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© 2007 Marketwire What is Search Engine Optimization? Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a press release or website via improved organic search results. Good SEO helps interested consumers, industry analysts, investors, and members of the media find your news, your company website, and your products more easily.
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© 2007 Marketwire
Presented By:Darin WolterMarketwire
SEO for Corporate NewsSEARCH
© 2007 Marketwire
“The internet is shaping perceptions of companies…”- Chris Copeland, Senior Partner & Managing Director, Outrider SEO (As quoted in PR Week, 2007)
“Companies must optimize key elements, including title tags, headlines, and lead paragraphs on each page”- Greg Jarboe, President of SEO-PR (As quoted in PR Week, 2007)
“If you build it, they will come”- Terence “Terry” Mann, Field of Dreams, 1989
© 2007 Marketwire
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a press release or website via improved organic
search results.
Good SEO helps interested consumers, industry analysts, investors, andmembers of the media find your news, your
company website, and your products more easily.
© 2007 Marketwire
People Around the World are Using Search Engines More than Ever…
0
50,000,000
100,000,000
150,000,000
200,000,000
250,000,000
300,000,000
Unique Monthly Searchers
North AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East / Africa
SOURCE: ComScore, August 2007
© 2007 Marketwire
Which Search Engines Are People Using Most?
43.30%28.80%12.80%5.90%5.40%3.40%
OTHERS
SOURCE: ComScore for SearchEngineWatch.com, July 2006
© 2007 Marketwire
Search Trends Among Consumers
- 87% of internet researchers use search engines as their primary means of finding websites. (SOURCE: Market Sentinel and Weboptimiser “Search is Brand, 2005)
- 90% of searchers select a website within the first THREE PAGES of search results. (SOURCE: iprospect Search Engine User Behavior Study. April, 2006)
- 92% of the online population visits a search engine, portal or community site every month. (SOURCE: Nielsen/NetRatings)
-Top search engine rankings can generate up to 900% more traffic to a site, potentially increasing exposure up to 80%.
- 93% of Internet surfers look for company information through search.
- 80% use search to make purchases on the Web.
© 2007 Marketwire
Search Trends Among the Media
- 98% of journalists go online every day
- 76% of journalists search for sources/experts
- 73% of journalists search for press releases
SOURCE: A joint survey: Middleberg/Ross and the Pew Internet &
American Life Project
© 2007 Marketwire
Remember:
A press release should be thought of as just another corporate webpage. It must be written with the media in mind, but also the search engines.
© 2007 Marketwire
Search Engines Look for Relevant Organic Results
Organic Results
“Organic” results are those that are generated based on a
search engine’s algorithm. All other results, such as those listed under “Sponsored Links”, are considered paid search
results.
© 2007 Marketwire
What are Search Algorithms?
Search engine algorithms are sets of rules thateach search engine (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Etc.) follows to sort through millions of web
pages and find organic results that are relevant to the search keyword.
Every search engine has its own unique formula of rules.
SOURCE: Search Engine Watch, March 2007
© 2007 Marketwire
Among the top search engines, what are some of the most important “rules”?
1) Keyword location and frequency 2) Relevance of a page’s meta-description tags3) Relevance of a page’s meta-keyword tags4) Relevance of a page’s title tags5) Quantity and source of backward links to a page6) The actual text of the backward links
Each search engine weighs the importance of these rules differently
SOURCE: Search Engine Watch, March 2007
© 2007 Marketwire
Rule 1: Location and Frequency of the Keyword
Search engines will check to see if the search keywords appear near the top of a web
page, such as in the headline or in the first few paragraphs of text.
A search engine will also analyze how frequent search keywords appear in relation to other
words in a web page.
© 2007 Marketwire
Consider location and frequency of the keyword “Intersil” when looking at a press release:
“Intersil” is located at the
top of the page, one of the first words used.
“Intersil” is also one of the most frequent words
on this page, mentioned 13
times!
© 2007 Marketwire
Consider location and frequency of another keyword, “Multiplexer” when looking this press release:
“Multiplexer” is located in the headline and
throughout the body
“Multiplexer” is also one of the most frequent words on this
page
© 2007 Marketwire
Rule 2: Relevance of the meta-description tags
Search engines will also look for relevant metadescription tags; which should be a brief and
concise summary of your page’s content.
Meta description tags can be found in the HTML source code.
© 2007 Marketwire
Consider meta-description tags when looking at the HTML source code of the Intersil press release:
Almost the entire first paragraph of this press release is found in the meta-description tag.
