There’s a common belief that press releases are dead for SEO. That belief traces back to 2013, when Google announced they would treat links in press releases as paid links. Most businesses took that as the end of the story. But they missed the real value of press releases for local SEO.
In this case study, we’ll show there is still a lot of power in press releases, if you know how to use them correctly.
What Changed in 2013?
In July 2013, Google announced they would consider links in press releases as “paid links” and encouraged distribution services to use “nofollow” links in the releases. This change made sense since businesses were paying press release distribution sites in order to get high-quality links to their websites.
Google does not count paid links or nofollow links in their ranking algorithm. Those types of links are ignored. That means all of the links you get from a press release do not directly improve your search engine rankings.
Hence, the resounding cry that press releases were dead for SEO.
While it’s true the links do not directly improve your rankings, there is another powerful SEO benefit of press releases.
The Key Benefit Is Citations
A citation is a mention of your NAP (business Name, Address, and Phone number) on another website. For example, if your business is listed in Yelp, then your profile on Yelp is a citation because it lists your NAP.
When drafting a press release, if you include your business NAP in the byline of the release, then when your release is published across the internet, each published page is a new citation for your business.
That means you could issue one press release and within a day or two have dozens or even hundreds of new citations.
That sounds great, but why are citations important?
Citations Are Critical for Local Rankings
One of the biggest factors in ranking high in the local “map” results is the quantity and quality of your citations. Sure, you can create accounts on business directories and build up a nice foundation of citations, but so can your competitors.
To gain a competitive advantage, you can use press releases to build citation volume faster than your competitors can match. To prove this works, let’s look at a case study.
How Our Client Jumped from #20 to #1
One of our dentist clients was stuck around #20 in the local “map” results.
We had already completed our website tune-up and set up all the relevant business directories, but the rankings would not improve beyond #20 for his top priority keyword, “Savannah dentist.” At this point we knew we had to take it to the next level to overtake the competitors ranking on the first page of Google.
Here’s what we did.
Over a 4-month period, we issued 4 press releases for our client. In the press releases we included links to our client’s website, but as you know those links were nofollow so they did not directly help for SEO. The power was in the citations, or the mentions of our client’s business name, address, and phone number.
As more and more websites published the press releases, our client began to jump up in the Google local rankings. Eventually he was #1 on the first page of Google in the local results for his primary keyword.
As you can see from the screenshot above, the citations helped our client rank in the local “map” results on the first page of Google. When Google determines the searcher is looking for a local business, Google displays a map with local businesses listed below.
The Bigger Picture
Citations are one of several important factors for local rankings, alongside your Google Business Profile optimization, reviews, and on-page SEO. But for businesses that have already taken care of the basics and need a competitive edge, press releases remain an effective way to build citation volume quickly.
To rank high in local search results, you need citations. And press releases are one of the most efficient ways to build them at scale. For a complete overview of how local SEO works, read our beginner’s guide to local SEO.
Frequently Asked Questions About Press Releases for Local SEO
Q: What’s the difference between a citation and a backlink?
A backlink is a clickable hyperlink from another website to yours. A citation is simply a mention of your business Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) on another website, whether or not it includes a link. Both matter for SEO, but they work differently. Backlinks help your overall domain authority. Citations specifically help your local search rankings by confirming to Google that your business exists at the address you claim. Press releases are powerful for citations because each published version of the release creates a new NAP mention across dozens of sites.
Q: What should I include in a press release to get the most SEO value?
Start with your brand name in the headline, which is standard for press releases anyway. If you can work a relevant keyword phrase into the headline alongside your brand name, the release itself can rank in Google and Google News for those searches. In the body, include a hyperlink to your website (a simple URL or branded link is fine, no need to get aggressive with keyword-rich anchor text). And in the byline or boilerplate section at the bottom, include your full business Name, Address, and Phone number. A lot of businesses forget to include the complete NAP, and that’s the whole reason press releases are valuable for local SEO in the first place.
Q: Are press releases enough on their own to improve local rankings?
No. Press releases are a helpful add-on, not a substitute for the fundamentals. Before investing in press releases, make sure your Google Business Profile is fully optimized, your primary citation profiles (Yelp, Better Business Bureau, industry directories) are claimed and accurate, and you’re using a service like BrightLocal or Yext to distribute your NAP to data aggregators and additional citation sources. Reviews matter too. Press releases become most effective once those basics are already in place, which is exactly what happened in this case study. We had already completed the website tune-up and directory setup before turning to press releases for the competitive edge.
Q: Which press release distribution service do you recommend?
We primarily use PRNewswire, which has strong distribution across major news outlets and online publications. It’s not cheap, but the breadth of distribution is worth it for the citation volume you get from a single release. Some businesses also use EIN Presswire, which is more affordable, but in our experience the distribution network isn’t as strong. PRWeb (also owned by Cision, same parent company as PRNewswire) is another option, though PRNewswire tends to be our go-to.
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