Your online press releases are published on independent web pages: how can you make sure that your target audience will find them, and read them? Most of your potential readers will use a search engine, such as Google, to research a specific brand or topic – then they may come across your press release, among other search results.

How can you optimize your press releases for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? Follow these basic tips and you will maximize your chances.

Pick your keywords carefully

The most important part of your SEO optimization is to identify the 2 or 3 keywords that best describe your product or your news. These keywords should be common expressions that people are likely to use on search engines if they want to research your brand, product type or industry. Avoid professional jargon!

If you have a doubt, search different keywords on Google and compare how many results they get.

Make sure these top keywords are included in your title: most of the times, press release titles are enclosed in < h1 > tags and have a strong importance for search engine crawlers. These top keywords should also be included in your summary and in the body of your press release, at least 2-3 times each. This will give them more “weight” for search engine crawlers – and it’ll also help your readers understand your key message!

Learn how to build great links

A good press release contains a good number of relevant links, that will enhance both the reader’s experience and the web page’s search engine rankings. Don’t hesitate to build anchor links: pick your most relevant keywords and phrases, and link them to related pages in your own website! If possible, don’t link them to your homepage, but to deeper, more relevant pages (i.e. with a single topic / a better keyword density).

If your website doesn’t contain such resources, don’t hesitate to create specific landing pages, with rich content and a strong emphasis on the desired keywords or phrases!

Don’t forget that you’re writing for “human” readers!

Press releases should never be written for SEO purposes only. Your content should always be relevant, clear and easy to read. Nobody likes to read whole paragraphs with the same keywords or phrases repeated every other line, or with 3 hyperlinks per sentence – not even search engine crawlers!

Always remember: if your overall style doesn’t look “natural”, your SEO optimization will do more harm than good.