Have you been trying to promote your website but can't seem to achieve a first page search engine ranking?
Press releases can be utilised as an integral part of Search Engine Optimisation and can help boost your search engine rankings which will in turn get your more traffic.
Press releases have been neglected probably because of the conception that they have to be some kind of news related article. In a traditional sense this is true, for example if you have a new shipment of products arrive, you want to let the world know and this works very well on print medium.
The Internet is a very different medium. The Internet is not just about the "story", it is also about links.
Being clear about SEO.
If you are serious about the success of your website, you will always be working towards building back links to your website - not just any back links - you want links from well established sites - sites that have been recognised as authority sites by the search engines and sites that are complimentary to your own.
But quality back links aren't enough on their own, you need proper anchor texts. To use one of Te Aroha's websites as an example - a back link from a complimentary website should look something like this:
Search engines determine the overall theme of your website by looking at the keywords that you use as anchor texts.
The more relevant anchor texts you have pointing back to your website, the better your search engine rankings will be.
Simply you are trying to achieve:
1) Acquiring more back links from high authority sites.
2) Proper anchor texts pointing back to your website.
So how press releases can help you achieve these goals.
Link building with press releases.
There are several types of press release services that you will come across.
1) Free releases with no links allowed - These are press release sites that allow you to submit press releases for free. But the drawback is that you can't have any active links in your release. If you are purely looking for some exposure with no SEO benefits whatsoever, you can still make use of these services.
2) Free releases with links allowed but no anchor texts - These are services that allow you to include 1 or 2 URL's in each press release. But these are URL's, and you cannot have your choice of anchor texts. So unless your URL contains your target keywords they may not be very effective.
3) Paid releases with links and anchor texts allowed - These are the kind of press release services that will have maximum SEO benefits. For an affordable fee, you get to publish a press release with at least 2 back links included. You are also allowed to choose your own anchor texts.
The reason why such services work so well is because they usually include many high page rank sites in their distribution list which means that you will get links back from these sites (eg. CNET, EIN News, InboxRobot).
These are all well established sites that have been around for years which is why the search engines pay so much attention to them.
Press release traffic.
Having all that link juice means nothing if you are not getting any traffic. When you publish a press release, traffic will come to you in four sources.
1) Direct traffic - Once your press release has been published, it will be syndicated across a wide network of news related sites. Readers who find your headline interesting will read your story and click through to visit your website.
2) News subscribers - A press release service will also submit your news story to news wire sites such as Google News, Topix, NewsBlaze Daily News, and more. These wire sites already have an existing database of news subscribers. When you publish a press release, these subscribers will see your news article in their news reader and hopefully visit your site to learn more about what you have to offer. These news sites can expose your website to potentially millions of visitors each month.
3) Search engines - Of course, the most valuable source of traffic comes from the search engines. This is a long term traffic source because your news article remains online indefinitely. After the initial traffic surge from the news wire sites taper off (usually after 3 weeks), you will then be able to depend on the search engines for a consistent stream of long term traffic.
4) Your own search rankings - Because you are actually performing SEO as you issue press releases, your search rankings will improve. As a result, you get more organic search traffic and because of quality back links pointing to your site, your site can potentially become an authority site as well.
Preparing a press release for publication.
Publishing a press release on the Internet is easier than you may realise as it's not difficult to get a press release approved and distributed to sites all over the Internet.
If you are planning to write your own press release, keep these tips in mind.
* Always write in third person.
* Come up with a compelling headline to grab attention.
* Include one or two quotations from a person with authority in the industry.
* State facts, features and benefits clearly.
* Choose an interesting angle to write about to ensure that you publish an interesting story.
* Don't overstuff your news article with the same keywords. Use synonyms whenever possible to ensure that the content looks natural.
* Remember to include your contact information at the end of the press release.
Remember, if you are writing your own press release, make sure that you write in a clear and concise manner and always correct grammatical and spelling errors before publishing. Don't "waffle on" and aim to include all key points in your press release in about 500 words.
On the Internet, a lengthy press release may not always be a good idea. That's because it's easier to lose a reader if your article is too long. Keep it short, interesting, and clear and then interested visitors should click on your links and visit your website to find out more. |
