How to Build a Press Page That Earns Backlinks

Why Your Press Page Is a Backlink Machine (If Built Right)

Most founder websites have a press page. Most press pages are invisible.

They sit there collecting dust—a boring list of company milestones, maybe a logo, a few old press releases nobody reads. Then founders wonder why journalists don't link to them.

The brutal truth: journalists link to press pages that make their job easier, not harder.

A well-built press page does three things simultaneously. It gives journalists the exact assets and information they need to write about your company. It signals authority and credibility to Google. And it creates a natural hub for backlinks from media outlets, industry publications, and news aggregators.

This is passive link building. You build the page once. Media outlets link to it for years.

Unlike outreach-based link building—which requires constant hustle—a press page works while you sleep. Journalists find it. They use it. They link to it. It compounds.

In this guide, you'll learn exactly how to structure, populate, and optimize a press page that actually attracts backlinks. We'll cover the technical setup, the content you need, the assets journalists actually want, and the distribution tactics that get your press page in front of the right people.

Let's start with the foundation.

Prerequisites: What You Need Before Building

Before you build your press page, you need three things in place:

1. A press kit or media kit ready to go. This includes your company logo (high-res, multiple formats), founder photos, company description (short and long versions), and key metrics or achievements. If you don't have these, spend an hour assembling them. This is non-negotiable.

2. At least two pieces of published coverage or media mentions. This could be a tweet from an industry influencer, a mention in a newsletter, a podcast appearance, or a quote in a blog post. Journalists want proof that other journalists have covered you. It's social proof. If you have zero coverage, focus on getting your first mention before building a press page. Consider platforms like Help A Reporter Out (HARO), where journalists actively solicit expert quotes from founders.

3. A clear understanding of your company's story. What problem do you solve? Who do you solve it for? Why does it matter? What's the narrative arc? You need a 2-3 sentence pitch and a 1-2 paragraph deep dive. This is your press release in embryo.

If you have these three things, you're ready to build.

Step 1: Choose Your Press Page URL and Location

Your press page URL matters for both usability and SEO.

Use one of these structures:

• yoursite.com/press
• yoursite.com/media
• yoursite.com/press-kit
• yoursite.com/newsroom

The most common is /press. Journalists expect it. Google indexes it predictably. Stick with /press unless you have a specific reason not to.

Place a link to your press page in your website footer. This is critical. Journalists often land on your homepage first. They need to find your press page within one click. A footer link makes this frictionless.

Also add a link in your main navigation menu if space allows. The easier you make it to find, the more journalists will use it.

Technically, your press page should be:

• Indexable by Google. Don't noindex it. You want it to rank for branded queries and press-related searches.
• Mobile-responsive. Journalists browse on phones. Test on mobile devices.
• Fast. Press pages often contain large media files. Optimize images. Use a CDN if you're serving high-res files.
• Accessible. Use proper heading hierarchy, alt text, and semantic HTML. This helps both journalists and search engines.

For the technical setup, make sure your press page includes proper schema markup. Use Organization schema to help Google understand your company's identity. This builds trust signals that both search engines and AI tools use to understand your brand.

Step 2: Write Your Company Overview and Press Releases

Your press page needs a clear, concise company overview at the top.

Write two versions:

Short version (2-3 sentences). This is your elevator pitch. What do you do? Who do you serve? Why should anyone care?

Example: "Seoable is an all-in-one SEO and AI Engine Optimization platform. We deliver a domain audit, brand positioning, keyword roadmap, and 100 AI-generated blog posts in under 60 seconds for a one-time $99 fee. Built for founders who ship but lack organic visibility."

Long version (1-2 paragraphs). This is your narrative. It explains the problem you solve, the market opportunity, your approach, and why it matters. Include specifics: metrics, timelines, pricing, or unique angles.

