Everyone understands the importance of SEO for digital marketing. Most marketers also consider press releases as an essential promotion tactic. Yet, only a few combine the two tools to get both visibility and traffic benefits. 

Optimizing a press release for search engines like Google is considered PR SEO. The technique arose after the mass transfer of media to digital platforms. If you are new to the term, don’t worry; you’ll find yourself well-informed by the end of this blog.

Groundwork 

Background research is undoubtedly a crucial step for all digital marketing strategies, including PR. Before writing a press release, search the sources to find relevant information about the topic. See what your competitors are posting. Note the publishing sites, keywords, and content specifications for the well-performing PRs and take inspiration. You must also research their SEO practices, the quality of backlinks, site authority, mentions, and other tactics for more reach.  

Perform data-driven research and include facts from credible sources in your content. Journalists love to share news based on figures.  

Keyword Research 

Keywords are the highly-searched words that people use to buy online. Targeting them in your content can help you rank against those words. The more you use relevant keywords in your PR, the better its chances of appearing in the search results. 

Using authentic keyword research tools, you can find high-value keywords related to your press release. Don’t forget to include less competitive, semantic, and long-tail keywords, as they have more chances of getting real customers.  

Insert the words naturally throughout the content body, seamlessly mentioning them in the headline and paragraphs. When writing a boilerplate, include keywords related to your services. 

Structure Building & Formatting 

Today, search engines are smart enough to read through your content and see if it fits the description. The press releases that are well-structured get more recognition from Google. Moreover, formatting also helps in readability, eventually making your news more helpful. The checklist of must-have structuring practices of a PR includes 

• A content body of no more than 300-400 words  
• An attention-grabbing, compact headline 
• The date and location of the event in the first paragraph 
• Justified paragraph breaks
• Quote from one or more authoritative personnel 
• A relevant and inviting Call-to-Action 
• A Boilerplate mentioning 4-5 sentences about your brand 
• Contact details for marketing needs 

Content Creation & Storytelling 

High-quality content is the base of a good PR as well as a good SEO strategy. Sites backlink to news that are well-written and useful. More backlinks are the fuel for better SEO, yielding more authority and better visibility. 

The latest research says storytelling is the most important skill (72%) for press releases. So, keep your pieces light, compact, and easily readable. 

Answer the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) in the first paragraph. Double-check grammar and spelling mistakes. Don’t overdo the keywords. 

Professional PR writing services provide expert writing and optimization, relieving the burden off your shoulders. Read our complete guide on writing a press release that gets leads:

Suggested Read: A Go-To Guide to Write a Press Release Format in 2024 for Guaranteed Impact.

Link Building 

Many marketers still make the mistake of overstuffing hyperlinks. Search engines mark such content as spam these days. 

Instead, use limited links only where they feel natural. The anchor text should relate to the linked site or a value keyword. You may also include figures and stats to high authority sites to add value and optimize your PR. 

Visuals & Multimedia Insertion

A great press release is informative and visually appealing. PRs with relevant images and videos are proven to get more engagement. Apart from logos and stock images, prefer illustrations, social media posts, explanatory videos, graphs, charts, or screenshots too. 

Publishing 

The final cherry on the cake is publishing to high-authority platforms. Choosing industry-specific channels and mainstream media must be your priority, as links from them will eventually improve authority to your website.  

Get in touch with as many sites as possible per your budget. The best cost-effective way is to mix free and paid publishers for maximum reach. 

Tracking the Impact of Your PR SEO Strategy 

Your SEO PR strategy is not over yet. The next challenge is up, and that is to check the progress of your doings. Tracking helps you modify steps or plans to see what works better. The following are some of the ways to check the impact of your SEO-focused press releases: 

• Website Traffic 

If your website shows marked improvement in site ranking or gets more views since your PR was published, it means that the applied SEO strategies are doing their work. 

Access the click-through rate (CTR) of your PRs by checking if there’s any increase in your website traffic. You can do so by utilizing data traffic analysis tools. Improved site authority is also a sign of positive results.

• Keywords Ranking 

Track the ranking of keywords you targeted in your PR body. See if your press release appears when you search those words. You can utilize third-party assessment tools and Google Search Console to assess if your keyword ranking has improved.   

• Publishers & Media Houses Interaction 

You get defined media coverage when you publish your press releases on relevant news platforms. Combining all the strategies, track the final media attention you received.

To detect the scope of coverage you gained, simply assess the media mentions and reposts to other publications your PR received. Any inbound leads, interview requests, emails, or journalist connections you made also indicate significant media coverage. 

• Social Media Engagements 

If sharing to social media was a part of your SEO strategy, which must have been, checking engagement on these platforms can also tell you a lot about your PR’s progress. 
Track your social media metrics, including reposts, comments, likes, and shares. The more the numbers, the better the optimization. Comments or customer reviews help you identify the productivity and the areas of improvement. 

• Backlinks Progress

Sites linking back to your website play a key role in improving its ranking. Tracking the quality and quantity of these backlinks is necessary to evaluate the progress of PR efforts. You can use backlink monitoring tools to get this exact information. 
Check if you are getting do-follow or no-follow links. You can reach out to valuable sites for more backlinking opportunities, boosting your performance further.

Build a Solid Brand Visibility with Press Connect’s PR SEO Services 

Traditional press releases are not relevant anymore in this digital era. Your audience is on the internet, and that’s where you should reach out to them. PR SEO is an effective way of getting your digital news over and beyond the digital world. 

The team of professionals at Press Connect provides global and regional PR services, keeping the SEO elements in mind. The genius writeup, authority links, and timely analysis elevate your boring news into an interesting topic for search engines, boosting your site ranking and traffic. Get a tailored PR package distributed to 260+ publishers while saving money and enjoying marked results only with Press Connect!