Press releases have many different functions. Some companies use them to announce an award win or product
launch. Research and
analyst companies use releases to announce new data or scientific results.
Did
you know press releases can also be used to help your website rank
better in Google, target specific keywords and build links into your
website?
HubSpot recently conducted a study to learn how best to use
press releases as a means to help your website perform better in search
engines. (We will be announcing those results on our May 20th webinar.)
For now, here's five common mistakes that any marketer or business owner can easily fix when creating press releases.
1) Don't only link to your main website. The most
common link in a press release is the company website in the
boilerplate. Don't let this be the only link you
use. Make sure you are
taking advantage of every opportunity to link back to interior pages
that often don't receive any links at all.
2) Don't forget to use anchor text. Anchor text tells Google what a link is about. Take a
few minutes to review your press release and look for words that you
want to rank for. Link those words back to related, internal pages as anchor
text.
3) Don't use Gobbledygook words. They mean nothing to people
or search engines. Flashy words as headlines also hurt a release's
ability to be syndicated, or reposted, on other websites. Use
keyword-rich language that is straight forward. Use free tools like Gobbledygook Grader to check.
4) Don't embed multimedia in your press releases. Post
it on your own website instead, and include a link to it in your release.
It'd be a shame if people started linking to the press release instead
of your site. Also, multimedia capabilities tends to be a lot more expensive than regular releases. Why dish out the extra cash?
5) Don't forget to post your press release to your blog. Press
releases can make great company blog posts. Why not take an adaptation
and put it on your blog? It'll reach another audience and it's a great way to repurpose important content.
 | Learn what happens behind-the-scenes after you submit a press release. Miss the live webinar? Catch the archive here to learn how to best optimize your press releases to get more links. |
Flickr Photo:
RobW