Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Press Releases: What you need to do.

Creating a press releases is a considerable amount of work that for most organizations happens on a reoccurring basis. This makes it perfect content to be part of your larger content marketing / SEO strategy. Post with intent to have the release be found and read by more people. Here is what you need to know to about search engine optimization (SEO) for press releases.

Keywords

1. Identify the core keywords/phrases of your chosen topic. You do this by using the Google Keyword Planner to identify the top search keywords globally for your chosen topic. Google will return a number of matches, which will help you choose the most highly searched keywords.  You will need to write these into various parts of your press release (natural sounding language is important). It is more likely that you will rank on higher for more specific keywords so select accordingly you. Want to find the keywords with the highest volume of search queries that you can still ranks for. For example you may rank in the top ten for articles on “vegan food for space missions” but you are unlikely to rank on a the first two SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) for “space travel.”

Headlines

2. Create a headline that uses the chosen keywords (the closer to the beginning, the better) and also include the company name. When creating your headline, be as succinct as possible, both for SEO (search) purposes and social media (Twitter character limit).

Sub-headings

3. Draft your sub-headings. You must include one or both of your keywords in the headers, as this shows the search engine that the keywords are important.  When your press release is posted to the website, make sure that H1 and H2 tags are used in the HTML code – the search engines recognise these tags as important.

Body Text

4. Draft your body text. Best practice is to use your keywords/phrases 3-5 times in the body copy (on a standard page length). It is important to use natural language and not force keywords into the copy for the sake of including keywords.  Search engines have been setup to detect this: it’s known as “keyword stuffing”.

Within the body copy of your press release, your next step is to hyperlink 2-3 of your keywords to other web pages (in a new browser window). These can link to web pages internal to your own website or to other informational websites (authority sites are best). The hyperlink emphasises the importance of the keyword(s).

Internal and External Links

5. Links in and out. In addition to linking from your press release to other web pages, plan to solicit links from other relevant internal and external web pages and websites. Links from other internal relevant pages help, but external links increase the authority of your release, and thus your search ranking. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are great for inbound linking.

Meta Tags

6. Meta Tags. Once you have finished writing your press release, you need to create Meta Tags that will be placed in the code of the web page that your press release is placed on. First is the Title Tag, which should simply be your headline, including the company name. Second is the Meta Description Tag, which should be a short paragraph summarizing your press release, incorporating your keywords/phrases. Last, you should create ALT tags for all images included with your press release.  These ALT tags describe to the search engine exactly what your picture is about. Stick to 40 characters and use your keyword(s). If you are publishing with WordPress, Yoast is an excellent plugin that identifies the areas you can optimize your pages offering real time scoring of how effective you have been through an intuitive red light, yellow light, green light system.

Social Media Posts

7. Create a social media plan to support your release. Plan exactly what you will write on Twitter and Facebook. Best practice is to use your headline and link back to your press release. Make sure to identify target publications using @mentions and include industry relevant hashtags.

Get Help

Having your content be found on line is not as easy as pressing publishing but by following these steps you can get additional benefit from any news releases your are adding to your website. Long form copy is appealing to Google, Press Releases fit the bill for fresh searchable content.

Need help telling your story and influencing your audience online? I can help. Email Trevor Jurgens for a no obligation conversation on your best opportunities to Ascend Faster and Stay at the Top with digital communications strategy.

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 Trevor is an expert in brand storytelling for a socially networked world. He has helped organizations including the Olympic Games, Boeing, and Port of Vancouver develop policies to adapt and thrive in the age of social media. An educator and motivator, Trevor supports the development of executives and organizations into effective digital communicators that benefit from stakeholder amplification.

Among management consultants Trevor is known to achieve tangible transformation. He has coached hundreds of businesses beyond theory toward behavioral change.

Trevor has been a journalist for the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) specializing in trend-spotting and pop-culture. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary. He speaks English, French and Spanish and has worked in digital media in North America, Central American and Oceania.

Contact Trevor to discuss Executive Social Media opportunities including using video for online communications.