Best Press Release Service for SEO (2026), Links, Google News, AI
By the PR Gun Research desk. Prices verified November 1, 2026.
The best press release service for SEO is one that gets your news indexed, into Google News and in front of journalists. It isn't one that sells backlinks. PR Gun's own study found that links in distributed releases almost always carry a nofollow or sponsored attribute, so don't buy a release for the link. On our six-point SEO checklist, checked November 1, 2026, EIN Presswire ($149) scores 6 of 6, and IssueWire (from $21) and Send2Press tie at 5. The real SEO payoff comes from coverage the release earns.
Do press release backlinks help SEO?
Don't count on the link. PR Gun's study Does a Press Release Help SEO? found that almost every link in a distributed release carries a nofollow or sponsored attribute.
Many services say so on their own pages.
- 24-7 Press Release's FAQ says it doesn't offer Dofollow links and uses Nofollow links to follow Google's quality guidelines.
- IssueWire's terms say all releases "contain nofollow links only," and call this "industry standard."
- Send2Press says all links in a release will be rel="nofollow" "per Google guidelines to prevent 'news spam' abuse."
- PRWeb's FAQ says "PRWeb does not sell backlinks."
- EIN Presswire and PRWeb ask for no more than 1 link per 100 words, to protect the value of links.
Some services market links instead. EIN Presswire's FAQ calls it "a great source of quality backlinks and SEO rank improvement," even though its guidelines limit links to 1 per 100 words. PRFree lists a "do-follow link" to your site on its $29 Standard plan and 10 do-follow links on its $49 Premium plan. Newswire.com's pricing page says "Boost SEO with high-authority backlinks from premium sites." Given what article 85 found, don't choose a service for its links.
What actually helps SEO from a press release?
Four things hold up. None of them is the link itself.
1. An indexed, hosted copy that lasts
A release on a stable page gives search engines and people a lasting record of your news. Some services say how long that page stays up. EIN Presswire's FAQ promises "permanent placement on country, state, region, and industry-focused newswires." IssueWire lists "Press Release Permanently Hosted." PRFree lists a "Permanent Live URL." Send2Press says its news content will "in most cases, remain online in perpetuity." Article 85 also advises hosting the main version on your own domain and linking to it from the release.
2. Google News inclusion
Several services name Google News in their packages.
- EIN Presswire says it is a Google News publisher, so releases appear in Google News and Google News Alerts, from $149.
- IssueWire says releases are listed in Google News, from $21.
- PRLog lists Google News on Premium ($49) and Premium2 ($99).
- PR.com includes Google News among news sites from $60.
- PR Underground submits releases to Google News from $74.99.
- eReleases says releases sent through PR Newswire are eligible to appear in Google News, from $399.
- PR Gun adds Google News syndication at PR Pro, $199.
Google still decides. Send2Press's terms warn that Google News "may skip stale or duplicate news content or certain advertorial material." PR Gun's guidelines say releases under 450 words may not be indexed by Google News. Send2Press also notes that many of the 350+ sites that carry its releases "do not appear in Google."
3. Brand mentions and earned coverage
Article 85 points to earned coverage as the part that counts. If a journalist writes about you after seeing the release, that article's link is editorial. Article 85 also says consistent brand naming across many published copies contributes to how search engines associate your brand with a category. That means the services worth paying more for are the ones that reach journalists, through AP newsrooms, PR Newswire or direct email.
4. AI citations
Article 85 says AI assistants cite sources that state checkable facts plainly, and favor earned coverage over promotional copy. Some vendors now pitch AI reach. EIN Presswire's pricing lists "AI/LLM platforms" among its distribution. PRFree lists "AI Discoverability." Send2Press says it submits custom search queries to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot to help your news be discoverable by AI tools. These are vendor claims, and no one controls what an AI chooses to cite. What you control is the release. Put concrete, sourced numbers in it, because specific facts are what get quoted.
Which press release services are best for SEO?
We scored each service with published prices on six yes-or-no questions, using only what each vendor's own pages said on November 1, 2026. One point per yes.
| Service | Google News named | Nofollow or link-limit rule stated | Permanent hosting stated | Images and video in base price | Google News for $150 or less | Journalist or newsroom reach | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EIN Presswire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| IssueWire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 5 |
| Send2Press | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 5 |
| 24-7 Press Release | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | 3 |
| PRLog | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | 3 |
| PRWeb | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | 3 |
| PR.com | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | 3 |
| eReleases | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | 2 |
| PR Gun | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | 2 |
| PRFree | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | 2 |
| PR Underground | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | 2 |
| openPR | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | 1 |
| Newswire.com | No | No | No | No | No | No | 0 |
"No" means the vendor's pages didn't say so, not that the service can't do it. PR Gun scores 2. Its guidelines allow links in the body but don't publish a nofollow policy or link limit, and Google News starts at its $199 tier. PR Newswire, Business Wire, GlobeNewswire and Cision aren't scored, because they don't publish package details.
