How Do Press Releases Help SEO?

January 6, 2025
Up Inc.

A staggering 52% of marketing experts find that link building is the most challenging aspect of search engine optimization. 

Press releases aren't just about sharing newsworthy announcements or upcoming partnerships with the public - they provide a key opportunity to gather backlinks for your website.

Key Takeaways

  • A press release is an official statement released on behalf of your company sharing a newsworthy event, important topic, or recent announcement. It also creates hundreds of backlinks pointing to your website from well-known and reputable news sites.
  • Press releases build trust, improve awareness, and signal expertise, which helps to satisfy the ranking algorithm for search engines like Google.
  • By increasing brand visibility, improving online authority, and creating quality links, press releases can have a profound positive impact on your search engine optimization campaign.

At Up Inc., we use press releases to boost search visibility, enhance brand awareness, and collect valuable backlinks. It's a critical component of our digital marketing strategy, and it helps us give our clients (like you!) an edge over the competition.

Keep reading, and we'll tell you more about how press releases can help your E-commerce company grow in the digital sphere.

What Is a Press Release?

A press release is an official statement released on behalf of your company that provides the public with important information. Press releases are usually about a newsworthy event, important topic, or recent announcement that would enhance brand awareness and improve public opinion.

Press releases have an additional (and very powerful) benefit: to obtain backlinks that elevate search visibility and increase organic traffic for your business.

How to Use Press Releases for Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the structure, content, and experience of your website to rank higher in search engine result pages (SERPs). Press releases have 3 main benefits: increased brand visibility, improved online authority, and quality backlinks.

Increased Brand Visibility

As a part of your digital marketing campaign, we will create 1 press release for your brand each month. These press releases are published across hundreds of local and national news sites.

Because these press releases will be indexed across multiple news sites, they'll significantly help boost your online visibility and digital presence. Plus, each individual press release has an opportunity to rank in SERPs, thus giving you another chance to enhance brand awareness.

68% of businesses reported that press releases have helped improve brand visibility. And 84% of businesses have stated that press release publication is a powerful way of sharing newsworthy announcements.

See Related: Technical SEO: Why is it Important?

graph showing the key factors in securing press coverage seo press releases seo press releases ignore links good press release website's visibility relevant content anchor text links happen press release distribution noteworthy event media attention track record more branded searches local seo boost seo tools keyword research reputable channels press release press release press release

Image Source: Fit Small Business

That's not all - 68% of journalists find that press releases are their most useful source for ideas, further demonstrating the power that third-party articles can have.

However, it's not just about the random visitors who happen across these press releases. Though this is a bonus, it's not the primary purpose of press releases for SEO.

Improved Online Authority

Press releases send a signal to search engines that your brand is a hot topic, as it's being reported on by various news sites. Google, which accounts for 91% of the search engine market share, uses E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) for its ranking algorithm. Press releases help satisfy E-E-A-T, as they signal expertise, improve awareness, and build trust with users.

This sends a powerful message to Google that helps improve online visibility and increase organic traffic for your website.

Quality Backlinks

One of the most fundamental advantages of press releases is the backlinks that they provide. (A backlink is a link that points from another website to your website.) Backlinks are a critical component of search visibility optimization and have some key benefits, including:

Faster indexing: To understand the importance of backlinks, you need to understand "crawling" and "indexing." Search engines use programs (known as "crawlers") to browse web pages. These programs then store and organize the content and code of each web page (known as "indexing"). The backlinks from press releases help crawlers find and index your website, which helps search engine visibility.

Improved search engine rankings: Backlinks tell search engines that your brand is valuable and should be pushed higher in SERPs, thus improving organic traffic.

Increased referral traffic: Backlinks provide a pathway for visitors to reach your website, turning interested individuals into potential customers.

Elevated brand authority: Backlinks help to satisfy E-E-A-T by boosting credibility, building trust, and establishing authority.

Bonus: 6 Dos and Don'ts When Making Changes to Your Website graph showing that pages with more referring domains get more traffic other websites major search engines relevant content authoritative sites social media platforms digital age media coverage optimized press release ignore links traditional press releases seo press release media outlets seo efforts

Image Source: Ahrefs

It's hard to overstate the importance of quality backlinks.

  • The #1 result in Google has an average of 3.8x more backlinks than the #2 to #10 results.
  • A study found that 43% of top-ranking results in Google have reciprocal links.
  • It takes an average of 3.1 months to see results from link building. (This is why we publish a press release each month - patience is key!)
  • Companies with a blog receive 97% more backlinks than those without. (This is one of the many reasons why we focus on creating quality blog content in our digital marketing campaigns.)
  • There is a positive correlation between organic traffic and referring domains, as well as between ranking keywords and referring domains.

