By John Hicks
If you have gone to the trouble of writing a press release and want to maximise the on-line potential then think about how search engine optimisation can help you.
I was recently consulted by a client, Asset Fencing (http://www.assetfencing.com/) who specialise in protecting UK businesses’ assets with perimeter systems - through physical deterrents, detection and monitoring systems with the supply, installation & maintenance of industrial, commercial and security fencing, barriers, CCTV, access controls and the like.
They wanted to initiate a press release campaign on the web over a number of months. Their question was how to maximise the impact of a press release on the Internet.
Here were my top ten suggestions to help them and I thought it would be useful to share my thoughts.
1. Choose and use your keywords. Think like your reader. What words are most likely to be searched for by people looking for what you want them to find in your release? Choose/use those words multiple times. By the way, do remember to name your images on your website and in press releases after one of your keywords; a simple tip often forgotten.
2. Use bold, italics, headlines and subheads to make key phrases and keywords more visible. Emphasised text may help your release stand out and can positively impact search engine results.
3. Keep your headlines short. Google recommends headlines between 2 and 22 words for optimum visibility and search results. And Google results display only the first 63 characters of each headline.
4. Keep it readable. While your goal is to appear high in search engine results, don't miss the mark by writing copy that's overly repetitive, spammy or unreadable. You want search engines to find you and for readers to click through to your text. Strike a balance.
5. Be careful with puns, innuendo and double meanings. Search engines, spiders and robots have no sense of humour. Keep this in mind when trying to attract their attention.
6. Write timely content that provides useful information to readers. Provide tips, advice, or analysis in your press release that is relevant to your industry or your customers' interests. Search engines are more likely to include releases that are honestly useful in their results.
7. Utilise hyperlinks and anchor text, but don't overdo it. Too many links can flag your release as spam and get you kicked out. One link max per 100 words is recommended. Choose relevant links that direct traffic to the specific pages you are promoting rather than generic company links.
8. Be consistent. Some words have multiple spellings— such as "t-shirt" and "tee-shirt," or "email" and "e-mail." Stick with one spelling to avoid appearing illiterate, preferably choosing the more frequently searched spelling.
9. Keep it fresh. As releases age, they tend to drift lower in the search engine results pages. A campaign of several releases is more likely to drive results than a single press release.
10. Publish on your own website. Be sure to publish releases to your own website also. Since links are like votes, link to them. And work with your web team to make sure your site is optimized. Make sure you copy them to your local media – newspapers, radio, internet radio stations and TV stations.
I would wish you “good luck” but, in business, you make your own luck.
Finally, if you are struggling to produce a professional press release then ask a professional PR consultancy but ask for a price first. Many, like my own company (Headline Promotions, Press & PR) have a fixed fee – ours is £99 which represents value for money and just a small investment as part of your overall marketing strategy.
About the author: Award winning PR and media relations consultant, John Hicks is a member of the Institute of Direct Marketing and writes for several US & UK journals and magazines. He is a Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR (http://www.headlinepromotions.co.uk/) which specialises in “PR with a marketing edge” for UK businesses, especially those in the leisure & entertainment, facilities management outsourcing, nightclubs, retail, local & internet radio, manufacturing and security sectors.
John can be contacted direct at john@headlinepromotions.co.uk
