Press releases, also called news releases, have traditionally been used to inform the media, editors, and reporters of a news worthy event. The reporter would scan the release, sometimes only reading the first paragraph, to see if the pitch was interesting and appropriate for their publication. Knowing how to write a press release to intrigue the media was and is important.

If it was, then the reporter would follow up on the press release with questions and eventually, hopefully, the story they would write would appear about the company. Rarely would the press release appear as it was written by the company without editing by the news media. Often the press release is only the starting point. The resulting publicity increases the visibility and trustworthiness of the company and its product. We're assuming of course that the article was positive.

However many Internet businesses use press releases today primarily to increase traffic to their sites. The release is placed on distribution sites and picked up by news sites, ezines, and blogs, resulting in backlinks to the company. Most of the time there are no changes and the release is posted verbatim as it was written.

These backlinks increase the ranking of the website in the search engines. The more backlinks a site has using the same keyword phrases, the higher the site will rank in the search engines, when searched using those same keywords.

If the objective of your press release is to place on the first page of search engine results you need to approach the release a little differently than if it is targeted to the media.

People use keyword phrases when they search. Most people when looking for dog food would use a term more specific like "natural dog food" or "healthy and natural dog food." If your company produced natural dog food and you had a new product coming out then using the keyword phrase "healthy and natural dog food," in the release would be appropriate.

Use the keyword phrase once in the headline of the press release, once in the first paragraph and once at the end of the press release. Link the keyword phrases in the body of the release back to your website.

Most press release distribution sites free or paid for, give you the option of using tags. Use the keywords as the tags, and of course as the relevant keywords when you distribute it through the online distribution websites.

Knowing how to write a press release that ranks high in the search engines can drive traffic to your site.

Get Your FREE report How to Write Press Releases Tips, tricks, and techniques to get your company the publicity it needs for success. Dee Power is the co-author of several nonfiction books including "The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author's Success," "58 Ways to Find Money for Your Business, "Inside Secrets to Venture Capital" and "Attracting Capital From Angels." More Internet marketing tips.