What about multimedia SEO for press releases?
Images and video make a hosted release richer to read and share. What's included varies a lot.
| Service and package | Images | Video | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| IssueWire, all tiers | Up to 5 | YouTube or Vimeo embed | From $21 |
| PRLog Basic / Premium / Premium2 | 1 / 3 / 5 | 1 / 2 / 3 | $29 / $49 / $99 |
| PRFree Standard / Premium | Up to 20 in the body | Premium only, up to 5 | $29 / $49 |
| 24-7 Press Release, $49 and up | 4 to 5 | YouTube embed on 24-7's site | From $49 |
| PRWeb Basic | Unlimited media assets | Embedded video | $120 |
| EIN Presswire Basic / Pro+ / Corporate | 1 / 3 / 5 | 1 | $149 / $499 / $999 |
| Send2Press | Free image embed | Free YouTube embed | From $99 |
| Newswire.com | Unlimited | Not stated | From $399 |
| eReleases | 2 included; embedding $150 extra | YouTube embed $200 extra | From $399 |
If multimedia matters most, PRFree Premium, IssueWire and PRWeb Basic include the most for the price. eReleases charges extra for embeds.
How do you write a release that helps SEO?
The service is half of it. The other half is the release. PR Gun's database of published press releases shows what typical releases look like.
- In PR Gun's database, the median PR Newswire headline ran 97 characters (82,398 releases published January 4 to October 31, 2026).
- In PR Gun's database, 5.5% of 82,398 PR Newswire releases published January 4 to October 31, 2026 had an all-caps headline.
- In PR Gun's database, 78.4% of 5,684 PRWeb releases published March 30 to October 31, 2026 included a quote.
Put the key fact and your brand name early in the headline, avoid all caps, and quote a named person saying something specific. Our study of press release headline length and our guide to writing a press release go further.
Which SEO approach fits you?
Startup. You want a Google News listing and a permanent page for your launch. IssueWire from $21 or EIN Presswire at $149 cover both. Then pitch the news to a few reporters, because that's where an editorial link comes from.
Small business. You want local search visibility. Host the full release on your site first, then distribute. Pick a plan that lists Google News, and keep the release over 450 words if the service's guidelines ask for it.
Agency. Don't sell clients press release backlinks. Report Google News pickup, referral traffic and earned coverage instead, as article 85 suggests.
Public company. SEO is a side benefit. Disclosure rules come first, so get written quotes from the wires that handle it.
Price is the other half of the decision. See our press release distribution pricing guide and the best press release distribution services ranking.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best press release service for SEO?
- On our six-point SEO checklist, checked November 1, 2026, EIN Presswire scores 6 of 6, and IssueWire and Send2Press tie at 5. All three name Google News, state a nofollow or link-limit rule, and include images and video in a package price.
- Do press release backlinks help SEO?
- Don't count on the link. PR Gun's study found that links in distributed releases almost always carry a nofollow or sponsored attribute. 24-7 Press Release, IssueWire and Send2Press all say their release links are nofollow. The SEO value comes from coverage the release earns.
- Are newswire services good for SEO?
- Indirectly. They can get your news indexed, into Google News and in front of journalists. Editorial articles that follow are what carry SEO weight, as PR Gun's study of press release links explains.
- Should I buy do-follow press release links?
- We wouldn't choose a service for them. 24-7 Press Release and Send2Press say they use nofollow links because of Google's guidelines, by their own account. PRFree is one service that advertises do-follow links.
- Does Google News index every press release?
- No. Google decides. Send2Press's terms say Google News may skip stale, duplicate or advertorial content, and PR Gun's guidelines say releases under 450 words may not be indexed.
- Do images and video help a press release's SEO?
- They make the hosted page richer. IssueWire includes up to 5 images and a video embed from $21, while eReleases charges $150 for image embedding and $200 for a YouTube embed.
How we researched this
- Link policies, Google News claims, hosting terms, multimedia and prices were read from each vendor's own pricing, FAQ, guidelines and terms pages on November 1, 2026. We sent no requests to Google.
- Evidence on what press release links do comes from PR Gun's article 85, Does a Press Release Help SEO?
- The SEO checklist gives one point for each of six yes-or-no questions answered "yes" on the vendor's own pages. Ties are listed in alphabetical order. "Nofollow or link-limit rule stated" means the vendor says its release links are nofollow or sets a rule capping links, such as 1 per 100 words or 5 per release. A count of links in a package table doesn't count. "Images and video in base price" means both are included in a package price rather than sold as add-ons. Services without published package details aren't scored.
- Headline and quote figures come from PR Gun's database of published press releases, deduplicated by headline, bodies of 50 words or more, with each wire's own window shown.
- PR Gun sells press release distribution and competes with the services on this page.
PR Gun and SEO. PR Pro at $199 adds Google News and Bing News syndication and 250 journalist contacts in one category, and PR Max at $399 adds AP News and USA Today. Writing is free. See PR Gun's packages.
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