Yes, you can optimize your press release for search engines

Press releases aren’t just for the media anymore; they are for customers too.  They have become an effective tool for search engine optimization, or SEO. Why? For one, press releases provide a way for you to update your content, which attracts search engines. Secondly, like your web pages, adding keywords into your press releases will help pull in web traffic from customers searching for your product and business, improve your page rankings in search engines and increase your chances of additional press coverage.

Press releases don’t have to live only on your website either.  They  can be distributed all over the Internet via paid wire and free online distribution services. In fact, it’s wise to send out each press release and post it on your website whenever possible in order to get better online visibility, increase your brand awareness and get  potential links back to your website.

That’s why it is important to include keyword-rich content in your well-written press releases. So how do you optimize your press release for search engines? You can hire me to take care of it for you or, if you prefer to learn on your own, the process is pretty straightforward with a little practice:

• Research keywords for your target audience and subject.
• Add the keywords to the press release. It’s important to do this strategically within the copy of the press release, particularly within the first 250 words of the release.
• Add keywords to your H1 header tag, which is a top-level HTML heading like the one at the top of this post, or your press release headline.
• Include keywords in links back to your website.
• Aim for good keyword density, the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page. Generally, 3 to 7 percent is recommended. Any higher and you could run the risk of getting flagged as spam.

For more great tips related to press release keywords, check out this informative seminar from Publicity expert Joan Stewart. I have been following Joan for years and her publicity tips have helped me land media placements for clients in the New York Times, Crain’s and USA Today to name a few. And yes, I do get compensated if you purchase any of Joan’s products by linking from my blog or website. Please see my affiliate disclaimer for additional details.

Do you optimize your press releases? What other ways do you use press releases to increase your SEO?