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PR Newswire to start vetting press releases

A corporate communications agency has announced that it will start screening business communiques that are submitted to its distribution network, over fears of content quality.

PR Newswire will evaluate other content as well as press releases, under new procedures intended to  maintain the quality of copy put through the site.

As well as ensuring content quality, the distribution network hopes the move will prevent submitters using it to manipulate their own rankings in the search engines.

The new guidelines do not replace but supplement the rules that are already in place. From now on, as well as authors having to verify sources and authenticate their identity, they will have to fulfil other requirements.

Formats of submissions (except boilerplate) will have to vary, for example, and there will be a check to ensure appropriate length of copy. Other guidelines will dictate the appropriate use of keywords, and whether there is insightful and original content.

In its own press release, the boss of PR Newswire, Ninan Chacko, said:

“By reviewing each piece of content to ensure message quality… we will increase the value of our content and website for our audiences, and limit the exploitation of content distribution for questionable SEO tactics.”

The firm is also going to start removing content already posted to its site that it deems of too low a standard in quality, interest, originality, and function.

The problem of poor-quality content is something that has plagued the PR world for a number of years, with firms targeting the stream to drive up click rates. Often, the content being delivered to perform that function did not deliver any value.

We understand this at Pressroom, as well as that while generating search rankings and page visits is the constant quest for businesses, it is paramount that this is done in a responsible way.

Steven Morris

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