Google Algorithm Changes Reward Best Practice SEO and Pay Off for Press Release Visibility

March 15, 2011
Matt Albers, Director of Web Services

by Matt Albers, Director of Software Engineering, Web Services

In an effort to find more high quality sites for its many users, during the week of Feb. 24th, Google rolled out their Panda update (aka Farmer).

This update was said to touch nearly 12 percent of all Google search results in an attempt to weed out or de-value content farms and “low quality” sites.  Wired.com offers more in depth coverage with Google engineers Matt Cutts and Amit Singhal weighing in on specifics about the change.  If you’re an engineer like me, you’d already heard complaints in the tech sector for a while now.

So how did this change affect the visibility of your press releases?  We’re glad you asked, because in the case of Business Wire, we’ve noticed a positive change.  That’s correct: since Google tweaked their indexing algorithm, Business Wire has seen an increase in traffic, and higher rankings for our client’s press releases.

Meanwhile, according to Sistrix, a German search research company, our competitors have not fared as well, some losing nearly 70% of their keyword rankings.  In addition, our rival says they lost 20% in traffic, showing a Hitwise graph of search clicks.  But look closely and you’ll see the only site on that graph trending UP is Business Wire.  Yes, quality rises to the top.

We don’t know specifically why some press release services were dinged.  We can only confirm that Business Wire was not affected negatively by the Panda update based on our analytics analysis.  Why the difference?  I suspect it’s because we’ve been following “best practice”, “white hat” SEO for years.

Business Wire has been known for excellence and customer service for 50 years now, and we have deliberately avoided SEO gaming, allowing our highly vetted content to speak for itself.  As an engineer and Director of Web Services, you can bet I place a high value on technology, but good decisions and people behind them are what really make a difference in the quality our clients enjoy at Business Wire.  It turns out taking the high road and considering long term over short term success results in excellent SEO outcomes for us and our clients.

2 Comments | All Things Press Release, Business Wire Events, Engineering, Press Release Optimization, seo | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

Friday Fast Links

February 25, 2011


 

1 Comment | Business Wire, Press Release Optimization, Press Release Tips, search, seo, social media | Permalink
Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

PR Peeps Poll: Generating Clips Still Most Important in Measuring Press Release Success

February 22, 2011
by Monika Maeckle, Vice President New Media 

Our first PR Peeps Poll for 2011 suggests that while generating clips is still the number one marker for  press release success, general branding/visibility and traffic-driving capabilities of the press release come in not far behind. 

Of  280 PR Peeps polled, 88 said the most important measure of press release success was generating earned media and clips.   Branding and general awareness-raising came in second with 79 votes, while driving traffic to websites came in third with 73.   Getting link clicks only garnered 20 votes, the same amount as “other.”

In comments attached to the survey, PR pros chimed in with their own ideas on what constitutes press release success. ”Getting the phone to ring!”  “developing direct business leads,” and ”a smiling client when they see the ROI,” were among the remarks.   We couldn’t agree more with this comment from one PR Peep:  “…distributing a release is only one step in a five- or six-step process (including follow-up pitching, an engaging photo, etc.)” 

The poll was conducted in January and February  through Twitter, Facebook, email and Business Wire’s webinars.   Details below:

What’s most important in measuring press release success?

73, or 26%–Driving traffic to our website

20, or 7%–Getting link clicks

88, or 32%–Generating earned media/clips

79, or 28%–General branding/awareness

20, or 7%   — Other

To those who participated, thanks for taking the PR Peeps Poll.  Now we need your help on our February survey: How Good Are Your Headline Habits?

Thanks for the help.

280 respondents via Twitter, email, Facebook and Business Wire webinar polls. Poll conducted  January 3 – February 18, 2011.

Leave a Comment » | All Things Press Release, Business Wire, Business Wire Polls, Measurement, Polls, PR Peeps Polls | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

PR Peeps Poll: Twitter the Favored Social Media Tool, Facebook Not Far Behind

January 5, 2011
by Monika Maeckle, Vice President New Media
PR Peeps let us know their favorite social media tool in December.  The winner?   Twitter.
A full third of 277 PR Peeps polled chose Twitter as their social media tool of choice in 2010, followed closely by Facebook, with 29% of the vote.   The results amplify a similar poll we conducted in November of 2009, in which more than 41% said they tweet but don’t blog.

No doubt the commitment required from running a company blog has many PR folks turning to link sharing of existing content on social networking sites.  Even hardcore investor relations officers we’ve consulted say they prefer Twitter over a company blog because they don’t have to commit to churning out time-consuming blog posts.

The poll was conducted in November and December  through Twitter, Facebook, email and Business Wire’s webinars.   Details below:

What is your company’s preferred form of social media outreach?

33, or 11%–Company blog

81, or 29%–Facebook

91, or 33%–Twitter

22, or 8%–LinkedIn

13, or 5%   — Other

39, or 14% — We do none of the above

To those who participated, thanks for taking the PR Peeps Poll.   Our January poll needs your input.  What’s most important in measuring press release success?

