
Google’s 2025 core updates introduced a new reality for SEO: authority now outweighs volume, and earned media signals matter more than ever. As Google prioritizes trustworthy sources, original reporting, and brand credibility, press release distribution has re-emerged as a critical ranking driver.
This guide explains how Google’s recent updates work, what changed between 2022–2025, and how press releases help brands strengthen E-E-A-T, earn high-quality backlinks, and improve search visibility.
Before understanding why PR is more valuable today, it helps to look at how Google has gradually shifted toward quality and credibility.
Google’s direction is consistent: reward real information from real brands and reduce manipulation.
If you want to connect these changes to PR in more detail, see 10 Benefits of Press Release Distribution.
Google’s recent updates didn’t just “tighten the rules” they changed how websites must behave to stay competitive.
Between 2022 and 2025, Google rolled out major algorithmic shifts affecting how brands build visibility online. These updates targeted content quality, link integrity, and site reputation, effectively raising the bar for what counts as trustworthy information.
Helpful Content Updates (2022–2025)
Google deprioritized:
Google rewarded:
This naturally aligns with press releases, which include quotes, data, and accountable authorship.
Link Spam Updates
Google refined systems that detect:
PR distribution avoids these risks because journalists link for editorial reasons, not manipulation.
Google targeted “parasite SEO,” where low-quality third-party content was published on high-authority domains to manipulate rankings.
This forced SEO and PR teams to prioritize:
Press coverage earned through legitimate distribution directly fits Google’s preferred model of authoritative, human-reviewed content.
Google’s latest updates pushed the industry even further:
Being cited by trusted publications now matters more than publishing content on your own website. Press releases help you appear where authority already exists.

Press releases have always been a communications tool, but after Google’s updates, they now influence ranking signals more directly. This is not because the press release document ranks, but because the coverage generated from it strengthens all the signals Google wants to reward.
Google increasingly evaluates content based on:
Press releases improve these signals because they place your brand in credible media environments.
Examples of E-E-A-T amplification
When these signals appear across multiple publications, your brand’s digital footprint becomes measurably stronger.
For more on reputation and trust, see What Is a PR Team and What Does It Do?
Not all backlinks are equal. Google highly values:
Press releases help you earn exactly those.
Why are journalist links powerful?
These are the types of backlinks that improve rankings sustainably.
Google builds a “knowledge graph” of brands. Press releases help by providing:
Each press release strengthens the way search engines interpret and categorize your brand.
Journalists don’t link because you ask, they link because your content improves their reporting. Understanding how journalists work helps brands create assets that naturally earn coverage and backlinks.
Journalists link when you provide:
The more original the information, the higher the link probability.
To turn this into a structured announcement, read How to Write a Press Release?
A clean newsroom increases trust and makes attribution easier.
Include:
This structure also improves crawlability and brand entity recognition.
Precision drives success.
Match your pitch to:
Well-targeted pitches = higher coverage = stronger SEO signals.
Provide:
Reducing friction increases the odds of being referenced correctly.
When your brand is cited without a link, you can politely request:
“Would you mind adding the source link for accuracy?”
Over time, these small additions significantly strengthen domain authority.

Press release distribution connects your brand with the right editors, reporters, and media outlets. But more importantly, it creates SEO-friendly signals that support ranking improvements over time.
Media outlets that accept your press release offer:
These signals transfer to your brand through mentions, quotes, and references.
A well-structured press release improves:
Elements that help include:
This makes your brand easier for Google to categorize and surface.
Press release distribution often results in:
These off-site signals reinforce ranking stability.
Press releases naturally include:
This aligns with what Google now prefers: useful, original, attributable content, not scaled filler.
To fully benefit from Google’s new ranking systems, brands need a repeatable PR and SEO workflow. Here’s a checklist to integrate press releases into your 2025 strategy.
Create newsworthy stories based on real insights
Use data, first-hand expertise, or industry commentary.
Write SEO-aware press releases
Use natural keyword placement and structured formatting.
Build a press room that supports journalists
Make it easy for reporters to verify, cite, and link.
Track referral traffic, mentions, and backlinks
Measure which publications deliver rankings and engagement.
Prioritize reputable publications
High editorial standards = higher ranking value.
Avoid spam techniques entirely
Stay aligned with Google’s people-first guidance.
The brands winning in 2025 are not producing more content, they are producing better signals. Press release distribution is one of the fastest, safest, and most strategic ways to strengthen authority and improve search performance.
With a global media network and experienced editorial team, B2Press helps brands:
Ready to improve your SEO with earned media?
Distribute your next press release with B2Press and start building authority that compounds over time.
Yes. Press releases help indirectly by generating earned media coverage, authoritative brand mentions, and high-quality editorial backlinks – signals Google increasingly rewards after the 2025 updates.
Google now prioritizes credible sources, original information, and accountable authorship. Press releases support these criteria by placing your brand in reputable publications that enhance E-E-A-T and overall authority.
Yes. Editorial backlinks from trusted news outlets are among the strongest authority signals. They improve your site’s trust profile, strengthen entity understanding, and support long-term ranking stability.
Data-driven announcements, research studies, product updates, expert commentary, and industry insights perform best because journalists are more likely to cite and link to them.
Press releases do not replace link-building, but they provide a safer and higher-quality alternative. Earned media links are natural, editorial, and fully aligned with Google’s guidelines – unlike many manufactured link-building tactics.
Consistency matters more than frequency. Brands that publish newsworthy updates every 1–2 months build stronger authority signals over time and benefit from cumulative media coverage.
Syndication links matter less, but the earned coverage that results from a strong press release – interviews, citations, feature articles – provides the real SEO value.
B2Press helps brands craft SEO-friendly releases, reach relevant journalists, secure credible media coverage, and earn editorial backlinks that strengthen rankings under Google’s 2025 updates.