Press Releases and SEO in 2013

[b4004040]

Mozers,

A few questions for the community:

1. Distributing a press release through a service like 24-7pressrelease.com - is it a serious duplicate content issue when an identical press release is distributed to multiple sites with no canonical markup (as far as I can tell)?

2. All of the backlinks in the press release are either nofollow or redirects. If there IS a duplicate content issue, will the website be affected negatively given the numerous Panda and Penguin refreshes?

3. Why SHOULDN'T a company issue a press release to multiple sites if it actually has something legitimate to announce and the readership of a given site is the target demographic? For example, why shouldn't a company that manufactures nutritional health supplements issue the same press release to Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Health News, etc _with a link to the site?_I understand it's a method that can be exploited for SEO purposes, but can't all SEO methods be taken to an extreme? Seems to me that if this press release scenario triggers the duplicate content and/or link spam penalty(ies), I'd consider it a slight deficiency of Google's search algorithm.

Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[AlanBleiweiss]

I use PRWeb.com and opt for the premium service ($360 per release - or you can get a Vocus (PRWeb's parent company) business plan if you send out releases frequently - good savings.

I also don't abuse the various options you can set up with each release for SEO but instead choose the ones that make the most sense for proper relevance.

Ideally, if you have the resources and budget to afford it, yes, it's best to work on making real connections with actual editorial desks at various channels and organizations, because that's where the golden nuggets are that will most likely lead to coverage.

[LynnPatchett]

Hi Alan,

Good article. I didn't mean to imply online releases are useless, just that I have seen most benefit from releases that have resulted in 'real' articles being written by journalists, and these have usually not been sourced originally from the online release.

That being said, the 24-7 site mentioned in the original post seems to have pretty low editorial standards (to me), do you suggest any specific release services that you consider reliable and trustworthy?

[AlanBleiweiss]

Fixed the link so you can read the complete article. The key points:

Press Releases should not be primarily for SEO - the link value is minimal at best except in rare situations.

They do offer, however, many other valuable benefits, even if they are "online only", because they are a perfectly accepted form of communication as part of a comprehensive marketing mix.

[LynnPatchett]

@Alan it seems that link is not working, I would like to read the article

For the original question, as long as the release is not spammy and obviously for targeted link building only, I don't think it is likely to hurt you much, just wont help much either.

If it is a valid press release aimed at announcing something new and attracting media attention, then I would concentrate on releasing it through more traditional methods (on your site, social media, through press contacts etc) and if you are thinking about online releases go with an established (ie non spammy) service. The 24-7 site you mention does not look that established or non spammy to me.

Legitimate press releases can be a great source of coverage (and links) but to be honest, I  wouldn't bother with online only release services.

[AlanBleiweiss]

Read my article busting myths of SEO and Press Releases for the answer you are seeking.

[b4004040]

Charles, thanks for the reply. One of my concerns is whether legitimate press releases, ones that actually have something to say (not spammy) are harmful SEO wise.