By now, you probably already know about the SEO benefits of press release distribution. Placing links in your press release that point back to your website can be helpful in boosting your search engine rankings (even though it shouldn’t be the only link building tactic you use).
However, that doesn’t mean you should stuff your press releases with tons of links back to your website. In fact, putting too many links in your press releases can actually do more harm than good. Here’s why:
- It doesn’t look natural — If you have links in every other sentence of your press release, it just looks weird. In fact, it looks like your main reason for writing the press release isn’t to share news but rather to build links back to your site for SEO purposes and/or to drive traffic to your website. Focus on telling good stories and include links when and where it makes sense to do so.
- The search engines could take notice — Google is always looking for ways to improve the quality of their search results and to punish those who are trying to artificially influence the search rankings through abusive tactics. Stuffing your press releases with too many links is unnatural and could be viewed as a SPAM tactic by the search engines. This could actually harm your site’s search rankings rather than help them.
- It’s overwhelming to readers — When you give people too many options, they often end up doing nothing at all. That’s what’s called Choice Paralysis or Option Paralysis. The same thing can happen when you overload your press releases with links. If you’re asking readers to visit a bunch of different pages, they might end up feeling overwhelmed and not click on any of the links as a result.
So, I know what you’re thinking. How many links should you include in a press release?
In general, I think 2-3 links is a reasonable amount to include in the average press release. However, rather than focusing on the number of links you want to put in a press release, I suggest you think about the purpose behind each link you put in. Will that link help the reader further their knowledge on the topic and enhance the overall experience? Or are you just including the link for SEO purposes?
What approach do you take when including links in press releases? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/beginners-guide-writing-powerful-press-releases/