Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of editing the content and design of a website in an effort to rank well for specific keyword phrases. SEO has been implemented by many companies to increase their online footprint, traffic and profit.

This same theory of optimizing sites to be search engine friendly is now being applied to press releases. By optimizing a press release through use of anchor text (linked keywords) relevant to your business, you can increase visibility and awareness for your products and services.

For any press release to be successful, whether submitting it online or in print, there is one important thing to remember if all others are forgotten – make sure it’s newsworthy. Ask yourself “would anyone be interested in reading the release outside of this company?” There is nothing worse than reading a press release written solely to promote a company and lacking real newsworthy substance.

Once the release is deemed worthy, it’s time to select keywords to place within the text.

For example, let’s say you’re a small business that does search engine marketing in Atlanta, GA and you just closed a deal with a huge company to boost their site rankings. The keyword phrases you should target are the keywords you want to be found for in the top search engines, like “Atlanta search engine marketing.” You need these keyword phrases to say exactly what your business is about in three or four words.

Now, you’ve decided what your keyword phrases are, so all you have to do is stick them in your release right?

Wrong. There is a method to this madness. For example, Google has spiders that crawl websites for keyword information beginning at the top of a page. This same tactic should be applied for press release optimization. Put your most relevant keywords at the top (even in the title), but be sure the most important ones come first. You should place these keywords in the release multiple times, but be sure not to overdo it, as the content will suffer.

Check over the release and read it to make sure it’s human friendly. Remember, search engine spiders crawl it for keywords but the release was originally intended for people.

There are several release submission sites, some are free, others are not. Often times, paid press release submission sites will give you a higher ranking within their site depending on the amount of money you spend per release, along with other perks. Some sites are better than others but here is a list compiled by Lee Odden’s TopRank Blog:

* http://www.prweb.com
* http://www.prleap.com
* http://i-newswire.com
* http://www.webwire.com
* http://www.pressbox.co.uk
* http://www.24-7pressrelease.com
* http://www.clickpress.com
* http://www.przoom.com
* http://www.pr.com
* http://www.marketwire.com
* http://www.prnewswire.com
* http://www.businesswire.com

So, choose one or all of them, just be aware of possible duplication. These submission sites will submit your release to numerous other sites that may post it, adding links to each piece you send out.

If the release gets picked up by a reputable company, say the AP or Reuters, you will achieve high quality links, equaling higher organic ranking for your target keyword phrase in search engines.

Since the press release will be ranked highly for the specific keyword, “Atlanta search engine marketing” in this instance, it will increase the visibility of your website and maximize your return on investment in online marketing.

For a little more information about online press releases, BusinessWire has a great list of 10 (well, nine if you don’t count the plug for their services) ideas on writing a press release for humans and spiders. When trying to write a release on your own, remember not to over-optimize and keep it newsworthy.