Once you have a compelling story, meaningful quotes, and your announcement is genuinely newsworthy, it would be a waste to lose it in the rush of other online content.
This is where Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) becomes the lift off every PR professional needs, especially when it’s treated as a fully-fledged strategy rather than an occasional add on.
When developed as part of an approach, it does more than appease search engine algorithms, it actively places your news in front of journalists, influencers, potential customers – everyone who you’d hope would see it.
Before you can transform your one-time announcements into lasting digital assets that drive traffic and brand authority for months, it will help to know these SEO pointers.
Why does SEO matter for press releases?
Whilst SEO wasn’t traditionally associated with public relations, online changes in media and publications now mean that it is. The ultimate goal of any press release was to secure media coverage, and although this is still a core objective, the added layer of online visibility requires releases to be optimised to rank on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
It might feel like more work having to write for humans and now Google, but the advantages make keyword discovery and optimisation worthwhile:
- Increased online visibility: Your news can be discovered directly by your target audience through search, not just through media outlets.
- Established brand authority: Securing placements on high-authority websites generates valuable backlinks and brand mentions, signalling to Google that your brand is a credible source of information.
- Organic traffic: A meticulously placed link within your press release can drive real, interested readers directly to your website, product page, or another resource.
- Long-term gain: Unlike a fleeting news story, an optimised press release can continue to rank and bring traffic for months or even years, becoming a valuable piece of content for your website and brand.
Research and planning
In order for your SEO efforts to take effect, there has to be a clear focus on research. This means identifying what exactly your audience is searching for and translating that into targeted keyword choices.
It’s worth investing in some reliable research tools, like Semrush or Google Search Console, to find terms that are relevant to your content and industry. The language your readers and the media might use to discover information like yours tend to be less specific than the terms you would use as a professional. This is why it’s important to use specialised SEO tools to understand other perspectives and select keywords that are related to your release. When chosen correctly, this will enhance the discoverability of your news.
The power of optimisation
Picking the keywords is only one part of building a release that performs. What you really have to think about is how these will fit into the structure on a detectability basis.
The headline should work hard, hitting your primary keyword as early as possible in under 70 characters so it displays fully in search results.
Moving on to the body, this is the part that should deliver the key facts (who, what, when, where, and why) in the opening paragraphs and use logical subheadings almost as a guide. This structure, along with clear and concise paragraphs, helps readers and search engines digest the information easily.
You have to create your own authentic opportunities for secondary keywords and make this a habit for all optimised pieces. One of the ways you can do this is by sneaking them into well-chosen quotes, which also helps to give your release authority.
Multimedia helps engagement
The words within a press release aren’t the only asset responsible for engagement. Including high-quality images or videos can significantly boost your engagement rates and SEO performance, as long as every file is optimised.
Descriptive file names and clear, keyword-focused alt text make your content accessible and help search engines understand it better.
Likewise, embedding videos makes the page more engaging and increases how long readers stay on it. Search engines interpret this as a positive ranking factor.
Links, distribution and lasting Impact
Strategic linking and deliberate distribution are the final parts of the process which ties everything together. Instead of settling for default phrases like “click here,” use keyword-rich links that direct readers to relevant pages, supplying SEO and readers with more detail if they want it.
Sharing your press release via respected newswire services will maximise reach, boost authority, and encourage credible websites to link back to your news.
You should use this as an opportunity to push your own channels, like publishing the release on your website and social media channels. Momentum will be maintained, which helps your announcement continue to receive attention long after it goes live.
The ripple effect
Careful preparation, thoughtful content, and smart outreach will give your press release every chance of making immediate headlines, and more importantly maintaining long term interest (the ripple effect). Creating content that not only tells a great story but performs effectively online is what delivers real results in search.
If you take the time to implement these strategies in your next campaign, the visibility around your entire brand will improve. A little extra effort researching and optimising of otherwise standard releases can significantly improve the return on your PR investment.
At WorkPR, we have a talented team of content writers who can use their word wizardry to write a spotlight press release, and work with our in-house SEO specialist to optimise it with top-ranking search terms. Get in touch via hello@workpr.co.uk for combined PR and SEO support.
