'Net Features : PR

SEO Quick Start Guide to PR-Based Backlinks

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:30:00 GMT

Say what you will about the value of social media in driving brand awareness and website visits, it is search marketing (and SEO in particular) that still receives the most significant share of attention from Web professionals. It remains a struggle, however, to obtain links – those online citations of Web properties that search engines use to determine popularity and relevance when ranking sites and pages on search return lists. You need links – now more than ever – but you also need a strategy to acquire them.

For that, you’ll need to do one thing very well – learn how to network (and work) like public relations professionals.

PR folks, at least the best ones, know what it takes to get a backlink. In a way, they are the original link builders. And for that we can say thanks. Thanks because there are well-documented approaches a Web professional interested in building links can mimic.

Press releases, of course, have a long history on the Web and while their value may have been diminished once everyone figured out that a sub-$100 press release could generate hundreds of links, they still do quite well in driving an initial level of interest and establishing a base of relevant, yet lower-quality citations. With so many scraper sites on the Web, however, and with a clearer understanding of what and how search engines define value in the virtual eyes of users, we can extend our PR to more sophisticated approaches.

The Power of the Byline

Once upon a time, having your client pen a bylined article for publication in a trade magazine would make you a public relations master. The power of a byline provides credibility, authority and awareness and there is still an immense amount of interest by PR agencies to secure these placements – even as the tide has turned nearly fully digital.

As it stands today, there remains no better way to generate some buzz and build links to a Web property than through guest-blogging. While there is most certainly a time-commitment involved, and prioritizing which sites deserve the most attention is imperative, engaging in guest-blogging and old-school byline writing will definitely earn you some backlinks. In some cases, lots of them.

To get started, simply search for available opportunities using queries such as "write for us," "submit post," and "become a contributor" along with the keywords that you would like or need to be associated with. For example, I would use “become a contributor, digital marketing.” You might just be surprised at the number of high-quality sites that are openly recruiting writers. Take a look and prove me wrong if you can.

Networking through Networks

Public relations professionals are master networkers. Not only do they seem to know everyone, they also know what everyone does and more importantly what everyone needs. The Web has improved networking several times over, so if you’re looking to build links to your Web property, start networking with journalists and reporters where and when they need you. How do you do that?

Several free subscription services on the Internet bring together reporters, bloggers and authors looking for answers to specific questions and support on articles/stories that are actively in production. In some cases, those seeking support are under deadline so if you are fast and helpful, getting links through these services is a snap.

Free services/sites such as HARO, Reporter Connection, PitchRate, Flacklist and the paid service ProfNet are the most popular – if not the most effective – ways to earn links to your website. The services typically follow a similar pattern: reporters ask questions about very specific topics; others respond if the questions relate to their area of knowledge or experetise. Then the reporter credits you and your Web property as a source, usually via a backlink. Bingo. We’ve got links!

While there is no guarantee you will receive coverage (such is life in the PR industry) even a few mentions can generate a great response in relation to building links to your Web property. Take the challenge seriously and you will be rewarded many times over with high-value links that can and will influence search ranking position.

New PRWeb Analytics Reports

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:16:00 GMT

Online news distribution service PRWeb released new analytics reports for measuring results from news releases. If you've ever used a news distribution service (the wire) before, you know how absolutely atrocious the data you receive can be.

The types of analytics, which will be provided to cusotmers at all PRWeb distribution levels, include media deliveries (a list of the specific media outlets where the release was distributed), online pick-up (showing a listing of the differnet websites where he release appeared - interestingly the system is powered by Yahoo!'s BOSS [build your own search service]), and visitor interaction (including click-through data, prints, forwards, PDF downloads, and website interactions).

“These new reporting enhancements are all about helping our customers better understand what happens once their news release has been published on PRWeb,” said Jiyan Wei, director of Product Management for PRWeb. “They will now be provided with a much better sense for where it is sent, where it appears and most importantly, what people are doing once they read the news release.”

Creating Effective Press Releases for Power SEO

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:38:00 GMT

Press releases are an effective means to attract media attention, but it is also one of the most cost-effective munitions in the search engine optimization and marketing arsenal. With a solid grasp of the English language and some company and industry knowledge, the transition to being an effective SEO-PR master is easier than you might think.

The Many Benefits of an SEO-PR Strategy
If you’re not sending press releases through distribution services and directly to those you believe are the most influential in your industry, you should be.

Inexpensive: It’s costly to run display and search advertising campaigns and the amount of time it takes for traditional SEO can be immense. The expense of a press release, however, is limited to the time it takes to write it and then distribute it electronically. When the message is picked up by multiple outlets, the cost per impression simply cannot be beat.

Broader Reach (and Links): Perhaps the most noteworthy benefit in distributing press releases is that many Web publishers post them on their websites. In many cases, they do so verbatim from the original and, in some cases, include your original links. The result is that your message is seen by a broad group and influences search result rankings.

Expedited SEO: Nearly every search engine optimization agency I’ve come across in the past few months leverages press releases for their clients. Why? Fast indexing for one, but the ability to “control the content” means that you’ll be able to include the keyword rich content you want to rank for, ultimately influencing your site’s search ranking. Add a compelling title and your URL (with anchor text, of course) and you’ll see your release appear in the search engine results pages in short order and many times over – even for competitive terms.

Now that you’re sold on the benefits of SEO-PR, how do you construct an effective press release? Let’s look at a few best practices that make press releases such a powerful SEO strategy.

Get to the Point Quickly
Attention spans on the Web are decreasing. Unlike an article when you have an opportunity to “set-up” the story, in a press release it is essential to include the most important information right away – at the very beginning of the text.