How Do Press Releases Impact Your Digital Strategy?

At Up Inc., we strive to help business owners (such as yourself) reach new heights in the digital sphere.

We do this through a specialized digital marketing strategy that relies on quality content, website optimization, and technical improvements. Our holistic approach to search visibility optimization ensures that no stone is left unturned.

Our SEO campaign strategy includes creating one press release for your brand each month. So, what does this process look like?

Here's what you can expect when we start the press release process.

  1. We'll contact you at the beginning of each month. We'll offer a few different ideas for potential press release topics. However, if you have anything in mind, let us know! Recent announcements or newsworthy stories would make for great press releases. Some examples include brand partnerships, upcoming discounts, or product launches.
  2. We'll write a press release. The press release will contain links for your Target Pages. Target Pages are carefully selected web pages that have been optimized to increase organic traffic, enhance brand image, and maximize search visibility. Once the press release is published on various news sites, backlinks will be created to these Target Pages.
  3. We'll publish the press release. The press release will be live on major media outlets, search engines, and independent news publications. We'll follow up with you with an official report detailing each outlet that published the press release.

Best Practices for Press Releases for SEO

When it comes to press releases, we'll take care of all the heavy lifting. We'll just reach out to you at the beginning of each month to touch base about potential topics.

Here are a few ways that we make sure your press releases are as effective and valuable as possible.

#1. Press Release Topics

A newsworthy press release is an effective press release!

We reach out to you at the start of the month to make sure the topic will be as accurate, recent, and impactful as possible. It's best to use time-sensitive or recent topics, though we can use evergreen topics on occasion.

#2. Press Release Content

A great press release is informative and readable. Not everyone is an expert in your industry, so the content must be easy for the average person to understand.

#3. Press Release Links

As previously stated, press releases create an amazing opportunity to get hundreds of backlinks to your website. These backlinks will redirect readers to your Target Pages (which were determined during your onboarding journey with Up Inc.), which will help drive growth.

graph showing the average cost per link and that it is cheaper for those with more years of experience seo benefits of press releases media outreach real news google's john mueller issuing press releases link based website penalties broader audience

Image Source: SEO.AI

The Bottom Line

Press releases do more than alert the public to product launches, upcoming discounts, or brand partnerships. Press releases are a critical component of our online marketing strategy, and we use them to increase organic traffic, enhance brand awareness, and boost your online presence.

With 500+ projects completed and 35 years of combined experience, we can help businesses like yours thrive in the digital sphere.

Keep Reading: The Three Pillars of SEO When Launching a New Product

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are press releases still relevant for SEO?

Yes! Press releases are a critical component of SEO efforts, as they can have a significant impact on brand awareness, online presence, and search visibility.

How to use press releases for SEO?

At Up Inc., we use a specialized procedure to create and publish press releases. For example, we use relevant keywords and strategic anchor text to improve organic traffic. We also use optimized content to make it easier for the press releases to be crawled and indexed.

Are press release backlinks good?

Yes! The backlinks that come from press releases are able to boost brand reputation, improve online visibility, and increase referral traffic. They're also great for brand exposure and search engine optimization.

How effective are press releases?

When used correctly, press releases are very effective at elevating your marketing strategy. They are also great ways to create buzz and generate interest in your brand.

74% of journalists prefer receiving press releases over any other form of content, such as interviews, exclusive stories, and research reports.

Even nofollow links can still help with search engine optimization. That's because, as of 2019, Google updated the way its algorithm perceives nofollow links (nofollow links are links that have the rel="nofollow" tag, which can signal to a search engine to ignore the link.)

image screenshot showing two different html tags and one has a nofollow tag press release press release press release distribution seo press releases seo press releases reputable news outlets distributing press releases

Image Source: Backlinkio

What are the disadvantages of press releases?

High-quality press releases are great for brand visibility, backlinking, and online reputation. However, press releases can only do so much! Press releases are not a suitable substitute for a comprehensive marketing strategy.

In addition, low-quality press releases can be counterproductive or wasteful. 

Low-quality press releases likely won’t be able to capture the attention of readers. This can give readers the wrong impression of your brand, deterring them from learning more or making purchases. 

Additionally, this can limit press coverage, reducing the amount of backlinks going to your website. 

But, if used correctly, press releases can be incredibly impactful and drive meaningful engagement. That’s why working with an experienced marketing team for your press releases will help you get the most out of your marketing campaign. 

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Up Inc. eCommerce Agency is a digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles, CA. Founded in 2021, Up Inc. specializes in eCommerce, generating growth for brands by focusing on visibility, customer loyalty, and digital revenue. For more SEO tips and industry insights, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and  LinkedIn.

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