Search engine optimization experts don’t like the keyword density checkers that help you determine if you’re using keywords often enough in your press releases.
Keywords should appear naturally, they say, and if you’ve written the release correctly—without stuffing keywords into the copy arbitrarily—the search engines will find it and reward you.
They’re right, of course. But I still think those tools can be very helpful. Long before we started posting press releases online, writing releases has always been a monumental and confusing task for many people. They have a hard enough time deciding on a headline, the first paragraph and the “hook.” Using keywords and keyword phrases throughout the release complicates it further.
Thanks to Publicity Hound Jennifer Filgate of ETrafficSolutions.com for letting me know about PR Newswire’s Keyword Density Tool:
Simply paste the text of your news release into the box on the page, and then enter up to three separate keywords or phrases in the fields on the left side. Click the “Calculate Term” button and view your results. PRNewswire suggests you aim for a keyword density of 1.5 to 2.5 percent. SEO gurus suggest 1.5 percent might be too low, so I’d shoot for closer to 2.5 percent.
At this point, you can make changes to your release if necessary, before uploading the release. You don’t need to buy PRNewswire’s service to use this tool. It’s similar to the Live Keyword Analysis tool I discuss in my free tutorial 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases, which explains how to write a press release.