Example long version: "Seoable solves the SEO visibility gap for technical founders, indie hackers, and bootstrappers who lack agency budgets. Most founders ship products that solve real problems but remain invisible in search. Traditional SEO agencies charge $5,000-15,000 per month and take 6+ months to show results. Seoable delivers a complete SEO foundation—domain audit, brand positioning, keyword roadmap, and 100 AI-generated blog posts—in under 60 seconds for $99. Founded by engineers who ship fast, Seoable uses AI Engine Optimization (AEO) to help founders rank in both traditional search and AI-generated answers. The platform has helped 500+ founders achieve organic visibility without retainers or long-term contracts."

After your overview, list your press releases in reverse chronological order (newest first). Include:

• Date (formatted clearly)
• Headline (compelling, specific)
• Summary (2-3 sentences)
• Link to full press release (or embed the full text)

Even if you only have one press release, include it. If you have none, write one before launching your press page. A press page with zero releases signals that nothing newsworthy has happened. That's not a story journalists want to cover.

Press releases should follow a standard format: headline, dateline, opening paragraph (who, what, when, where, why), supporting quotes, boilerplate company description, and media contact information.

Step 3: Assemble Your Media Kit

Your media kit is the crown jewel of your press page. It's what journalists actually download and use.

Include these assets:

Company Logo

• High-resolution PNG (transparent background preferred)
• High-resolution JPG
• Horizontal and vertical versions
• Color and black-and-white versions

Journalists need options. Provide them all. Host them on a CDN or use a service like Dropbox or Google Drive for easy downloading.

Founder/Leadership Photos

• High-resolution headshots (at least 300 DPI)
• Professional quality (no selfies)
• Multiple angles if possible
• Include names and titles in the filename

Journalists often need founder photos for articles. Make it easy. Provide 2-3 professional headshots of your founding team.

Company Description

• Short version (2-3 sentences)
• Long version (1-2 paragraphs)
• Key metrics (users, revenue, funding, growth rate)
• Unique value proposition

Founder Bios

• 1-2 paragraphs per founder
• Background and relevant experience
• Why they started the company
• Notable achievements or prior companies

Product Screenshots

• 3-5 high-quality screenshots showing core features
• Annotated with feature names
• Both light and dark mode if applicable

Fact Sheet

• Founded: [date]
• Headquarters: [location]
• Team size: [number]
• Funding: [amount and stage]
• Key metrics: [users, growth rate, etc.]
• Website: [URL]
• Contact: [email]

Organize all assets in a downloadable folder. Use a tool like Dropbox, Google Drive, or a dedicated media kit service like Brandfolder or Airtable.

Make the download obvious. Use a prominent button: "Download Media Kit" or "Download Press Kit." Journalists are busy. Reduce friction.

Step 4: Create a Media Contact Section

Journalists need to know how to reach you.

Include:

Primary contact name and email

• Use a real person's name, not "[email protected]"
• Include their title (e.g., "Head of Communications" or "Founder")
• Provide a direct email address

Phone number (optional but helpful)

• Make it easy for journalists on deadline

Contact form (optional)

• A simple form on your press page can capture inquiries
• Include fields: journalist name, publication, story topic, deadline

Response time commitment

• State that you'll respond within 24 hours
• This sets expectations and builds trust

Example:

"Press Inquiries

Karl Chen, Founder [email protected] +1 (555) 123-4567

We aim to respond to all media inquiries within 24 hours."

Respond quickly. Journalists work on tight deadlines. A founder who responds in 2 hours gets quoted. One who responds in 2 days doesn't.

Step 5: Add Coverage and Mentions

Once you have initial coverage, create a "Coverage" or "As Seen In" section on your press page.

List every mention, interview, quote, or feature:

• Podcast appearances
• Blog posts or articles where you're quoted
• Newsletter mentions
• Social media features
• Industry awards or recognitions
• Speaking engagements
• Research reports

Format each mention with:

• Publication name (linked to the article)
• Date
• Title or headline
• Brief description (1-2 sentences)

Example:

"'How Founders Beat SEO Agencies' | TechCrunch | March 2024 Karl Chen discusses why technical founders with the right tools outperform traditional SEO agencies. Featured in the 'Startup Tools' column."

