Press releases and blog posts are white-hat SEO tactics for link building purposes. Not only should these articles be well-written, fresh, and original in content, but press releases and blog posts should be 100% error-free. This is because these SEO contents are also reflective of the business that publishes these articles. A poorly-written press release or blog post will turn off the readers, rendering all SEO campaigns useless in the end. To avoid mistakes when creating SEO content for press releases and blog posts, here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Have someone proofread the article for you. That person could be a friend with a good grasp of the English language or someone who works in the SEO industry to help you with the appropriate keywords that should also appear in the article. Hire a VA (Virtual Assistant) if you have a budget so you can also instruct him or her for publicity or PR tasks.
2. Once you’ve hired a VA or proofreader, ask that person to verify the contact details and links that appear on the press release. This involves calling the telephone numbers listed on the article and double-checking the links by typing them on a web browser to see if they are posted correctly. Doing this ensures you that anyone who reads the article will see the same information displayed and should they decide to reach your business or click on the links, will show them authenticity and proof that the business does exist.
3. Dates should be consistent throughout the entire article. This is especially important for press releases that plug events or promotions to avoid making readers confused. If the date says September 13th, 2011 on the summary, then that same date should appear all throughout the body and title of the press release.
4. Spellcheck is not foolproof. Spell check does not guarantee an error-free SEO blog post or press release. It only checks the spelling of the word and will ignore a correctly-spelled but grammatically-wrong one. Explore the options you have in MS Word and check both the Spelling and Grammar boxes so the software will take note of how a word is both spelled and written in the context of the sentence.
5. The Associated Press Stylebook is a good reference if you need to double-check the names of businesses, establishments, and government agencies. It also helps if you are confused with how groups should be abbreviated or capitalized.
A well-written press release and blog post can mean big bucks for your internet marketing campaign, if maximized to the fullest. Having a good grasp of the English language is a good start but these are other tips and tools that could help any SEO campaign be successful in the long.
