1. Quality links
An external link to a website is like a vote of confidence—imagine how powerful those votes could become with targeted anchor text. Press releases with anchor-text links can help increase the authority of your website in search engines, whether in the release itself, or reused in original content by an influencer. Not only are you using targeted anchor text, but you also gain domain authority from websites that your website competitors who aren’t using press releases may not have.
Remember not to fall into the trap of overdoing your links in press releases. Include too many links, and it’s obvious to the reader and to search engine robots what you’re trying to do. The reader will be put off by too many links and feel advertised to, while the search engine bot will recognize that the document contains way too many links and won’t value them highly. The links in press releases can be powerful, but only if they’re used when necessary. My recommendation (conventional wisdom) is one hyperlink for every 100 words.
2. Exposure to media
Press releases are still a format that’s preferred by mainstream media, so promoting your website through press releases may grab you an inquiry from a mainstream media outlet. The media will be looking for something unique, so promote the most eye-catching or attention-getting content on your website (or even your website itself). Even if media don’t write up the story from your release, if that release exposes an influential journalist to your website and they become a subscriber, they could easily write about you later on.
3. Qualified traffic
Releases from the major wire services which have large channels of distribution will send your website fresh, niche-specific traffic. The larger the site, the more channels and categories of distribution there will be (which is what you receive with the paid wire services vs. the free). Remember, press releases reach a community of influencers. Journalists and other website from your niche could see your release and send you highly targeted traffic as a result. This is also the power of the new direct distribution model—it gives you the ability to create your own audience.
4. Influential subscribers
The days of actually visiting a site to obtain information are long behind many of us, and the best press release distribution services have kept up with the evolving demand for content. Since categories are prevalent in large distribution sites, web savvy influencers subscribe via RSS based on their interests. By promoting your website to an audience that’s already using RSS, and sharing your feed within the release, you can increase your subscriber base of influencers significantly.
5. Search engine exposure
Press releases can rank well in major search engines, providing a great entry point for a new niche website. Sometimes just one highly optimized press release is all it takes to get on the first page of a search engine for a competitive term, drive consistent organic traffic, and creating increased awareness about your website.
