Online press releases are a hot item in internet marketing circles. Experts constantly extol the virtues of the press release, which is so easy to produce and has potential for such great results. The true fact of the matter is that online press releases are just as hard to sell as any other form of internet marketing, although their potential for assisting your SEO campaign is great. Hard work is a must.
If you’re considering using a press release as part of your off-page search engine optimisation plan, it can be a good idea to talk to a professional. Unlike articles, press releases are a specialised form of content and it can help to get some insider knowledge before you begin.
Some of the requirements you need to bear in mind include:
- Word limit: A good press release is between 400 and 800 words, with only a rare few actually warranting this upper limit. Just as your site users will click away if a piece of content on your pages is too long, internet users will turn away from any press release that seems too big. Keeping attention on press release sites is just as hard as keeping users engaged on your pages, if not more so.
- Title limit: There’s no use crafting a perfect SEO title if it gets cut off half-way. One of the differences between press release sites and article hosting sites is that there is usually a strict title limit, usually between 60 and 80 characters. That’s not a lot of room to work with. Find out what those limits are, and stick to them.
- Format: Sometimes, standing out is not what you want. Failing to adhere to the format of a press release can draw the wrong sort of attention on press release websites, making you appear unprofessional. Look at other press releases for clues.
In general, it’s a good idea to research the requirements of any sites you’re planning on posting on before you craft the release. Talk to us at SEO Consult Australia about your options.
If at first you do succeed
…Try, try again. If your press release is successful in generating traffic, it’s a great time to strike again. One of the advantages of attention garnered through press releases is that it can be fed, like a good fire. If people are interested in your first press release, feed their interest with a follow-up. It’s a good idea to do all you can until the interest finally wanes, although it should go without saying that follow-up press releases need to be of as high a standard as the original.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that posting a press release is as much work as you’re going to need. Online press releases require a lot of work, acting much in the same way as an off-site article will. It’s vital to keep your readers interested and appear in the right places for your press release to bring real off-page SEO value.
