What are the best practices for SEO in a press release?

Relevant keywords can help PR piece rank a bit higher in Google, but SEO PR piece rather won't rank in Google for long, so I'd rather focus on the quality of content itself rather than keyword density.

Focus your press releases on brand related keywords that are actually searched - and just if it really fits the content. Press releases these days don't really push SEO anymore, at least not, if you're not a market leading company, which has their releases quoted in big media sites. If you are, having those releases rank in Google isn't relevant for your size anyways. Any free/cheap press release sharing site will not help you rank or bring traffic, focus your press releases on well transported messages & content. And be honest to yourself: Will anybody care about your press release? If the answer is no - build actual backlinks and write actual content that people care about.

Make sure to write a press release in a natural manner. The only keywords you need to include are those directly related to its topic. Make sure to use those keywords in the meta title and headings. Avoid lengthy, ambiguous titles. Make them to the point so readers get the main idea after a brief scan. For example, if your press release is about your recent funding round, make sure to include keywords such as "Series B", "raised", "secured", and "funding" in the title, headings, and press release content. This way people searching for those terms in combination with your brand name will most likely land directly on your website.

Strategic placement is key: Integrate keywords naturally into your content. Remember, relevance is crucial—select terms that align with your content and resonate with readers.

PR should be used for product or brand awareness instead of SEO so make sure to promote your brand or product with the right manner as per targeted audience.

I couldn't agree more we, humans scan through the content by headlines, therefore those are equally important for us and serach engines.

Front-Load Keywords: Place your primary keyword(s) near the beginning of your headline. This signals search engines about the topic of your release. Be Engaging: Craft a compelling headline that grabs attention while incorporating relevant terms. Avoid generic titles; instead, make them specific and intriguing.

Think of your summary as the movie trailer for your press release. It's got to grab attention, hint at what's to come, and make people want to read the whole thing.

Treat your summary as a meta description. Summarize the key points of your press release while including relevant keywords. Keep it concise but informative. Think of it as the elevator pitch for your release.

The body of your press release is your storytelling arena, but it's also a strategic playground for SEO. Sure, you've got your short paragraphs and bullet points for readability. But did you know that subheadings are not just for structure? They're prime real estate for your keywords. Use them to break up your content and make it scannable, but also to reinforce your SEO strategy. Quotes are another underutilized tool. They add credibility and break up the text, but they can also be keyword-rich snippets that catch both the reader's and search engine's eye.

Break down your content into sections with descriptive subheadings. Search engines appreciate well-organized content. Sprinkle related keywords throughout the body. Use synonyms and variations naturally. Link to relevant internal pages or authoritative external sources. Anchor text matters—use descriptive phrases instead of generic terms.

Press releases can be an excellent tool for SEO link building. Make sure to always include a link to your website in the press release! When media outlets and industry portals share your press release, they will link back to your website and by doing so build its domain authority. Links contribute greatly to your overall SEO success and improve your website's ranking. Don't miss this opportunity!

Link to relevant pages within your website (internal links) and reputable external sources (external links). This enhances credibility and SEO. Embed images, videos, or infographics where relevant. Visual content enriches the user experience and encourages sharing.

When it comes to images, you don't need to necessarily pay the extra fee to have them embedded within your press release. That being said, linking the right images does matter. You never want to have stale, posed, inauthentic-looking graphics. Candids do really well with media, and if you are showcasing a product, you never want to use any that look like stock images. Show people using your product, experiencing your resort, working at your company, etc. Authenticity is everything these days, and the media as well as humans are onto anything that feels too salesy or uninteresting.

Avoid a very common mistake: Always publish the press release on your website first, before you send it out to journalists! If you share the press release with the media but don't have its content on your website, Google will index and rank other websites for the terms related to your press release. Imagine you have launched a new exciting product to the market. Or secured a huge funding round. You want readers searching for such information to land on your website and keep engaging with your other content rather than read it on some external media outlet.