Press release distribution service Business Wire announced that it has been awarded a U.S. patent for the technological process of optimizing and distributing press releases to maximize their ability to be found and tracked in the search engines.

So, basically they’ve patented an SEO strategy. Strange, but interesting. Will this lead to other SEO strategies being patented?

Business Wire says its strategy is the result of “years of research and development and considerable investment.”

I wonder how many SEO firms would make similar claims?

“Our new SEO patent provides complimentary enhancements to Business Wire’s already powerful press release distribution and measurement services,” said Laura Sturaitis, Executive Vice President of Media Services and Product Strategy.

“Through Business Wire, customers have the power to effectively analyze and optimize their press release content for search, then simultaneously deliver their news to media and market participants via our patented NX delivery network, then measure audience engagement via our NewsTrak reports,” she added.

“With the awarding of this patent, in addition to Business Wire’s NX distribution technology patents, our company continues to develop unique, proprietary and more effective communications innovations that have been a hallmark at Business Wire for 50 years,” said Cathy Baron-Tamraz, Business Wire CEO.

It’s going to be interesting to see if this patent leads to any legal battles in the SEO world.

Business Wire is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Whats Click Submit's opinion? although they've patented their particular process of press release distribution there are many ways of distributing press releases and therefore we don't understand what the point in patenting it is. I mean you're not going to stop other people press releasing so whats the point? Then again who are we to argue against Mr Buffett.

One thing we can guarantee is that they charge more for their service that we do for ours! Don't forget about our monthly press releasing service charged at £49.99 per month and guaranteed to get you featured on Google News every month building great quality fresh inbound links.

Five SEO mistakes to avoid!

There is no arguing that content is king, but in the digital age businesses must maximize their online presence and avoid the common website content pitfalls that that could put your sideline your SEO efforts.

Here are five SEO mistakes to avoid!

Poor quality content. In May, Google provided a large list of guidelines that, if followed, differentiate high-quality content from low-quality content (the stuff Google was, and is, trying to weed out). Since these guidelines were released, many Web masters have outsourced copywriting efforts in an effort to ensure that they are able to syndicate high-quality blog and article content. There's nothing wrong with this, but it is necessary to avoid looking at this outsourcing as a useless expense that you can find for cheap.

Keyword-stuffed content. Speaking of optimization, there is a fine line between optimizing an article and just packing it with keywords. Keyword-stuffing is frowned upon. Don't do it. A keyword used in a meaningful way is much more useful than a keyword thrown into a sentence just for the sake of having it in the copy a certain number of times per paragraph. Relevance is also key. Gone are the days when you could simply put keywords in wherever you wanted, related and contextual or not. Your content should make sense, flow, and provide meaningful information — and your reader should not be distracted by the continual reappearance of some random words that do not make sense in the context.

Factually incorrect content. Google wants users to view high-ranked sites as authorities. Therefore, factually incorrect content is a big no-no. The obvious implication here is that Google wants you to provide content that is informative, factually correct, and publication-worthy. This is what the search engine considers high-quality content. Paying attention to detail means going in-depth, checking your facts, and creating content you would be proud to see published in a magazine or book.

Unoriginal content. Nothing detracts from a site's authority more than a lack of original content. It makes sense, after all; if those running the website truly belong at the top of the rankings, than they must have something original to contribute. This ties into Google's question/guideline, "Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?" Publishing duplicate content is a surefire way to ensure that your rankings plummet.

'Spammy' content. In May, Google asked as a guideline, "Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?" Basically, you should probably avoid having too many ads interspersed with your articles and blogs — if you have any ads, make sure that they are not distracting or off-putting. Content farms have been eliminated due to their low-quality content — and you should do everything in your power to avoid looking like one.

How to optimise your facebook page for SEO

How to optimise your facebook page for SEO
In the UK, there are over 10 million users on Facebook. Facebook is currently the most used social media site, with 83% of online users naming Facebook as their main social networking platform. Furthermore, statistics show that the average time spent on Facebook in any given month is about 15 hours. Creating a Facebook page for your company is a great way to connect with your customers, but did you know that your Facebook profile can also start to rank in the search engines right alongside your website? With this in mind, it’s a great idea to optimise your Facebook page for SEO. Below are some of our tips to get it right with SEO. 1. Create a custom URL Facebook URLs used to be a string of random numbers. But in June 2009, Facebook allowed users to customize their Facebook URL. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you claim your own custom URL (or vanity URL). This can help Facebook users find your profile when conducting searches and this custom URL can be used on marketing collateral. Note: Once you create a custom URL, you can’t change it, so choose very carefully! 2. Add content snippets Your facebook page can be used as a hub of information. Eg, you can post your blog posts or articles from your website/blog on your Facebook page. Don’t always post the entire content to the Facebook wall - just a snippet of content. These snippets should also include some relevant keywords and provide an introduction to the content. You can then direct the viewer to your website/blog to read the rest of the article. It’s a great way to build inbound links and help drive traffic to your website. 3. Don’t forget to update the Info tab Your wall isn’t the only thing you should be focusing on. Your Info tab is a great place to provide a company description and incorporate links to your main site, blog and any other social networking profiles you may have (eg Twitter, Youtube, LinkenIn). Think of the Description section as one giant Meta tag. It’s another great place to go after targeted keywords. The Info tab also lets you to publish your company address and contact details. This can help with your local SEO efforts (eg google map).