Thanks for the help.

277 respondents via Twitter, email and Business Wire webinar polls. Poll conducted  November 3 – December 31, 2010.

10 Comments | All Things Press Release, Business Wire, Business Wire Polls, Polls, PR Peeps Polls | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

Upcoming Event: Best Practices for Online Press Releases

January 3, 2011

Upcoming Business Wire Events

Start the new year right — sign up for our upcoming webinar, “A Successful Online Press Release: From Start to Finish.”

Join Market Motive Online PR Professor Greg Jarboe and Business Wire Product Manager Joseph Miller to learn cutting-edge practices for the modern optimized press release. This workshop will cover current best practices of the online PR process: creation, distribution, and measurement. You’ll learn headline creation techniques, SEO, strategy, and multimedia best practices. Then you’ll be shown step-by step wire distribution processes and timing, and finally explore how you can measure success of your online PR campaigns. Online press releases are a powerful and often-misunderstood marketing channel for getting the word out and the links in. Join us on January 11th to learn more and keep your skills up to date.

The hourlong webinar will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 11am ET/8am PT. Go here to register.

For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/business-wire-events.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents

2 Comments | Business Wire Events, EON: Enhanced Online News, Press Release Optimization, Press Release Tips, Webinars | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

PR Peeps Poll: 43 Percent Cite Driving Traffic as Primary Objective in Optimizing Press Releases

November 3, 2010

by Monika Maeckle, Vice President New Media

When it comes to optimizing press releases for search engines, most PR Peeps do it to drive traffic to their websites, the October PR Peeps Poll found.  Of 240 polled, 103–that is, 43%–cited driving traffic as their primary goal in applying search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to their press releases.

Standard SEO techniques for press releases include working keywords into the headline and lead, providing deep links to your web site, adding multimedia such as logos, photos, or video, and keeping the headline under 70 characters so it is most likely to be indexed by Google news.

The poll results are not surprising given that the objective of most press releases is to tell the story of the issuer.  One of the best ways to do that is to lure people to your website so they can hear your organization’s story in your organization’s words–full text, unedited, unfiltered by journalists, bloggers or others.

The second most common reason cited for optimizing press release for search engines was to “influence Google search engine results” with 69 votes, or 29%.   Shortly behind was “manage reputation” with 36 votes, or 15%, followed by 25 respondents who don’t optimize their press releases for search engines (10%) and 7 respondents pegging “generate link clicks” as their main objective in applying SEO tactics to press releases.

The poll was conducted throughout the month of October through Twitter, Facebook, email and Business Wire’s webinars.   Details below:

What is your primary objective in optimizing your press release for search engines?

103, or 43%–Drive traffic to our website

69, or 29%–Influence Google search engine results

36, or 15%–Manage our brand and reputation

25, or 10%–I don’t optimize my press releases for search engines

7, or 3%   —  Generate link clicks

To those who participated, thanks for taking the PR Peeps Poll.   How about helping us with the next one?  The November poll launches today.   What is your company’s preferred form of social media outreach?

Thanks for the help.

240 respondents via Twitter, email and Business Wire webinar polls. Poll conducted  October 1 – 31, 2010.

2 Comments | All Things Press Release, Business Wire, Business Wire Polls, Polls, PR Peeps Polls, seo, social media, Social Media Release | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

Short rules: Most Press Release Headlines too Long for Google News

October 26, 2010

When it comes to press release headlines, short is better, a research brief by Schwartz Communications found recently.  

Most SEO specialists suggest headline lengths of 65-70 characters in order to pass muster for inclusion in Google News.  Yet 77% of  16,000 Business Wire press releases reviewed by Schwartz exceeded that recommendation.   Here’s how headline character counts broke down:

23% were 65-70 characters: IDEAL

24.3%  70-100 characters

24.8% 101-150 characters

15.1% 151-200 characters

10.8% 201-300 characters

2% 300+ characters 65

In a “headline showdown,” Schwartz reviewed datelines to determine which cities hosted the SEO savviest press release headline writers. “Based on our analysis, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia produce the highest percentage of news releases that are under the 66 character limit,” the report found.

Schwartz also took a look at buzzwords in headlines and found that 86% of news release headlines are buzzword free.

You can download the report on the Schwartz website.

10 Comments | All Things Press Release, Press Release Optimization, Press Release Tips, Public Relations, seo | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

PR Peeps Poll: Almost 70% Tweet the Links to Press Releases

September 3, 2010

by Monika Maeckle, Vice President New Media

The August PR Peeps Poll results are in and  68% of those polled said that yes, they DO tweet the links to their press releases.

We’re not surprised, since the same trend is reflected in the Newstrak reports we provide to our clients with every Business Wire press release distribution.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for Twitter to outperform Google in referrals of traffic to press release landing pages in certain kinds of press releases.