The intent of a press release is to supply information to the media in hopes that traditional editorial gatekeepers will find it relevant enough to share with their audience. This is true for consumer-focused outlets and service providers, as well as for companies that follow a B2B model. Since search engines index content in a “top-down” fashion, get to the point quickly by including a synopsis (most services provide this feature for clients).

An effective press release is written clearly and uses concise text to announce news. Ask any editor: if they take the time to look at your material, it had better get to the point right away. Drawn-out leads written to “suggest” editorial featuring a certain company only irritate busy gatekeepers. With literally thousands of press releases received each week, there's no time to read 150 words before the main idea becomes clear. All that does is increase the chances of your e-mails being filtered into the abyss. Once that happens, it’s not likely you will be able to gain audience with that editor again through e-mail.

More Elements of a Good SEO-Friendly Press Release
There is no shortage of advice on how to create a press release, but little in the way of information on creating search engine friendly press releases.

Develop Compelling, Keyword-Rich Headlines
Well-written press-release headlines grab the attention of the user and include the most important facts to summarize the body content. Titles also influence how search engines determine relevance for user queries so include descriptive keywords (the ones you want to rank for), repeat them periodically throughout the body of the release and you’ll see you release indexed quickly.

Lead Readers With a Strong Lead
A concise lead paragraph should support the headline and incorporate as many of the key facts as possible. The lead should entice the editor to continue reading. Oftentimes, a good lead paragraph that conveys pertinent points will be picked up verbatim for publication placement.

Present Fact-Based Copy
Perhaps the most vital part of a press release is fact-based body copy. The body copy should include market positioning, key features and benefits to the end user. By including information that supports the release, editors and bloggers are more likely to use that data and the information you present in tandem. That means your company will be positioned with information that matters to people reading it.

Provide Contact Information
Another component critical to an effective press release is providing names, titles and contact information to identify the sender and another person who can intelligently discuss the content in detail. If possible, a direct quote from a company official that encapsulates the release should be included. For example, a release announcing a new executive vice president should identify the president to offer supporting statements. When introducing a new product, the director of engineering would be more appropriate.

Provide Background Information
The last element in an effective press release is a boilerplate paragraph about the company that describes its products and services, markets served and when it was founded. This should identify the full, proper name and location of its headquarters. If the company is publicly held, list the exchange, ticker symbol and the most recent annual revenue.

By supplying all of this information in a simple press release, editors will have ample resources to further research the company if they deem it editorially necessary. Consider the content within the press release you create to be a search-engine-optimized page on someone else’s site and you’ll master the art of SEO-PR.

Follow PageRank? Follow This!

Pete Prestipino — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:31:00 GMT

If you're one of the many Web professionals that follow the Google PageRank of your site, its competitors or your advertising partners, you should know that in the next few days new toolbar PageRank values will become visible according to Google's Matt Cutts. Google typically does a new push of toolbar PageRanks every three or four months, but the buzz with this update is that Google will be expiring some older penalties on websites - not that you have a penalty or anything.

Effective Press Releases & Distribution Channels

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:20:00 GMT

It is widely believed that the first press release was issued over 100 years ago by Ivy Lee on behalf of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which had just suffered a tragic accident. The press release was issued to prevent alternate versions of the accident from being spread among the press. And, 100 years later the intent of a press release hasn’t changed. It remains a valuable resource in any marketer’s tool kit. But its importance in the Internet age and the world of search engine optimization has never been greater.

Read Milind Mody's article now - Effective Press Releases and Distribution Channels.

The Best Day To Send Press Releases Is Today

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:47:00 GMT

There's no "best" day to send press releases but this has not stopped many online marketers from wondering if one day is better than another.

If you intend to use press releases as a means to improve search rankings (a respected tactic and one that I personally approve) then it should not matter when you distribute a press release. Search engines don't care if they find content on a Tuesday or a Saturday - the day makes no difference in actual value.

There are some things you should know, however, if your aim is to secure mainstream (or even alternative) media attention. My experience has been that there are dramatically fewer press releases sent on weekends and at the beginning (Mondays) and end (Fridays) of the work week. The prevailing "wisdom" used to be that you never sent a release at the start of the week - but since everyone seems to be following that rule, if you want your press release to stand out among the hoards, try sending it on days with the least activity. I'm in a unique position in that I review hundreds of releases a day. Case in point - today I scanned over 327 press releases in my PRWeb RSS folder alone. Had there been, say 127 instead, I may have paid more attention to a few of them.

The most important thing to understand if you're looking to secure genuine media attention through content distribution of a press release, is that any day of the business week can work. But it's crucial to leverage your media relationships and not rely purely on the distribution power of the news wire you are sending that content through.

Video News Releases

Administrator — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:21:00 GMT

If you've got a video news release or corporate video that you just can not possibly keep under wraps any longer, you'll be pleased to know that PRNewsChannel.com has begun beta testing PrNewsChannel Video.

Think of the solution as a free YouTube and MySpace for business that enables users to quickly and easily upload videos in a professional environment. "On PRNewsChannel Video you won't find your video juxstaposed with clips from Jackass," says founder Glenn Selig. "This is a site by professionals for professionals."

Users of the site can also create "spaces" or pages on PRNewsChannel.tv to store all their videos in one space or to use the page as a secondary page to attract new business, to network with other businesses or to establish a strong, professional video presence online. The best part? Any videos uploaded on PRNewsChannel Video may be embedded at no additional cost in electronic press releases distributed via email or online through PRNewsChannel.com.

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