links. Beyond the ways, your company can gain exposure, increase visibility, and boost awareness by sharing the stories about your products and services, sending a press release can supercharge your SEO.
The Components of SEO and Press Releases
If you understand the basics of digital journalism, SEO, and where your company wants to go, seeing how press releases can help you beat the competition.
A few items that are proven to boost SEO include:
- Creating inbound links
- Optimizing posts for searches
- Influencing social sharing
- Creating brand awareness
The same principles carry across platforms from blog posts to social media. Imagine the possibilities when implemented on a steady stream of journalism sites. Most news and magazine outlets are focusing heavily on their digital readership. News readers are depending more and more on online sources for their information. This is in addition to internet only magazines and newspapers. Therefore, sending a press release in the digital age means you can optimize keywords, build links, and create shareable content. And all this while getting hosting on someone else’s page. The best ways to consider sending a press release is often to think of ghostwriting an article for another site.
Applying SEO Principles to Press Releases
A huge untapped readership to inform about your products and services. Which marketing professional isn’t trying to find new sales funnels to drive site traffic to their own services and content? If you recognize the possibilities of sending a press release you are going to want to get it right. Just as it’s necessary to know the ins and outs of a blog post, press releases have unique requirements to be effective. However, if you are just trying your hand at linking a press release campaign with the rest of your marketing efforts, be sure to consider the basic SEO principles that guide your content creation on your site. What problems are you trying to solve for current and potential clients? What keywords are trending and will get them an answer they need? Pointing your readers to solid content and specific solutions help. And remember, press releases can’t be fluff. Like any other part of an SEO strategy, both news outlets and visitors won’t reward you with coverage and traffic unless you are creating solid content.
Tailoring Content
One of the mistakes we see with businesses who are just trying their hand at sending a press release is they don’t tailor their interactions with various news outlets. Different readers require different information. Or at the very least they require it in a variety of ways. If you scrolled through a copy of The Globe and Mail, you would rightly expect much different stories and angles than those in Nuvo Magazine. If you show an understanding of the outlet as well as the readership you are more likely to get space in their publication. Further, you will be appealing to the actual readers if you tailor content around their unique needs. Your SEO won’t get boosted at all unless you get some coverage.
Remain Consistent
The other roadblock companies face is a lack of coverage. They invest in some press releases and are disappointed when they don’t hit the headlines immediately. But consistency is rewarded. Being dependable and professional, and appealing to the needs of the news outlets you are targeting will eventually bring rewards. There may be a longer ROI on press releases unless you get expert help.
Trust the Experts
Knowing how to use press releases and get the absolute most for your investment regarding SEO requires experience and savvy. The best marketing firms have relationships with news outlets, know what appeals to them, and will craft press releases to leverage across multiple media streams. Parxavenue Ltd can help. We will create press releases that boost SEO and drive conversions about your products or company.
Contact Parxavenue today to see how hiring an expert can change your press release game.