In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, one question continues to pop up: Do press releases still help SEO in 2025? The short answer is yes—but with a catch. Press releases are no longer the silver bullet they once were for link-building and search engine ranking. However, when strategically crafted and distributed through reputable press release services, they still hold value for SEO, especially in terms of visibility, authority, and traffic.

The Evolution of Press Releases in SEO

A decade ago, press releases were a go-to strategy for building backlinks. Marketers flooded distribution sites with keyword-rich releases, often linking back to their websites with exact-match anchor text. This worked—until it didn’t. Google eventually cracked down on low-quality backlinks and manipulative SEO tactics, devaluing many of these links in its algorithm updates, notably Penguin.

Fast forward to 2025, and the SEO landscape is smarter, more user-focused, and more nuanced. Search engines now prioritize relevance, authority, and engagement. That doesn’t mean press releases are obsolete—it just means their role has shifted.

What Press Releases Do for SEO in 2025

While press releases alone won’t guarantee top rankings, they still serve several important functions within a broader SEO and digital PR strategy:

1. Boost Brand Visibility and Awareness

Distributing a press release through well-known press release services can get your story in front of journalists, bloggers, and niche industry sites. Even if the links are nofollowed, the exposure can drive real human traffic to your site, increasing your brand's visibility in organic search results over time.

2. Earn High-Quality Backlinks Naturally

The real SEO value comes not from the initial press release distribution, but from what it generates. A compelling, newsworthy release can lead to secondary coverage. Journalists and bloggers may reference your release, cite your company, or link back to your site from authoritative sources—earning you valuable backlinks the right way.

3. Drive Referral Traffic

Some reputable press release services syndicate content to high-traffic platforms. If your headline is eye-catching and your content provides value, curious readers may click through to your website. These visits, while not directly affecting rankings, can lead to increased engagement metrics—something Google pays attention to.

4. Enhance E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google emphasizes E-E-A-T in its evaluation of content quality. Being featured in credible publications via press release distribution can bolster your site’s authority and perceived trustworthiness—especially when you’re cited as a subject matter expert or industry leader.

Press Releases: Best Practices for SEO in 2025

To make press releases work for your SEO strategy in 2025, you need to go beyond basic announcements. Here’s how:

• Focus on genuinely newsworthy content. Product launches, partnerships, major milestones, and data studies are great topics.
• Write for people, not algorithms. Use natural language, not keyword stuffing.
• Include multimedia. Images, videos, and infographics can improve engagement and make your release more appealing to journalists.
• Use reputable press release services. Avoid spammy, low-quality distributors. Choose platforms with strong editorial standards and real media reach.
• Track performance. Use UTM parameters and analytics tools to measure referral traffic, backlinks earned, and media pickups.

So, Do Press Releases Still Help SEO?

Yes—but not in the way they used to. In 2025, press releases should be viewed as part of a holistic SEO and brand strategy. They’re not direct ranking tools, but they do contribute to your digital footprint in meaningful ways: increased visibility, higher domain authority through earned links, and stronger brand credibility.

Used strategically and distributed through professional press release services, a well-crafted press release can still open doors—not just to media coverage, but to organic growth and long-term SEO success.

The real answer? Press releases still matter in SEO, but only when done right.