Press Release Backlinks: Do Press Release Links Still Work?
Press release backlinks from wire distribution are mostly nofollow and low value. What Google says, when press releases do earn links, and how to use them.
Press release backlinks are the links inside a press release that a distribution service syndicates across news and partner sites. On their own they do very little for rankings: most are nofollow, they sit on duplicate copies of the same page, and Google's spam policies name keyword-rich press release links as an example of link spam.
That doesn't make press releases useless. A release about genuine news can be read by a journalist who then writes their own story, and that story can carry an editorial link worth far more than the release itself.
This guide covers press releases distributed through wire services. Paying a publication for a sponsored article is a different tactic, covered in media placements.
How wire distribution works
A wire service takes your release and pushes it to its network: news sites, finance portals, industry feeds and partner pages that republish releases automatically. Many also send it to journalists who subscribe to topic feeds.
The result is the same text appearing on many URLs at once. Each copy may contain your links, which is where the idea of "press release backlinks" comes from.
Are press release links nofollow?
Mostly, yes. Distribution services say so themselves: an explainer published by the wire service 24-7 Press Release names PR Newswire, Business Wire and GlobeNewswire as applying nofollow links, or internal redirects, by default. Many of the sites that republish releases add nofollow too.
Google has treated nofollow as a hint rather than a strict directive since 2019, so a nofollow link isn't guaranteed to be ignored. But a hint on a duplicated page that a site republished automatically is not something to build a strategy on. The dofollow vs nofollow guide explains how the attributes work.
| Where the link appears | Usually tagged | Typical SEO value |
|---|---|---|
| The wire service's own copy of the release | Nofollow or redirected | Low |
| Automatic syndication partners | Often nofollow; many pages are thin or rarely indexed | Low |
| Paid "guaranteed placement" add-ons on news sites | Should be sponsored or nofollow | Low for rankings, some for visibility |
| A journalist's own article based on the release | Editorial, usually followed | Can be high |
What Google says about press release links
Google's spam policies define link spam as "creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings". The list of examples includes:
Advertorials or native advertising where payment is received for articles that include links that pass ranking credit, or links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites.
Google illustrates this with a short paragraph stuffed with keyword anchors, which is exactly how many SEO press releases used to be written. The press release example was added to Google's link schemes guidelines in July 2013, and it has stayed in the policy since.
Two practical rules follow from this. Keep anchor text in a release to your brand name or a plain URL, and don't expect links in a paid distribution to pass ranking credit. If a vendor sells press release distribution as a way to get "dofollow backlinks from hundreds of news sites", that is the practice the policy describes. The link schemes guide covers the wider rules.
Google's site reputation abuse policy, by contrast, lists "wire service or press release service sites" among examples that are not a problem. Hosting releases is fine; using them to place manipulative links is not.
When do press releases earn coverage?
A release earns links when it carries news a journalist wants to report. Distribution is the delivery mechanism, not the reason anyone covers it.
Announcements that tend to have a chance of pickup:
- Original data or research that a reporter can cite
- Funding, acquisitions and major hires for trade press that covers your sector
- Product launches that solve a problem the publication's readers care about
- Expert reaction to a story already in the news, which overlaps with journalist request platforms
Announcements that rarely get picked up are the ones written for SEO: new blog posts, minor feature updates, or releases built around a keyword phrase.
How to use press releases for links
The approach that works treats the release as a press asset and spends most of the effort on people, not distribution.
- Start with a story. If it wouldn't interest a reporter in a one-line email, the release won't either.
- Publish the release on your own site in a newsroom, so journalists have a page to cite.
- Keep links to one or two, using your brand name or URL as the anchor.
- Pitch individual journalists who cover the topic, as you would in digital PR, rather than relying on the wire.
- Use the wire for reach and record, if you use it at all, for announcements such as funding or financial results.
- Track mentions afterwards and ask for links on coverage that names you without linking, using link reclamation.
Press releases compared with other PR tactics
| Tactic | Who decides if it runs | Link value | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wire press release | You, for a fee | Low on its own | Formal announcements and a public record |
| Paid media placement | You, for a fee | Sponsored, so low for rankings | Reach on a specific title |
| Digital PR campaign | Journalists | High when it lands | Earning authoritative editorial links |
| Expert commentary | Journalists | Medium to high | Steady, smaller wins |
For how these fit with every other tactic on cost, effort and risk, see the link building strategies hub.
The short version
- Press release backlinks from wire distribution are mostly nofollow, duplicated and low value for rankings
- Google's spam policies name "links with optimized anchor text" in distributed press releases as link spam
- Keep release anchors to your brand name or URL, and keep links to one or two
- The real value comes when a journalist turns the release into their own story with an editorial link
- Spend the effort on newsworthy stories and direct pitching, and treat the wire as a record of the announcement