The Risks and Rewards of Optimizing Your Press Releases
Press releases have long been considered a valuable part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. However, there’s generally a bit of disagreement, and sometimes controversy, over whether it makes sense to optimize a press release. The disagreement stems from the fact that press releases are not indexed by the search engines. Therefore, why would you optimize them? Some say that doing so could harm your search credibility.
Others contend that there are ways to mitigate the search engine penalties and that the rewards of optimization far outweigh the potential risks. So, what is the truth? Who is right? Let’s look at both sides.
The Risks of Optimizing Your Press Releases
It’s true that too many links in your press release, keyword stuffing, and contrived anchor text can all cause you to suffer Google penalties. While your press release will not be indexed, it can – if you include these tactics – harm your site’s credibility with the search engine and thus negatively impact your ranking.
However, let’s assume that you’re not embracing these tactics. You don’t keyword stuff. You don’t have clearly contrived anchor text and you’re not loading your press release with links. Is there still a risk? If you add the “no follow” tag to your links, the answer is no. Google search won’t recognize your links and you won’t be penalized. So, what’s the benefit, then, of optimizing your release?
The Rewards of Optimizing Your Press Releases
The rewards of optimizing your release are non-existent unless you’re first starting with a quality press release. By “quality” we mean that you are sharing newsworthy content and that your information is well written, valuable, and relevant to your audience. Without optimization, your press release needs to be something that the media and your target audience would find valuable.
Once you have a well-written press release, the rewards of optimizing your press release include increased visibility, media coverage, stronger brand and brand awareness, increased website traffic and all the benefits that come with increased traffic. Optimizing your press release means that more people will see your press release. More people will share it and engage with it.
So how do you properly optimize a press release?
Keywords in the headline, subheading, and naturally throughout the copy. No more than two, maximum three, links in the press release, and remember to tag them as “no follow” links. Include natural anchor text like your company name or simple phrases like “click here.” And make sure your images are tagged and contain descriptions. That’s it.
With a well-written press release and some fundamental optimization tactics, you can increase the return on investment for your press release. You’ll get the visibility, traffic, and media coverage you are looking for.
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