Press Releases and SEO (Success)

Succeeding at SEO is many things. Among them: just keep trying. Sort of like in that movie, “Finding Nemo,” just keep swimming. So keep trying! That’s the half of it.

Press Releases as SEOBut then there’s the other half: swimming smarter, rather than swimming harder. Nemo’s father had to “get intelligence” during his journey, say from the turtle and other creatures of the sea… leading him towards success.  Success at SEO has both element: just keep swimming, and just keep swimming (smarter).

On Page SEO tips for Press Releases

Press releases are one tactic that is incredibly valuable to success, yet many people either a) do not use them, or b) do not use them correctly. Here are some tips to successful SEO-friendly press releases –

  • Keywords. As is always the case, let your keywords guide you. You gotta, gotta, gotta know your keywords and you gotta, gotta, gotta let them guide your SEO-friendly press release, especially the headline / title.
  • URL’s. Use press releases just as you would blog posts: to add fresh content to your site, using “one click” links from your home page to your press releases. This helps both the home page and the press release: Google likes to see a site that has new content on a regular basis.
  • Page Tags. Follow the basic rules of good “on page” SEO –
    • Title tag / press release headline: insert your target keyword into the TITLE
    • Meta description / kicker: include keywords, and write it as an “ad.”
    • Headers: have a few headers and subheads.
    • Image (alt attitribute): make sure you have at least one image on the press release, and that the “alt” attribute contains your keyword.
    • Keyword-density text. Don’t over do this, but don’t underdo it, either. Google rewards sites with “higher” than “normal” keyword density, but post-Panda, you must use natural syntax and good grammar. No more comma, comma, comma phrases.

Once you’ve got the press release “ready to go,” then it’s time to syndicate it. Use a service like PRWEB or PRLOG for syndication, and you “get what you pay for.” The more expensive services like PRWEB do a better job pushing your press release out there to blogs, portals, and news sites.

Syndicating a Press Release for SEO

For syndication, here are some tips –

  • Follow all the rules above, especially with regard to keyword density and tags.
  • Set a good target city and date.
  • “Tag” the press release using the syndication service’s own tags, and be sure to “use up” all the “free” tags you get. Think like a journalist: and “tag” your press release to common topics such as small business, or arts even if these are not really closely related to the release.
  • Optimize your URL with keywords.

And then… be sure to use social media outlets such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ to “share” your press release. You’re going for a “virtuous circle” – the more your press release gets discovered, the more people read it, the more other blogs pick it up, and you get more and more publicity from one press release. Stick with it: it takes a commitment to at least two press releases per month to see results for your search engine optimization marketing strategy.

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About Jason McDonald

Jason McDonald is a top-rated San Francisco SEO Consultant. His consulting services include search engine optimization consulting, social media marketing consulting, and Google AdWords consulting. Jason's motto as a consultant is that he doesn't do SEO 'for you' but rather he does SEO 'with you.' That goes as well for his social media marketing consultant activities and Google AdWords consultant services. Besides serving clients in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jason consults with clients in Silicon Valley (San Jose), Oakland and other cities throughout the Bay Area. Beyond the Bay Area, Jason is available as an SEO consultant, Social Media Consultant, and as an expert witness in litigation involving social media marketing, search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising.