Matt Cutts Puts Press Release Fans on Notice
Matt Cutts caused quite a stir recently after responding to a question in the Google Webmaster Help discussion forums regarding press releases.
"Note: I wouldn't expect links from press release web sites to benefit your rankings, however."
His single line response threw many for a curve. However, it shouldn't. This is right in line with what Matt has been saying for a while. The Panda update was meant to diminish the value of perceived content farms and as we covered, press release sites were hit hard.
Over the years the value of a press release has changed and it's just not effective if used as a tactic solely for link building as we noted in this article from June 2011. However, that doesn't mean press releases themselves are without benefit.
A primary reason you should use a press release is because you want to relay newsworthy, important information about your brand or business to a larger market. This is what they're intended for. They can help with reputation management by pushing bad information down in the search results. They also come with an added bonus — if a reporter reads your press release and in turn writes an article about your brand with links those links certainly hold value.
Don't get caught up in the hysteria. Press releases are still a viable part of a well-rounded marketing campaign, when you've got something to report. If link building is what you need, check out the resources below. They should give you some viable ideas for link building so that you can best focus your time and energy.
