Do Press Releases Work for SEO?

Press releases are one of those topics that every marketer has an opinion about. A few years ago, press releases were SEO gold, the easiest way to earn hundreds of backlinks in an instant. But in 2013, the Google algorithm caught up to the game. The debate ever since has been whether press releases still help with SEO. So do press releases work? I asked PR companies, SEO managers, and business owners to weigh in.

Press releases and backlinks

After the 2013 Google update, press releases distributed by companies like PRWeb and 24-7 Newswire changed from dofollow links to nofollow links. What does that mean?

Google’s whole search engine is algorithmic, reading signals to figure out what a website is about and which concepts are related to other concepts. One of the signals Google uses is the linkage between different websites. These links create the worldwide “web.”

When a site that Google already ranks as important links out to a company’s website, that company becomes a little more important in Google’s eyes. The value that the first site has passed to the second is what’s known as link juice.

“Juicy” links are known as dofollow links. Nofollow links, on the other hand, are still clickable links, but they don’t pass on any link juice.

Therefore, when a press release that links to your website is distributed to other websites, the links are nofollow links, giving you less SEO value.

But does that mean there’s no value at all?

Citations vs. links

Luke Bastin, Owner Principal of SEO company PDABuzz, says that local businesses can still benefit from press releases because of how they affect Google Maps results. These map listings “typically appear above organic listings, and they attract lots of traffic,” he says.

Here’s an example of what he’s describing. I searched for “Peruvian restaurant Los Angeles,” and the Google Maps results were placed above the first organic result.

Luke explains, “One of the major factors behind maps listings is how many high-quality business citations a website has.”

A citation is an external website mention of a business’s name, address, and phone number (abbreviated NAP). Unlike links, citations do not need to be linked to your website to be credited by Google’s algorithm.

“Typically, business owners and marketers think of sites like Yelp, Merchant Circle, Foursquare, Superpages and so on as the main places to obtain local business citations. However, an overlooked opportunity is a good SEO press release which not only makes an announcement about the business but also includes the name, address, and phone number within the press release.”

Because of the value of citations, Luke believes distributing press releases “still works wonderfully well for local SEO and should continue to do so for some time.”

An invitation for Google to crawl

Brian Lim, founder and CEO of print clothing company Into the AM, says, “We continue to use press releases as a viable means to gain exposure and SEO value. While press releases don’t hold the same value they did years ago, there are still many advantages.”

One advantage he cites is that issuing press releases prompts Google to crawl your site more frequently. “From there,” Brian says, “Google can decide whether or not to index the content. If you’re adding some commentary or original content on top of the press release, it’s far more likely that Google will index it, because it goes beyond syndication and can provide extra value to the visitor.”

Press releases as the official company word

James Nuttall, Content and Outreach Specialist for Africa Travel, says, “For me, press releases are still a vital part of any outreach campaign.” He believes that “having a press release adds an ‘official’ stamp to your campaign: This is the story.”

Samuella Becker, a marketing strategist at TigressPR, agrees. “I still use press releases to present the factual details around a company or new product launch,” she says, “with the hopes that the journalist/blogger/TV producer who I’m sending it to will do their OWN story. I don’t expect the media outlet to pick up the press release verbatim.”

I’ve seen this principle in action as editor of the Menuism Blog, where we cover restaurant trends. It’s not always easy to get an interview with the CEO of McDonald’s or the hot Michelin-starred chef. But when your article references a new menu item or restaurant opening, you can refer to a company’s press release and include a vetted quote from the decision-makers. (I’ve used restaurant promotional photos for our articles, too, so it’s not a bad idea to syndicate those). In these cases, our site wasn’t writing specifically about the story pitch of the press release, but instead adapting press release content to suit a story we were already developing.

Could you get on Google News?

Zachary Weiner, CEO of PR firm Emerging Insider Communications believes that even though a press release’s benefits have changed, the press release is not dead.

“There is still an SEO benefit to press releases, but not for the reasons it once was,” he says. Now, “press releases can still use their title to attract certain phrase searches. While the link building aspects are no longer relevant, ‘gaming’ the title of a press release can still have numerous keyword benefits. This is especially true for Google News searches, where most companies blogs will not be sourced, but press releases will be.”

If you’re hoping to get picked up by Google News, your press release must be well-crafted. Cary Haun, an SEO specialist at Page 1 Solutions, says, “make sure the news you’re sharing is current, noteworthy, and important to your community or industry.”

He advises companies to “think about the content on the page with the backlink, rather than just the domain authority of the press release vendor and its outlets.” Use this press release template to get you going.

While Cary acknowledges that “the likelihood of a press release on a wire getting ‘picked up’ by a publication is pretty minimal,” there is still SEO value in “associating your URL and brand with quality information, rather than grasping at straws and creating low-value spam.”

Jason Simms, a PR consultant, believes that “using a press release distribution service has zero long-term SEO value.” However, he admits, when the story is timely, “having the press release posted more places may help more journalists see it in the short term. The effect is extremely short-lived, and there is no noticeable bump in traffic.”

Okay, so maybe don’t set your heart on Google News.

Press releases are a tactic, not a strategy

When trying to build your company’s reputation by earning media coverage, just writing a press release isn’t going to do it. Even a truly newsworthy pitch won’t work with a “spray and pray” approach. You’ll need to tailor your pitch to individual outlets and editors, and it will take time to build relationships with them.

Press releases are not a magic bullet for public relations or for SEO. However, press releases do still have their benefits, including signals to Google in the form of citations, content, and website crawling.

If you’re new to press release distribution, you can try it out with 10% off at PRWeb through this link. Another option is 24-7 Press Release Newswire.

Where do you fall on the “Do press releases work” question? Share your perspective and tell us about your experience in the comments. 

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Kim Kohatsu

Founder at Charles Ave Marketing

Kim Kohatsu is the founder of Charles Ave Marketing, "Madison Ave for small businesses and startups." Kim's expertise is in PPC, content marketing, and branding.

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