What if a site has links from news sites with the same/similar content like a press release? is that ok?

[esiow2013]

Thanks in advance!

[JaneCopland]

I like what David and Samuel have to say here. There is and always will be room for press releases when it comes to spreading PR and information. Businesses will continue to put releases out there and often link back to themselves, but they should be sure to link with brand terms, generic words ("find out more", etc.),  or URLs (similarly to the way people generally build links now). You wouldn't put out a press release linking back to yourself with "car insurance" and spread it to 150 different sources now, if you knew what was good for you.

News stories and releases are always going to get picked up and spread, but what Google is looking for when it comes to actually hurting sites with links like this is a lack of a natural pattern. Does the site receive next to no media attention, but suddenly has 500 links from an identical piece of copy, whilst also receiving no new social media attention, no additional coverage (e.g. no one has taken the press release and written their own story about it nor conducted an interview with a company representative)? The pattern there is unnatural and warrants further investigation.

Is the company regularly being cited, mentioned and written about? Does it put out a release about a real new product or development and have that release picked up by real news sources, some of whom put their own thoughts on the web about the company development? This is natural-looking.

I hope this makes some sense. Essentially the goal is to spread information in the way you would if Google was not an issue, with the resulting coverage being beneficial to your SEO efforts nonetheless. Putting out press releases about nothing and expecting links back from newswires, etc. isn't a brilliant idea but using press releases for PR can be very beneficial for SEO when done properly.

[David-Kley]

Press releases are a common misunderstood concept in SEO.

The main purpose of a press release should not be to gain links, at least not directly. (before any calls blasphemy, hear me out.)

"Remember: As I wrote on Moz, press releases and related items should be used to get coverage, not links." Samuel, completely agree.

A press release should be used to promote useful, or "newsworthy" content about your business. By having your news or PR listed on a site, you are promoting info, not trying to gain links. Press releases net you additional traffic by having people interested in what you have to say, not simply because there is a link on a major site. We wrote a bit about this on our blog: http://www.webdesignandcompany.com/10-old-seo-strategies-you-should-stop-using

"Creating press releases just for the sake of links alone is not a good practice, and can become expensive if done regularly. A good press release is one that can help other people. Remember, humans are social creatures, and when we find something that helps us, we share it. By having people share your information and providing something that is truly newsworthy and good, this can help your media relations be more effective, and believe me, the links will follow. Think long term, not quick fix. Zach Cutler wrote a good article for The Huffington Post about 8 Tips for Writing a Great Press Release."

My second question is, why would there be a concern of duplicate content? If you create a press release, that info should not be directly matched to any content on your site. If it is, more than likely it is not "newsworthy" content, but something that was created from your site content to gain backlinks or additional rank. If you have content somewhere on your site that directly matches the info in your press release, then I would revise it so that the subject matter and keyword focus stays the same, but the content is varied.

[SamuelScott]

It depends what you mean by "OK." Remember: As I wrote on Moz, press releases and related items should be used to get coverage, not links. The coverage is what then indirectly "earn" links from quality, authoritative outlets. If you publish releases on countless press-release sites (especially with exact-match anchor text!) -- then are you are just "building" artificial links that can quickly get you into trouble if you have too many of them or too much of the same anchor text.

A few resources: Matt Cutts, the head of Google's web-spam team, says that press release links will not (directly) help your rankings. Search Engine Watch has five tips on using press releases for links.

Hope that helps!