Posted on September 26, 2006
Syndicating Press Room - The 9th Free Thing Every Site Should Do
BY JAMES CLARK
Seth Godin's recent post on the "The 8 Free Things Every Site Should Do" reminded me once again of one the least expensive (free) and most efficient ways to keep your web site current and the search engines happy - the Syndicating Press Room.
In our experience working with companies trying to improve their web site experience, we find that only about 10 percent of their website gets updated on a frequent basis, and a majority of the time those updates are made in the press room area.
So one of the first recommendations we make is to get that press room working for them. Crank up the RSS feed and start syndicating. You can't expect people to remember to periodically come to your website and scan through the pages to see if there's any new information. And it would be naive if you think your press contacts are habitually combing your press room for new info.
Since a syndicating press room is built on a blog platform, every time new information is posted into the press room, it syndicates through an RSS feed which pings the search engines and notifying feed subscribers of new content. So it serves a dual purpose of driving search visibility and notifying your followers of new content.
There have been instances of "pure bliss response" when our clients have let their press contacts know that they now have an RSS feed and will take them off the email distribution list. Making your press contacts happy and keeping them current goes a long way.
Now, to say that this is free, is assuming that you have the skill sets internally to design and develop the syndicating press room on a blog platform. If you're seeking a do-it-yourself approach we recommend MovableType and WordPress as blog platforms.
What does a syndicating press room look like? Here are some samples of news rooms we have customized on blog platforms:
http://www.quistfinancial.com/press-room/
http://www.organicnewsroom.com/
http://www.tensorcomm.com/press-room/
http://www.smartsearchmarketing.com/news/
