Use Online SEO Press Releases to Your Advantage

September 26, 2008

Just about every company has a reason to send a news or press release, at some point. Whether it is to discuss a product, service, or change in the company, they are one of the easiest ways to keep the public, and your customers, informed. They are also the surest way to gain valuable publicity, which is an extremely effective tool for maintaining and growing a business.

The problem, however, is that most businesses send out a news release and then tend to drop it into a file, never to be seen again. Little do they know that such releases, even those that are several years old, can be good online marketing tools. Every company should have a Web site, and on it they should have a press section where an archive of all their press releases is maintained. Even if a company does not go back and pull out old releases to add online, they should begin adding their press releases to their site, from this point on.

Why Online?

With millions of people across the country using the Internet regularly, the foundation is laid for getting as much company information online as possible. Many people begin their quest for products and services by doing an online search or company comparison, before physically heading to a business or making a phone call. People may not know your Web site address, or even that your company exists or has a Web site. Even then, if you are using the press section correctly on your site, you have a good chance of reeling them in.

The key factor when putting press releases online comes down to making sure they are optimized. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a method for ensuring that releases contain relevant keywords that are apt to be used when someone searches for something related to your business. For example, if a business is located in Clearwater, and specializes in offering 4D ultrasounds during pregnancy, it is important that they add some popular and relevant keywords to bring local traffic to their site. To do this, they would want to add in words like Clearwater, Florida, 4D ultrasound, pregnancy, etc. But do not overdo it by trying to use them too many times; the release could end up not reading correctly, or the search engine could penalize it or, worse, avoid it altogether. A good general figure to aim for around five percent of the release to contain keywords; therefore, if a release was 300 words long, it would not be out of line for you to have 15 keywords scattered through it.

Benefits of SEO

When a company places their press releases online and they have taken the steps to properly optimize them, it can increase traffic to the site. When someone logs on, conducting a search for something related to the business, and the press release comes up, the chance is increased that they will click to go to the site. Once at the site, it is important that it offer enough information to capture their attention and, hopefully, their business.

In addition to adding the optimized releases online, it is a good idea to consider submitting those to online sources, as well. There are companies that accept and release them online, some for a fee and others for free. This will also help to increase traffic to a company’s Web site, as long as the company remembers to include a link to their site. SEO is an important marketing tool that can help every business bring in more traffic to its site, which usually translates to increased business.

Getting Started

Going back years to add releases to a company site can take some time. But adding in all of the releases from this year will not take long and can pay off in the long run, making it well worth the effort. Avoid putting the release online in a document or PDF form, which will hinder their ability to show up in search engine results. Instead, opt for having the text added directly to the site.

In this age of technology, every business should take advantage of using SEO press releases online in order to help grow their business, keep their customers abreast of what they are up to, and keep traffic flowing to their Web site. Besides, it is important to keep up with the competition. Even if you are not doing it, there is a good chance your competitor already is, or is in the process of getting it started.

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Online Press Release Newswire Sites

There are many online sites that will help your releases get exposure. Some charge, some do not, and all vary in method. While some will e-mail it to demographically selected journalists, others will put it on their site, allowing for the increased chance that it will be picked up in search engine results. Compare what each place offers to see which will meet your needs before deciding which one to go with.