| Online press releases are one of the most | | | | someone use to find your business when using |
| inexpensive and highly effective marketing | | | | Google? Experiment to see which words are |
| methods for a small business owner. Yet, many | | | | most popular. When you type in a phrase in the |
| people think only "big businesses" use press | | | | Google search feature, it now lists the number of |
| releases. Wrong. | | | | times that particular phrase has been searched in |
| The Internet gives a small business's website the | | | | the last 30 days. This is a new free service being |
| same visibility as a large corporation's website and | | | | offered by Google; use it to your advantage. |
| online press releases work the same way. Once | | | | 3. Vary keyword placement. Don't get so carried |
| an online press release is distributed, it's out there | | | | away with your keyword phrase that it shows up |
| in cyberspace generating hits and driving traffic to | | | | in every other sentence of the press release. |
| your website for years to come. Just last week I | | | | Have a reasonable balance in your writing so that |
| received an e-mail from someone who read a | | | | the keyword placement is invisible to the reader. |
| press release I wrote two years ago! | | | | Include the keyword phrase in the first sentence |
| Unlike an offline press release that is distributed | | | | and then two or three more times throughout |
| directed to journalists at newspapers and other | | | | the press release |
| media outlets, the online press release is | | | | 4. Use eye catching headlines. Make sure to |
| "evergreen," it never goes away. A simple | | | | include the keyword phrase in your headline and |
| keyword search could turn up your press release | | | | at the same time, make the headline interesting. |
| years later. Compare this to the offline press | | | | Write the headline after you have completed your |
| release that may or not be used by the | | | | press release and it should easily come to you. |
| journalists and then is trashed, never to be seen | | | | 5. Use anchor text. Although it will cost you more |
| again. | | | | to place a press release with anchor text, it is well |
| An online press release also has a worldwide | | | | worth the money. Anchor text is the hyperlinked |
| distribution to thousands of media outlets. Popular | | | | words on a Web page that you click on to take |
| newswire service PRWeb.com, e-mails "press | | | | you to another location within the website or to |
| releases to between 60,000 and 100,000 global | | | | another website. Search engines love anchor text |
| contacts points including journalists, analysts, | | | | because it tells them what the page is about. It's |
| freelance writers, media outlets and newsrooms." | | | | a great way to boost your ranking with the |
| Along with its large distribution and staying power, | | | | search engines, especially Google. |
| an online press release can be even more | | | | Consider using search engine optimized press |
| effective in driving traffic to a website if it is | | | | releases to publicize your business and drive |
| search engine optimized. Here are five tips on | | | | traffic to your website. It's simple to get started |
| how to create a more powerful online press | | | | and hugely rewarding. One of my clients had over |
| release: | | | | 1,400 media outlets pick-up his press release |
| 1. Have a newsworthy angle. A press release is | | | | within two weeks after I wrote it. A keyword |
| not a sales pitch. Provide the media with | | | | search found the press release as top ranked on |
| information that answers the questions of "who, | | | | both Google and Yahoo. Needless to say, we are |
| what, where, why and when." Make it interesting | | | | going to continue with monthly search engine |
| by telling a story that engages the reader | | | | optimized press releases. |
| 2. Choose the right keywords. What words would | | | | |