Press releases are great for visibility, but don't rely on them if you're just chasing backlinks for your SEO.
Press releases can still be a valuable tool, but if your main goal is to build powerful backlinks, it’s important to know what they can and can’t do for your SEO.
First, what are press releases good for?
A press release is a short, official announcement shared with the media to highlight something newsworthy, like a product launch, major milestone, new hire, event, or award. They’re useful for:
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Getting media attention. Journalists and bloggers might write original stories or interviews based on your release (and those links can help your SEO).
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Reaching new audiences. If your story gets picked up, it may appear in search engines, news feeds, and niche sites.
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Establishing credibility. A well-written press release can boost your brand’s image and authority.
But what about backlinks?
When you distribute a press release through a newswire or syndication service, it gets republished on dozens (sometimes hundreds) of websites. But most of those links are nofollow, which means they don’t pass SEO authority to your site. On top of that, they’re usually identical copies of the original release, so Google doesn’t see them as unique, valuable content.
That means while you might see a quick spike in the number of backlinks, they’re not likely to move the needle in search rankings.
So should I do one?
Yes, if you have something genuinely newsworthy to share and you want exposure or media coverage, a press release can still play a role in your marketing. Just don’t rely on it as your main backlink-building strategy.
If your main goal is SEO and link-building, focus on:
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Creating helpful, unique content people naturally want to link to
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Publishing blog posts, guides, or tools for your audience
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Earning coverage in niche blogs, local news, or podcasts
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Using diib’s Authority Boost service to get dofollow backlinks from high-quality websites
TL;DR
Press releases are great for buzz and visibility, not for long-term SEO. Use them when the news is worth it, and build backlinks in smarter ways the rest of the time.
Want help growing your backlink profile the right way? Check out Authority Boost