SEO Press Releases Are Still Alive & Kickin. Amazing Hints on How to Use Press Releases to Revive Your Online Exposure and Profits

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1 SEO Press Releases Are Still Alive & Kickin Amazing Hints on How to Use Press Releases to Revive Your Online Exposure and Profits

2 LEGAL STUFF: Disclaimer: The information contained herein is general in nature and for informative purposes only. It is based on the author s personal experience. The author assumes no responsibility whatsoever, under any circumstances, for any actions taken as a result of the information contained herein. Copyright BAAB Writing and Marketing Services LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or shared without express, written consent from the author.

3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Apryl Beverly Apryl Beverly is the owner of BAAB Writing and Marketing Services, an award-winning firm focused on helping businesses of all sizes leverage the power of words. Before BAAB, Apryl worked as a writing, marketing and business development executive for the legal and technology industries. Follow her on

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS: Don t Believe the Hype...4 Value of Using Press Releases.8 Optimizing Releases for Lead Generation & Promotion Tracking Your Press Release s Success..15

5 CHAPTER 1: Don t Believe the Hype Source: Flickr; sofiagm99 You ve heard it. I ve heard it. Hell, the whole world has heard it SEO press releases are dead. But hey, if you re a fan of True Blood and Twilight, you know all things living dead are pretty popular right now. And our friend, the press release, has not yet breathed its last breath. // Page 4

6 SEO PRESS RELEASES ARE STILL KICKIN Press releases are a crucial component of any Internet marketing strategy. Of course, you knew that. Matt Cutts, Google s head of search spam sparked quite a bit of controversy late 2012 when he said press releases lack value when it comes to SEO rankings. His statement nearly killed these SEO gems and left experts at odds over the value of press releases. // Page 5

7 SEO PRESS RELEASES ARE STILL KICKIN If it s not worth reading, then it s not worth writing. Nearly a year later, the battle continues over the ability to generate website traffic and leads from press releases. At BAAB, we trust data and data tells us that press releases are still kickin. We don t believe the hype because we ve seen SEO press releases generate huge traffic for not only our clients, but our own firm as well. The key to getting an exposure explosion is writing something worth reading. Hot content is linked and spread across the Web. A search engine could give two flying figs if the form of the content is a blog post, article, or a photo of writing on a chalk board. // Page 6

8 SEO PRESS RELEASES ARE STILL KICKIN In today s digital age, press releases are not always the best way to build buzz about your business, but they are valuable when used properly. Press releases are viewed about 275 times per week. Source: HubSpot. When Press Releases Do (and Don t) Help Your Marketing, Jan. 14, 2013 Source: HubSpot // Page 7

9 CHAPTER 2: Value of Using Press Releases Using press releases is a great way to draw media attention, generate new organic website leads, share SEO backlinks online and establish credibility. So, if press releases are so great, why the debate on their value of these golden nuggets? // Page 8

10 SEO PRESS RELEASES ARE STILL KICKIN When online press releases gained momentum, everyone was doing it and, well, news was no longer newsworthy but instead a way to quickly get website traffic. This watered down online press releases as more folks attempted to trick search engines with poor content disguised as news. SEE OUR FINDINGS ON THE BEST DAYS TO SEND PRESS RELEASES. SURPRISED? // Page 9

11 SEO PRESS RELEASES ARE STILL KICKIN Quality content never gets old. Small business owners and PR professionals know the benefits of sharing real news. With optimized press releases, you can: TARGET SPECIFIC LOCATIONS AND INDUSTRIES. Looking to get the word out in a specific area or sector? Share your amazing story in a press release. CAPTURE MORE LEADS. So you have a wonderful product but no one knows about it? Spread the word in a press release and build your online reputation fast. STRETCH YOUR MARKETING BUDGET. Want to reach a large crowd but your cash flow is low? Just one press release can get your news in front of thousands (although a more long-term strategy will get you the greatest traffic explosion). // Page 10

12 CHAPTER 3: Optimizing Press Releases for Lead Generation & Promotion So how can you write effective press releases that will be hot enough to generate huge website traffic and leads? Well, we ve been waiting for you to ask. // Page 11

13 SEO PRESS RELEASES ARE STILL KICKIN WRITE FOR HUMANS AND NOT SEARCH ENGINES. Draft your story and go back to add relevant keywords in the second draft to ensure your release is clear and not written solely for keywords. Use GOOGLE S KEYWORD TOOL to find highly searched terms relevant to your news story. BE STRATEGIC ABOUT KEYWORD PLACEMENT and include in the title, summary and body copy of the release. You will turn off readers by including salesy content in your press releases. AVOID KEYWORD STUFFING. The general rule of thumb is one keyword every 100 words (your release should be about 300 to 500 words). ADD HYPERLINKS TO KEYWORDS YOU WANT TO BE INDEXED BY SEARCH ENGINES. Don t overdo it, three to four links is enough. // Page 14

14 CHAPTER 4: Tracking Your Press Release s Success Be sure to use online newswires that offer reporting and analytics in place to measure the success of your press releases. At minimum, you should be able to track reads, interactions, media placements and browser search terms that hit your release. // Page 15

15 WANT MORE BUZZ- BOOSTING TIPS? If you re interested in boosting online traffic and profits, request a free analysis of your marketing strategy. We ll let you know what s working, not working and wasting your time and money.