With the start of the New Year, many companies are planning their press release calendars for the year, making it the perfect time to plan SEO public relations optimizations as well (and avoid being on the 2011 version of PR lessons learned the hard way).

Optimizing press releases for SEO helps to extend the distribution of the release, increase the number of listings within search engines, and create link development opportunities that are beneficial to overall SEO for a brand.  An optimized press release has a better chance of showing up within the natural search results of search engines, news listings, and blog results.

The big question is:  How do you go about optimizing your press release for the added SEO benefits?

Here are our top 5 PR Optimization tips:

1. Keyword Research:  Determine which 1-3 keyword phrases you’d like the press release to appear for within search results.  Choose terms that are both relevant to your release and commonly used by your audience (tools like the Google AdWords keyword tool and Google Insights for Search can help estimate the popularity of your terms).
2. Optimize Your Tags:  Once you’ve determined which keyword phrases you’d like to appear for, incorporate those terms within the Title Tags, Meta Description Tags, Heading Tags, and Image ALT attributes of your press release.
3. Optimize Your Content:  Incorporate your targeted keywords within the body text of your press release.  Use your keyword phrases (and their variations) naturally, but aim to have them account for about 1-3% of the total words of your press release.
4. Link Your Site:  Link selected keyword phrases in your press release to relevant pages on your website.  The content of the links should match the content and metadata of the pages they point to whenever possible.  As your press release is picked up online, these links will be replicated on other websites, creating very valuable backlinks to your site that can improve your website’s organic search visibility for the linked phrases.
5. Social Media:  Social news, bookmarking, micro-blogging, and Wiki sites can provide additional channels to distribute the press release.  These sites can further the reach and expand the viewership of the press release, as well as create valuable back links for your site.

8 Minute Abs. Tae Bo. Pilates.

Exercise crazes come and go, but the P90x seems to be holding its ground.  The program has been around since 2004, but Google Insights for Search shows an increase in demand over the past year.

After a surge in search volume during January 2010, interest in the make-me-huge-in-90-days videos has plateaued (undoubtedly tied to ambitious New Year’s resolutions).  Will this exercise craze remain strong for the next few years or is it just another fad?