Press release backlinks: dofollow, nofollow and what they're worth
Most links in distributed press releases are nofollow or sponsored, and Google's spam policies say optimized anchor text in distributed releases can count as link spam. A release's link value comes mainly from what it leads to: journalists, bloggers and sites that cover your news and link editorially, plus referral traffic and faster discovery of your pages.
Updated · Citable
What Google says
Two Google documents matter. The spam policies give "links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites" as an example of link spam. The guidance on qualifying outbound links asks sites to mark paid or sponsored links with rel="sponsored" (or nofollow). Since a distributed release is paid placement, many outlets tag its links accordingly.
Since 2019, Google treats nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints rather than strict directives, so it may still use them for discovery.
Where the link value actually is
- Editorial pickups. A journalist or blogger who writes about your news and links to you gives a normal, valuable link.
- Discovery. Links from many news pages help crawlers find a new site quickly.
- Referral traffic. Readers of the release click through.
- Brand signals. Many indexed mentions of your brand on news domains.
How to link in a release
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Link your brand name to your homepage | Link "best AI bookkeeping software" to your homepage |
| Link the product name to its page | Add ten links to different keyword pages |
| Use a plain URL in the boilerplate | Use hidden or tracking-heavy links |
| Keep it to a few links | Treat the release as a link-building tool |
Citable releases can carry up to five links to your site.
Better sources of followed links for new sites
Startup and software directories often give followed links and are built for exactly this situation; among the top 100 directories a Citable launch submits to, about three in four give dofollow links. See directory submissions and SEO and backlinks for a new website.
Questions people ask
Will a press release improve my Domain Rating?
Possibly a little, if some copies pass link equity, but do not buy a release for DR. Editorial links and directory links move it more reliably.
Is it safe to send press releases for SEO?
Yes, if you send real news with natural links. The risk is in mass releases with keyword anchors sent only for links.