If your company makes frequent use of press releases, there is an important change you need to know about. Google’s recently released Panda 4.0 algorithm contains plenty of new safeguards to help prevent sites with poor quality content from making it into search engine results. Among the biggest losers after the update were sites that specialise in press releases. According to Search Engine Land, the well-known PR News site took the brunt of the hit from Panda 4.0.
PR News and other press release sites have responded by developing new guidelines for press release submissions. Make no mistake, the move is on to get rid of thin content disguised as press releases. Sites such as PR News need good search engine results to maintain their own viability; they aren’t about to let content producers ruin their rankings by allowing poorly constructed press releases to be published on their sites.
Here are some of the changes you can expect from your favourite press release site:
- Content – Press releases will now need to include content that is considered insightful, analytical, and original. PR sites will be looking for things such as research data and a writing style that is more reporting than promoting.
- PR Length – The length of the press release is now more important than ever. As the thinking goes, a genuine press release containing valuable information needs to be more than a couple of hundred words if it is to effectively do its job. Short, information-poor press releases are more likely to be illegitimate.
- PR Format – Those who use press releases simply as a cheap marketing tool tend to use pre-formatted templates. As a result, PR sites are now going to start looking for varied formats among those who submit on a regular basis. Changing up the format demonstrates writers are actually putting some effort into their releases.
- Keywords and Links – Press release reviewers will be studying submissions for excessive keywords and links. Overuse of either is likely to result in rejection fairly quickly.
Search Engine Land says PR News will be going through older press releases and applying new standards to them. Whether or not other press release sites follow suit remains to be seen. Nevertheless, moving forward, press releases will have to meet new guidelines in order to be accepted.
Press Releases for Marketing
Regular press release customers of Connotations are aware that we believe in the power of the press release for online marketing purposes. Having said that, we also believe that the quality of a press release makes all the difference in the world. The new guidelines being issued by press release sites are things we have been practising all along. That is one of the reasons our professional press release writing service has proved effective over the years.
You might consider a high-quality press release if your company is undergoing any changes you believe are important for your customer base to know about. Common topics for press releases include things like management changes, upcoming events, new locations, changes in pricing structure, and the introduction of new products and services. Press releases should not be used to talk about sales, promotions or other topics that would be considered general marketing.
Please contact us if you have any questions about including press releases as part of your online marketing plan. If a press release or two is appropriate for your business, Connotations can provide high quality content to your exact specifications.