How Press Releases Improve SEO After Google’s 2025 Updates

How Press Releases Improve SEO After Google’s 2025 Updates

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.

How Google’s Algorithm Has Evolved

Before understanding why PR is more valuable today, it helps to look at how Google has gradually shifted toward quality and credibility.

A Short Timeline of Key Shifts

  • 2000s: Keyword stuffing declines; relevance and content quality improve
  • 2010–2012: Penguin & Panda penalize link spam and thin content
  • 2013–2017: Semantic search and intent understanding take priority
  • 2018–2021: E-A-T and page experience begin influencing rankings
  • 2022–2025: Google aggressively reduces unoriginal, scaled or AI-generated content

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.

What Changed From 2022 to 2025 

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.

Major Update Themes Explained

Helpful Content Updates (2022–2025)

Google deprioritized:

  • Scaled, unoriginal content
  • Pages created to “rank,” not to help
  • Content without real expertise

Google rewarded:

  • Primary research
  • Information backed by real experience
  • Content created for users, not algorithms

This naturally aligns with press releases, which include quotes, data, and accountable authorship.

Link Spam Updates

Google refined systems that detect:

  • Purchased backlinks
  • Irrelevant guest posts
  • Large-scale link schemes
  • Backlinks created for SEO value rather than editorial relevance

PR distribution avoids these risks because journalists link for editorial reasons, not manipulation.

Site Reputation Abuse Enforcement (2024–2025)

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:

  • Reputable publications
  • Real editorial oversight
  • Verified sources

Press coverage earned through legitimate distribution directly fits Google’s preferred model of authoritative, human-reviewed content.

2025 Core Updates

Google’s latest updates pushed the industry even further:

  • Unhelpful AI-generated content loses visibility
  • Anonymous authorship is devalued
  • Sites with inconsistent credibility lose ranking stability
  • Brands with measurable authority gain long-term visibility

What this means for brands

Being cited by trusted publications now matters more than publishing content on your own website. Press releases help you appear where authority already exists.

Why Google’s 2025 Updates Reward Press Releases

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.

Press Releases Help Strengthen E-E-A-T

Google increasingly evaluates content based on:

  • Experience – first-hand knowledge
  • Expertise – competence in a topic
  • Authoritativeness – recognition from outsiders
  • Trustworthiness – accuracy and accountability

Press releases improve these signals because they place your brand in credible media environments.

Examples of E-E-A-T amplification

  • A quote from your CEO demonstrates firsthand experience
  • A data report proves expertise
  • Coverage by reputable outlets boosts authority
  • Fact-checked journalism increases trust

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?

Press Releases Generate High-Quality Backlinks

Not all backlinks are equal. Google highly values:

  • Editorial links
  • Contextually relevant links
  • Links that cite your work as a source

Press releases help you earn exactly those.

Why are journalist links powerful?

  • They come from domains with strong authority
  • They are given for editorial value, not manipulation
  • They support your brand’s entity recognition
  • They improve overall link structure

These are the types of backlinks that improve rankings sustainably.

Press Releases Improve Discovery and Brand Entity Understanding

Google builds a “knowledge graph” of brands.
Press releases help by providing:

  • Clear descriptions of your brand
  • Updated facts about your products
  • Consistent messaging across news sites
  • Verified author names and organizations

Each press release strengthens the way search engines interpret and categorize your brand.

How Journalists Provide Backlinks That Improve SEO

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.

1. Share Newsworthy Information

Journalists link when you provide:

  • Market research
  • Industry insights
  • Product updates
  • Commentary on trends
  • Verified data with charts or comparisons

The more original the information, the higher the link probability.

To turn this into a structured announcement, read How to Write a Press Release?

2. Build a High-Quality Press Room

A clean newsroom increases trust and makes attribution easier.

Include:

  • Company background
  • Leadership bios
  • Photos
  • Logo files
  • Product fact sheets
  • A canonical source URL

This structure also improves crawlability and brand entity recognition.

3. Target the Right Journalists

Precision drives success.

Match your pitch to:

  • Journalists’ previous articles
  • Their industry beat
  • Search intent around your topic

Well-targeted pitches = higher coverage = stronger SEO signals.

4. Make Attribution Effortless

Provide:

  • A preferred link
  • Ready-to-use quotes
  • Visual assets
  • Data files

Reducing friction increases the odds of being referenced correctly.

5. Monitor Mentions and Request Fixes

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.

How Press Release Distribution Supports SEO

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.

1. Amplifies E-E-A-T Through Editorial Coverage

Media outlets that accept your press release offer:

  • Organizational credibility
  • Audience trust
  • Strong domain authority

These signals transfer to your brand through mentions, quotes, and references.

2. Builds Stronger Discovery Paths for Search Engines

A well-structured press release improves:

  • Indexing
  • Understanding of your brand’s entity
  • How crawlers interpret your site’s information hierarchy

Elements that help include:

  • Schema markup
  • Internal links
  • Reporter kits
  • Consistent naming

This makes your brand easier for Google to categorize and surface.

3. Generates High-Quality Backlinks and Long-Term Authority

Press release distribution often results in:

  • Editorial backlinks
  • Data citations
  • Interviews
  • Syndicated pickup
  • Long-term referral traffic

These off-site signals reinforce ranking stability.

4. Aligns With Google’s People-First Direction

Press releases naturally include:

  • Real quotes
  • Verified statements
  • Company responsibility
  • Clear authorship

This aligns with what Google now prefers: useful, original, attributable content, not scaled filler.

A PR-First SEO Checklist for 2025

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.

Turn PR Into an SEO Engine with B2Press

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:

  • Craft SEO-friendly press releases
  • Target the right journalists
  • Earn credible mentions and backlinks
  • Strengthen E-E-A-T signals
  • Improve organic search performance

Ready to improve your SEO with earned media?

Distribute your next press release with B2Press and start building authority that compounds over time.

Frequently asked questions:

Do press releases still help with SEO in 2025?

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.

How do Google’s 2025 updates change the value of press releases?

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.

Do backlinks from news websites improve rankings?

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.

What type of press releases perform best for SEO?

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.

Can press releases replace traditional link-building?

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.

How often should brands distribute press releases for SEO impact?

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.

Do syndicated press release links count for SEO?

Syndication links matter less, but the earned coverage that results from a strong press release – interviews, citations, feature articles – provides the real SEO value.

How can B2Press help improve SEO through press releases?

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.

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