Around 2017 a noticeable shift happened in SEO commentary. Press releases went from being recommended as an easy link source to being flagged as something that could actively damage a site. The warnings were loud enough that some businesses stopped issuing announcements altogether, which was an overcorrection. The truth is that press releases themselves were never the problem. Specific practices layered on top of them created genuine risk, and those practices happened to be exactly what the cheap distribution industry encouraged. Separating the tactic from its abuse is the key to using this channel without exposure.

How AAMAX.CO Keeps Your Link Profile Safe

At AAMAX.CO we audit backlink profiles for the patterns that create risk and then rebuild them around genuine editorial acquisition. We map anchor text distribution, identify manufactured footprints from legacy distribution campaigns, advise on disavow decisions where evidence supports it, and replace risky tactics with digital PR that earns real coverage. Our search engine optimization work treats link safety as a prerequisite for growth rather than an afterthought. We are a full service digital marketing company offering web development, digital marketing and SEO services worldwide, and if you inherited a questionable link history, hire AAMAX.CO for a clear-eyed audit and remediation plan.

The Practices That Genuinely Created Risk

Four behaviours account for almost all the damage attributed to press releases. The first is keyword-stuffed anchor text, where a release links out using commercial phrases repeated identically across hundreds of syndicated copies, producing an anchor distribution no natural profile would ever show. The second is volume abuse, where a company published weekly releases with no news whatsoever purely to generate links. The third is low-quality distribution networks composed of thin sites built solely to republish wire content. The fourth is stuffing five, ten or more links into a single release. Each of these is a manipulation signal, and combined they form an obvious footprint.

What Google Actually Said

Google's link scheme guidance has for years listed the use of optimised anchor text links in articles or press releases distributed on other sites as an example of a link scheme. That is unambiguous, and it is worth noting precisely what it targets: optimised anchor text in distributed content. It does not say press releases are forbidden or that announcing news is risky. The problem is the optimisation of anchors for ranking purposes within syndicated material. Read carefully, the guidance points to a safe path rather than closing the channel.

The Fears That Were Overblown

Two worries caused unnecessary panic. The first was duplicate content penalties from syndication. Search engines routinely handle syndicated content by selecting a canonical version and filtering duplicates, and there is no penalty for that situation existing. The practical risk is only that a high-authority wire copy might outrank your own version, which is a visibility issue rather than a sanction. The second was the belief that any press release activity could trigger a manual action. In reality, a small number of newsworthy releases with brand-name anchors sits comfortably within normal publishing behaviour and looks nothing like a link scheme.

Nofollow Was Protection, Not Punishment

When major wire services began applying nofollow to outbound links in client releases, some marketers treated it as the channel being destroyed. It was actually a safeguard. Nofollow signalled to search engines that these links were not editorial endorsements, which reduced the chance of the whole pattern being read as manipulation. Since the ranking value of syndicated links was minimal anyway, the change cost almost nothing and removed a meaningful risk. Anyone whose press release strategy collapsed because of nofollow was relying on link equity that was never reliably there.

How To Distribute News Safely

Apply a handful of rules and the risk largely disappears. Only issue releases when there is genuine news a stranger would find interesting. Limit yourself to one or two links, pointing to your homepage or the specific page the announcement concerns. Use your brand name, your domain or a plain descriptive phrase as anchor text, never a commercial keyword string. Choose reputable distribution rather than the cheapest network of thin republishers. Publish an expanded canonical version on your own newsroom. And prioritise direct pitching to relevant journalists, because editorial coverage is both safer and more valuable than any syndicated copy.

Auditing Legacy Press Release Links

If your site has years of distribution history, audit it rather than worrying about it. Pull your full backlink profile and segment links originating from wire syndication. Examine the anchor text used across them and calculate what proportion of your total anchors are exact-match commercial phrases from these sources. Check whether the linking domains are legitimate publications or thin content farms with no traffic. Look for unnatural timing clusters where hundreds of links appeared in a single day. Where you find a clear manufactured pattern you cannot get removed, a targeted disavow is reasonable. Where the links are simply low value but harmless, leave them alone and focus on earning better ones.

Rebuilding With Earned Media

The productive response to press release risk is not silence, it is upgrading to earned media. Produce original research and survey data, since proprietary numbers are the most reliable way to attract genuine coverage. Position named experts from your team as commentators for journalists covering your sector. Build relationships with a small group of reporters rather than blasting a database. Create linkable assets such as tools, benchmarks and definitive guides that publications reference naturally. Then integrate this with your broader digital marketing programme so coverage supports demand generation rather than existing as an isolated activity.

What Has Changed Since 2017

The direction of travel has only reinforced the 2017 lesson. Link evaluation has grown more sophisticated at recognising non-editorial patterns, brand and entity signals matter more, and AI-driven answer engines now select sources based on credibility and verifiability rather than raw link counts. Manufactured footprints are easier to detect and less rewarding than ever, while genuine coverage in respected publications has become more valuable because it influences both rankings and AI citations. Everything that made the risky version risky is now riskier, and everything that made the honest version valuable is now more valuable.

The Verdict

Press releases hurt SEO in 2017 when they were used as a link manufacturing machine with optimised anchors, no news and cheap syndication. They did not hurt sites that used them as a communications tool with restrained brand-name links and genuine announcements. The lesson is about intent and execution rather than the format itself. Announce real news, link sparingly and naturally, host the canonical version yourself, pitch journalists directly, and audit any legacy footprint honestly. Do that and press releases remain a safe, useful part of a modern search strategy.