Press releases as part of your SEO strategy
Premium distribution for press releases
Premium distribution services provide a high level of exposure for your news release, but they do not guarantee that news organizations will publish your news item.
Premium distribution services usually provide premium placement for your release on their sites. In addition, news organizations subscribe to premium press release services, which further distribute your release. When you pay for a press release, you are paying for access to the release service’s distribution channels.
Premium release services usually also provide one or more of the following: statistics and links showing the news outlets that picked up your release to help you determine its effectiveness; search engine optimization services; language translation for international releases; and increased or targeted access to other news distribution channels. As with the free distribution services, search engines will index your news release within minutes of its release.
Costs for premium distribution
The cost of premium distribution services varies, depending upon the “wires” you choose to release your news to. International distribution through premium news services normally includes language translation. Extensive search engine optimization (SEO) services and active backlinks to your site may be included with the release or they may be available at an additional cost.
Premium placement services normally impose a word limit on your press releases, often 400 words or less. If your release exceeds the word limit for the distribution channel, additional distribution charges will apply. Costs for national distribution (throughout the US) can run from $25-$1,000, depending upon the wire services you wish to use for distribution and the additional services you request.
Free distribution for press releases
Free distribution can lead to exposure in search engines and allow your release to reach major news organizations. Your release must conform to the distribution service’s editorial guidelines. Free distribution services generally do not provide statistics on the number of places in which your release appeared, when or how often the release was viewed, or links to organizations that published it. You can usually get at least one backlink to your site. Most release sites support some basic optimization tools, and because search engines index press releases individually, your news item may draw visitors to your site for weeks or months following its release.
The potential downside of free distribution is that the distribution channel is limited, and many free press release distribution sites are ad-supported. That means an advertisement will appear along with your press release. The ad may or may not be related to the subject of your press release.
When to use free press release distribution
If you operate on a tight budget, free distribution is ideal. These services often have more liberal word limits than premium placement services do. If you are attempting to reach a specific publication or set of publications, you can also submit your release directly to them at no cost. There’s no guarantee that the publication will pick up your news item, but you can be guaranteed that your item reached your target destination.
If you would like more information about adding press releases to your SEO strategy, please contact me at eileen@juliesocean.com or call me at (734) 961-0408.
Photo Credit: Bartek Ambrozik, via FreeImages.com