What’s equally interesting are the expectations listed for those who do and don’t tweet their press release links.    Far and away, the most common expectation is “more readers and exposure for the press release”–which received 134 votes.  Gaining the attention of journalists on Twitter  was the second most popular reason for tweeting news release links with 69 votes, followed by the need to be present rather than absent on Twitter scoring 49.   Adding Twitter followers counted 46 votes, while 28 respondents said, “I don’t expect much, but it can’t hurt.

Of the 70 out of 221 who said they don’t tweet their press release links, we encourage you to get busy.  It can pay off.  The main reason folks don’t?  ”I’m not authorized.”

Complete PR Peeps Poll details follow.

Do you tweet the links to your press release?

Yes–151, or 68%

No–70, or 32%

If yes, what are your expectations?  You can check more than one:

134–Add more Twitter followers

46–Add followers to my Twitter feed

69–Gain attention of journalists on Twitter

49–Be present rather than absent in the Twitterverse

22–I don’t expect much, but it can’t hurt.

If no, why not?

19–I’m not on Twitter

14–I don’t see the point

20–I’m not authorized

37–Other

To all those who participated, thanks for taking the PR Peeps Poll.  Please partake in our new IR Pros Poll, which launches this month: Which new media tools does your company utilize in its investor relations efforts?

221 respondents via Twitter, email and Business Wire webinar polls. Poll conducted August 2 – September 1, 2010.

2 Comments | All Things Press Release, Business Wire, Business Wire Polls, new media, Polls, PR Peeps Polls | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

Tuesday Mornings the Best Time to Send a Press Release According to PR Peeps Poll

August 4, 2010

 

by Monika Maeckle, Vice President New Media

 

Tuesday mornings are the best time to send a press release, according to 215 professional communicators surveyed in our latest PR Peeps poll.   The data reinforces our longstanding advice on the topic.  For decades we’ve told  clients that the best time to send  a press release  is “early in the day, early in the week.” 

Of course the general disclaimer “It depends” applies here, as the timing of  any press release is subject to the nature of the news, goals of that release, the news of the day, and other variables.   That said, we’ll resist the urge to say “I told you so,” and enjoy the fleeting affirmation of having PR Peeps confirm our sage advice. 

This poll was  a challenge to analyze, as it was the first time we asked an open-ended question.  (Note to self:  in the future, ask only multiple choice questions. ) In retrospect, we could have done a better job framing the survey, as responses ranged from time of day, to day of week, to general musings such as “when you have news to announce” or “you’re the experts–you tell us!”

That said, the single most common answer, with 135 votes, was “mornings” or a variation thereof, such as “before noon” or “before 10 AM.”   The second biggest vote getter, with 71 votes, was Tuesdays or a variation, such as “Tues. – Thursday.”

Below are the details, as best we can present them.

When’s the Best Time to Send a Press Release?

Tuesdays–71, or 53%

Mondays –16, or 7 %

Mornings–135, or 63%

10 AM–17, or 8%

As mentioned above, the numbers don’t add up to 215, since many people answered with multiple recommendations such as “about 10 AM, Mon – Thursday” while others answered in unique and difficult-to-quantify ways.    The numbers above are our best reflection of the data. We apologize for the lack of scientific approach here–any market researchers who want to pile on with advice, please email me at monika.maeckle@businesswire.com.

To those who participated, thank you–-and how about helping with our next PR Peeps Poll:  Do You Tweet the Links to Your Press Release?  This poll is back to multiple choice. 

215 respondents via Twitter and Business Wire webinar polls. Poll conducted July 6 – August 2, 2010

11 Comments | All Things Press Release, Business Wire, Business Wire Polls, Polls, Press Release Tips | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

White Paper on The State of the Press Release Offers Tips for Maximizing their Success

July 13, 2010

 

by Monika Maeckle, Vice President, New Media

As  a company that makes its living from press releases, we don’t pretend to be objective about their relevance and importance.  That said, we are REALLY TIRED of inflammatory and inaccurate headlines pronouncing the press release dead.   To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of (its) death have been greatly exaggerated.

We’re not alone in our view that the press release is alive and well.  And the data backs us up.

Here’s some facts from our recent white paper on the subject:

  • Just at Business Wire, we issue an average 1,000 press releases each work day (not that many on Saturdays and Sundays).
  • One study suggests 1.7 BILLION press releases are sent out via email each year.  That doesn’t include the millions sent on paid and unpaid services like Business Wire.
  • A decade ago, a press release would sit at the altar of journalists, hoping to be “picked up,” rewritten and published.  Today, it’s likely to skip gatekeepers altogether and jump straight to the screens of consumers. 
  • A recent survey suggested 92% of journalists get their ideas from press releases.

For more info and insights on the State of the Press Release, and tips on how to maximize their success, please check out our White Paper:  The State of the Press Release.   We invite you back here to share your comments. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Leave a Comment » | All Things Press Release, Business Wire, new media, Press Release Optimization, Press Release Tips, Public Relations, Publicity, seo, social media, Social Media Release | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Monika Maeckle

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