The value of optimizing web pages for organic search results is universally recognized, but sometimes it’s remembering to apply the same rules to other online content that eludes us. When it comes to press releases, remember the value of keyword selection and placement, especially in your headlines. To see the best return for your investment of time and money, here are four rules to follow:
1. Do your due diligence: Place equal emphasis on search engine friendly copy for press releases as you do for standard web content. As Joseph Miller at Enhanced Online News (EON) advises, “It’s important to think like a searcher. Look at past release reports or your web analytics to see what keywords tend to bring readers to your unique content, and build on that.”
2. Highlight the most important keywords: Your headline needs to incorporate the keywords that are most applicable to the release’s content, as well as your main message or business proposition. The larger the volume of releases you distribute in a given year the easier this is to forget.
3. Be quick and to the point: An important fact to remember, says Miller, is that “Google generally displays only the first 63 characters (letters and spaces) of release headlines in search results, so make sure to get your most valuable information across as concisely as possible.” Having the right keywords can easily be lost if they’re not given proper placement within your release.
4. Sign of the times: Keep in mind that with the ever-growing audience of mobile users, the old adage of less is more hasn’t gone away. Don’t forget the new generation of consumers and businesspersons who are increasingly receiving data via hand-held devices. The shorter and more efficient your headlines and releases are, the more likely it is that your message will reach your entire audience.
In today’s marketplace, increasing exposure means taking advantage of more than just yesterday’s wire distribution. You have to embrace the benefits of what makes the web such a valuable public relations tool – its strengths of dissemination, analytics and audience measurement data.
– Steve Iaconis