© 2007 Marketwire
Rule 3: Relevance of the meta-keyword tags
Search engines will also look for relevant metakeyword tags; which should be a list of
important keywords on the webpage.
Meta keyword tags can also be found in the HTML source code.
© 2007 Marketwire
Consider meta-keyword tags when looking at the HTML source code of the Intersil press release:
Specific keywords such as “multiplexer” and “DC-restore” are included in the meta-
keyword tags
© 2007 Marketwire
Rule 4: Relevance of the “title tags”
Search engines will also look for relevant keywords in the title tags of a press release
or webpage; which should be a list of important keywords on the page.
Title tags can be found in the top margin of a page and in the HTML source code.
© 2007 Marketwire
Consider “title tags” when looking at the top margin of this press release:
Keywords including
“Intersil” and “Multiplexers”
are found in the title tags.
© 2007 Marketwire
Here’s another view of the title tags in the HTML source code:
The client must take steps to SEO their website.
Marketwire
© 2007 Marketwire
Rule 5: Quantity and Source of Backward Links
“Backward links” are links from other websites pointing directly to your press release
or website. The more you have, the more Search Engine Optimized your page will be.
In addition to the quantity, the sources of those backward links are also weighed by
search engines.
© 2007 Marketwire
We’ve looked at Intersil’s press release, now let’s look at a product
info page on their website…
© 2007 Marketwire
This is Intersil’s “Power Management” page:
Note the URL of this page:
www.intersil.com/power
© 2007 Marketwire
Search engine algorithms look to see how many other reputable web pages have a “backward link” to this page…
© 2007 Marketwire
The Intersil press release on the wire’s website has 1 backward link embedded behind the term
“power management”:
© 2007 Marketwire
The same Intersil press release on Yahoo! Finance also has this link embedded behind the term
“power management”:
© 2007 Marketwire
We see the same thing on other major news websites such as CNN Money…
© 2007 Marketwire
…And on MSN Money:
© 2007 Marketwire
This is just a sample of reputable websites with a backward link to
www.intersil.com/power
Now let’s look at the 6th major rule of Search Engine algorithms…
© 2007 Marketwire
Rule 6: Anchor Text (the actual text of the backward links)
Search engine algorithms not only look for a high quantity of backward links from
reputable 3rd party websites, but also the text within the backward link…
Remember, the text “Power Management” was linked to www.intersil.com/power on several
different 3rd party websites.
© 2007 Marketwire
© 2007 Marketwire
When we think back to all 6 rules, Intersil’s website and press
releases should be very Search Engine Optimized
for keyword searches.
Let’s test it…
© 2007 Marketwire
A search for keywords such as “Intersil” and “Multiplexer” return the following
organic results:
The “Multiplexer” product page on
Intersil.com
Intersil’s recent “Multiplexer”
product announcement on Marketwire.com
© 2007 Marketwire
And a search for “Power Management” brings us the following organic results:
Intersil’s “Power
Management” product page
© 2007 Marketwire
1) Identify 5-10 keywords/phrases that describe your company’s products or services.
• Relevance is king
• Average search is 2.5 words
2) Use your wire, or another tool to identify which of those terms are most popular now; look for terms that you can “own”.• Google’s Adwords tool. (Free) (
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal?defaultView=2)
• Overture (Now Yahoo! Search Marketing). (Free)• www.keyworkdiscovery.com (free and paid)
• Co-workers might already know, or have the tools internally to help you.
Six tips to consider when writing your press release
© 2007 Marketwire
Six tips to consider when writing your press release continued…3) Using those same keywords, work with your internal web team to
search engine optimize relevant product pages on your website; follow the “rules” outlined in this presentation.
(This is something PR should own!)
4) Include your company name and relevant keywords in the headline and first paragraph of every press release, this will help build strong keyword relevance in the search engines.
5) Develop a “backward linking” program. Include your corporate URL(S) on all press releases and make sure hyperlinks are maintained on credible downstream websites.
6) Use “Anchor Text” to connect your relevant keywords and phrases back to those specific pages on your corporate website.
© 2007 Marketwire
For years, search engines have helped people find text-based web content. Today, millions more are using search engines to find photos, audio files, videos, and other multimedia content.
As the internet becomes more catalogued and compartmentalized, so do search engines.
Today’s search engine optimized website or press release should follow all of the standard protocols for text SEO, but can gain further visibility by incorporating more images, videos and social media elements. Doing so can make a press release or company more search optimized in Google, Yahoo!, etc., but also in many of the “compartmentalized” search engines:
Video Search
iTunes Audio / Podcast Search
Image Search
It’s not just about Text!
