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