Do Press Releases Drive Web Traffic?

We get asked this question every day: “If you write a press release for me, will it increase traffic to my website?” The frustrating answer, as in so many marketing dialogues, is, “It depends.” The content of the press release matters for traffic, as well as what you do with it. Obviously. Writing a press release and saving it on your hard drive isn’t going to increase your traffic. Distributing the press release or getting media outlets to pick it up can help with traffic, but the process is indirect and not guaranteed to get visitors to your site. This article explores the issue and offers some insights that might be helpful to you if you’re considering the use of press releases to grow your website traffic.

Do press releases get you web traffic?

A press release does not guarantee web traffic on its own. That said, there are three ways a press release can generate web traffic:

• By getting your site reindexed by search engines if you post the press release.
• By getting indexed by search engines when it is distributed/syndicated through a press release distribution service like PR News Wire.
• By getting picked up by a media outlet after successful media pitching.

There are pros and cons to using a press release to generate web traffic.

Pros:

• It is relatively low-cost, compared to advertising.
• The traffic can be high quality, because site visitors will see your brand validated through media coverage.

Cons:

• It’s an indirect process. Unlike advertising, there’s no direct pay-for-result transaction. You’re hoping to get placed in media so people will click on your links.
• It’s not guaranteed. You can write and distribute a press release and receive no measurable traffic gains.

Do press releases help with SEO?

To see how a press release can help with SEO, it pays to understand a bit about how SEO works. Search engines tend to rank sites higher if they have a) good quality backlinks and b) good quality fresh content, either directly on the site or on third-party sites. Press releases fall mostly into the latter category.

A well-written press release, i.e., not one that is artificially stuffed with keywords or written solely for machine reading, will serve as fresh content to be indexed by search engines. If distributed or picked up by media sites, a press release should help your SEO through indexing.

Do press releases get you backlinks? This is a very common question, and a frequent source of confusion. You can embed URLs into the body of a press release. Depending on where the press release is published, those may or may not serve as actual backlinks. Press release distribution services like PR News Wire convert any URLs in a press release into “no follow” links. They do this to avoid having Google penalize you for duplicative content.

If a third-party site, such as a blog, publishes your press release, then your URLs will probably function as backlinks. The issue then is domain authority (DA). The site picking up the press release may have a low DA. We get asked, “Can you distribute my press release so I get backlinks on high DA sites?” The answer is “no.” We can get your press release published on high-DA sites like AP News or Yahoo Finance, but it will include no-follow links.

Does press release distribution help your SEO?

Press release distribution is unfortunately one of those processes that’s the subject of a great deal of confusion. I blame press release distributors who exaggerate the nature of their service offerings. Distributors’ ads on social media say things like, “Get on NBC!” Does that mean that you can have your press release aired on NBC News for $99.99? Take a second to think about that. Have you ever watched NBC News? Does the program feature news announcements from thousands of small businesses? What the distributor actually means is that they will syndicate your press release onto websites operated by NBC station affiliates like KTVB in Boise, Idaho.

What is press release distribution? Press release distribution is an automated syndication process that publishes your press release onto news sites. Media outlets, such as radio and TV stations, integrate with press release distributors to receive an automated feed of press releases that gets published onto their websites. (Why do they do this? It helps them by getting them more traffic.) In most cases, no one at the media site actually looks at your press release. Some services, such as PR News Wire and EIN Press Wire, will also email your press release to lists of reporters as part of their distribution package. In my experience, this almost never results in a reporter covering your news.

How does press release distribution contribute to SEO outcomes? Usually, at least one syndicated edition of your press release will get indexed by search engines. This should help with your SERPs, though SEO gains are not guaranteed. Many factors can affect the extent of the SEO boost you get from press release distribution.

Distribution has some limits when it comes to SEO benefits. Factors that affect distribution’s impact on SEO include:

• The competitiveness of your category. If you’re in a highly competitive business, like real estate, then a distributed press release will have a small benefit, but will probably not move the needle too much for SEO.
• The level of impact that the search engine places on syndicated press releases. This is unknown, but while search engines react positively to press releases, they may not give them the emphasis given to other forms of online content publishing.

It’s also important to remember that the press release itself needs to be compelling and interesting enough to reflect well on your brand if someone clicks on the link to it from a search engine. That, more than other factors, may drive actual web traffic.

Who does press releases that will get my traffic?

You have a number of choices when it comes to producing press releases that will help with web traffic. These include:

• PR firms—As part of their overall service package, a PR firm will write press releases, arrange for distribution and/or submit them to reporters. These firms usually work on a retainer basis, which makes them relatively expensive for small organizations.
• Freelance publicists—These are individuals who do the same work as a PR firm, but usually on a more flexible and economical basis. In the case of Comms Factory, we offer freelance publicist services on a pay-as-you-go, fixed price basis.
• Doing it yourself—Today, you can create and distribute press releases yourself. This may involve working with a distributor like eReleases, which offers writing and distribution services, or using AI to write a press release and distributing it yourself through a service like EIN Press Wire or King News Wire. This approach requires a time cost/benefit analysis. If you don’t have the time or skills, the savings in money may not be worth it.

Conclusion

Press releases can positively affect web traffic. The results are not guaranteed, and the process can be indirect and slow. However, it is a good practice to make press release writing and distribution part of your marketing mix. The investment is relatively low compared to the potential gains.

To learn more about Comms Factory’s press release writing and distribution services, visit https://commsfactory.net/product-category/press-release-distribution/

Photo by Markus Winkler: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-typewriter-with-white-paper-4106707/