Press Releases. What are the reasons (if any) that I should even consider them?
-
For the last couple years, i believed common knowledge that press releases was NOT the way to go for SEO. So I avoided it like crazy!
Now, I'm doing some research and I realize that some (or alot) companies still create press releases to get the word out so that they can spread the message. I am going to be signing with some clients that are bigger brands and I want to do everything in our power to get the word out. I've done social outreach, commenting and cold emails to influencers before, but now I've been seeing some competitors using press releases with a little success, I want to ask the community, is there a method they recommend of testing efficacy of press releases?
My biggest fear is using press releases then months/years down the line be hit hard by a penalty just for testing different PR sites.
-
Hi Jason,
This is something I can't really give a confident answer on unfortunately. Our list of clients these days don't really lend themselves to legitimate causes for a press release so we haven't done one in a little while.
My best suggestion would be to look at them very closely before submitting and check for the usual quality factors (trust, authority, linking practices etc) and more importantly, try to find sites that actually have real traffic to amplify your efforts rather than just being launched into the ether to be seen by nobody
-
I've always actively avoided those PR sites if I'm honest, so I couldn't tell you my experience with them. As you say, it's a control thing.
-
Thanks for the response Chris! That's really reassuring. I had a feeling that'd it be okay, but just always want to make sure I get my facts straight from my peers.
I mentioned this to Ria (above) but do you have any experience/ or would you recommend dealing with the big PR sites like PR Web? I've handled Press Releases internally and sent them out personally to organizations/targets personally found. I'm sure there are targeted press release sites as well, but I'd just like to get some feedback on that aspect.
-
Ria, thanks for the response! I've utilized the strategy you have mentioned before and it is definitely one that has shown some effectiveness for us. Its much more of a manual but controlled method.
Thats why i'm so nervous bout the PR sites, PR sites your just spitting out generally. Have you ever worked with sites like PRWeb and the other big ones?
-
Just like so many things in this industry, press releases can be done just fine if they're submitted for their original purpose - to release information to the press!
If you're doing it just for the sake of the link then that's where you run into potential problems. Doing it for the right reasons means you're typically going to be placing it on a good site with well written and interesting information rather than just spinning some content to go through the motions.
-
I guess it depends on how you do it, and what it is you're promoting. I'm no PR expert (in the slightest), but one method I personally find effective is to write a press release that could easily be published as a blog post "as is" with different promo images attached. I will not publish this on any of my own platforms.
I will then hunt down and make a list of websites, bloggers, vloggers, etc, that are relevant to what I'm trying to promote. Then send them each personalised email attaching the PDF and images. I've found it a good way of getting it out there in front of the right audience and getting backlinks from relevant websites (especially when run with some sort of incentive like a competition). Many bloggers will thankfully re-write the original press release anyway.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Are links on a press page considered "reciprocal linking"?
Hi, We have a press page with a list of links to the articles that have mentioned us (most of which also have a link to our website). Is there any SEO impact with this approach? Does Google consider these reciprocal links? And if so, would making the links on the press page 'nofollow' solve the issue?
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | mikekeeper0 -
Old Press Release sites - Which ones do you Disavow and leave alone
Hi Mozers! I need your help. I'm in the final stages of a huge link audit and press releases are a big concern. As you know, press release distribution sites up until 2012 had "follow" links, giving webmasters a delight of having their keyword anchor texts a big boost in rankings. These are the websites that are troubling me today so i would appreciate your input on my strategy below as most of these websites are asking for money to remove them: 1. Press Release sites that are on the same C-class - Disavow 2. Not so authoritative press release websites that just follow my www domain only (no anchor texts) - I leave it alone 3. Not so authoritative press release websites but have anchor texts that are followed - Disavow 4. Post 2012 press release websites that have "followed" anchor text keywords - Request to remove, then disavow 5. Post 2012 press release websites that just follow my www domain only (no anchor texts) - leave it alone #2 and #5 are my biggest concern. Now more than ever I would appreciate your follow ups. I will respond quickly and apply "good answers" to the one's that make the most sense as my appreciation to you. God bless you all.
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | Shawn1240 -
Why There is No link Data Available in my Webmaster Tools even the site has lots of links and webmastert tools account setup properly
i have few account in my webmaster tools that are not showing any link data even the has lots of links. i checked the setup and its everything is good. is some one tell me why there is no data coming through? Thanks
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | OnlineAssetPartners1 -
Is there any reason to Nofollow Internal Links or XML Sitemap?
I am viewing a new client's site and they have the following nofollow(S) on their site homepage. Is there a reason for this? Also, they people who originally built their site have a footer link on every page to their company (I guess to promote their work). They didn't "nofollow" that link lol... What are the thoughts on footer links? About Us Privacy Policy Customer Service Shipping & Returns Blog Contact Us Site Map Thanks James Chronicle
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | Atlanta-SMO0 -
Can a domain name alone be considered SPAM?
If someone has a domain that is spammy, such as "http://seattlesbestinsurancerates.com" can this cause Google to not index the website? This is not our domain, but a customer of ours has a similar one and it appears to be causing issues! Any thoughts? Thanks for any input!
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | Tosten0 -
Blogger Reviews w/ Links - Considered a Paid Link?
As part of my daily routine, I checked out inbound.org and stumbled upon an article about Grey Hat SEO techniques. One of the techniques mentioned was sending product to a blogger for review. My question is whether these types of links are really considered paid links. Why shouldn't an e-commerce company evangelize its product by sending to bloggers whose readership is the demographic the company is trying to target? In pre e-commerce marketing, it was very typical for a start-up company to send samples for review. Additionally, as far as flow of commerce is concerned, it makes sense for a product review to direct the reader to the company, whether by including a contact phone number, a mailing address, or in today's e-commerce world, a link to their website. I understand the gaming potential here (as with most SEO techniques, black-hat is usually an extreme implementation), but backlinks from honest product reviews shouldn't have a tinge of black, thus keeping it white-hat. Am I wrong here? Are these types of links really grey? Any help or insight is much appreciated!
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | b40040400 -
What Google considers to be a branded keyword?
We can set our own keywords as branded in SeoMoz campaign, but Google would not necessarily see them like branded. After reading the Blog post at http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-wpmuorg-recovered-from-the-penguin-update I had a question: Are there known rules (or at least guesses) what Google considers a branded keyword/anchor text? I guess the first one would be your website domain. So bluewidget.com for example would be a branded keyword for bluewidget.com website. How about Blue Widget or Blue Widget Company?
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | SirMax0 -
Link Building with links in footer of Word Press Themes- Is This BLack Hat??
I See lots of free word press themes with links in footer like Kids Headphones | Colombia Classifieds | Broadway Tickets Is this a valid white hat link building method? What if the theme looked like a particular industry and the links related to the industry would that be better?
White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | DavidKonigsberg0