Press Release Tip 71

Use a minimum of links

Links take people where you want them to go. You can link to things like:

• Your bio
• Product pages at your website
• Free articles or blog posts
• A report from which you’re quoting
• Any other website that includes information that’s too long or in-depth to include in the press release
• Photos and graphics
• Audio or video

Include about one link for every 150 words in your press release. A 500-word release with three or four links looks natural. Also, be sure every link opens in a new window so your readers are able to return to the press release and continue reading each time they click on a link.

Google and other search engines pay close attention to links in press releases. Too many can cause your release to be flagged as spam, and that means it might be buried in search results.

This is an important lesson in this series because several years ago, Google changed the rules on using links. 

Google once considered inbound links to your website one of the most powerful factors in determining the “importance” of your site and where on the list of search results it will appear when someone does a search. The more links back to your own website from other reputable websites, the better. 

Google has since placed less importance on inbound links and more importance on quality content within your site. The company also said that it now ignores most links within press releases because it knows that companies write press releases and link back to their websites in hopes of getting more Google juice. Use links to help readers find what they need, not to try to game the system.

***Note: Not all the sample releases in this course follow the rules of minimum links. That’s because some of them were written before Google cracked down on many links within releases.

Opportunity #71 to write a press release: Scholarships

Donating money for a scholarship? Did you win a scholarship? Or is your college or university giving one? If so, write a press release. Scholarships are often routine news at colleges and universities. But there are lots of ways for schools to really grab the headlines. Learn what they are in “Special Report #15: Publicity Tips for Schools, Colleges & Universities.”

Next: Use quality links that readers find useful.