This section serves multiple purposes:

1. Social proof. It shows journalists that other reputable outlets have covered you.
2. Link equity. Each mention is a backlink. Aggregating them on your press page shows Google that your company is newsworthy.
3. SEO signal. Coverage from authoritative domains signals credibility to search engines.
4. Journalist motivation. Journalists see that others have covered you. They're more likely to pitch their own angle.

If you're just starting, you won't have many mentions. That's okay. Add them as you accumulate coverage. Your press page will grow over time.

To find coverage, use tools like Google Alerts or Mention. Set up alerts for your company name and key team members. You'll catch mentions automatically.

Step 6: Optimize for Search Intent and AI Tools

Your press page should rank for branded and press-related searches.

Optimize for these search intents:

Branded searches

• "[Company name] press"
• "[Company name] media kit"
• "[Company name] newsroom"

Founder searches

• "[Founder name] [company name]"
• "[Founder name] founder"

Industry searches

• "[Industry] startups press"
• "[Industry] companies to watch"

To optimize:

1. Use clear heading hierarchy. H1 for your company name, H2 for sections like "Press Releases," "Media Kit," "Coverage."
2. Include your company name and relevant keywords naturally throughout the page.
3. Write descriptive alt text for all images (logo, founder photos, screenshots).
4. Use structured data markup. Add Organization schema to help Google understand your company's identity and newsroom.
5. Link to other relevant pages on your website. If you have a blog, link to relevant posts. If you have a careers page, link to it.

Also consider AI Engine Optimization (AEO). Your press page should be optimized for AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews.

AI tools rely on:

• Clear, factual information. Avoid hype. Use specific numbers, dates, and claims.
• Structured data. Schema markup helps AI tools understand your company.
• E-E-A-T signals. Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Your press page should demonstrate all four.
• Citations and sources. Link to relevant sources. This helps AI tools cite your company accurately.

When an AI tool generates an answer about your company, you want it to cite your press page. A well-optimized press page makes this more likely.

Step 7: Distribute Your Press Page

Building a great press page is only half the battle. You need to get it in front of journalists.

Direct outreach to journalists

Identify journalists who cover your industry. Reach out with a personalized pitch:

"Hi [Journalist name],

I've been reading your work on [topic]. We just launched [product/feature] that addresses [specific problem you cover]. I thought you might find it interesting.

Here's our press page with all the details: [URL]

Let me know if you'd like to discuss further.

Best, [Your name]"

Personalization matters. Generic "we have a press release" emails get deleted. Specific, relevant pitches get responses.

Use HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a platform where journalists post queries looking for expert sources. Sign up and respond to relevant queries with expert quotes.

When journalists use your quote, they often link to your website or press page. This is passive link building. You're not asking for a link. You're providing value (an expert quote), and links follow naturally.

Respond quickly. HARO queries are time-sensitive. Journalists often accept responses within 24 hours.

Pitch to industry publications

Identify blogs, newsletters, and publications in your industry. Pitch story ideas that involve your company:

• "5 Founders Disrupting [Industry]"
• "How [Company] Solves [Problem]"
• "Interview: [Founder] on [Topic]"

Include a link to your press page in your pitch. Make it easy for journalists to access your media kit.

Add to press release distribution networks

Services like PR Newswire, Business Wire, and eSpeed distribute press releases to journalists and media outlets.

These services cost money (usually $200-1,000 per release), but they get your press page in front of journalists actively looking for stories.

Alternatively, use free services like PRLog or eReleasesonline.

Link from your website

Make sure your press page is linked from your homepage, footer, and navigation menu. Internal links help Google understand the importance of your press page.

Also link to your press page from relevant blog posts or product pages. If you write a blog post about a new feature, link to your press release about that feature.

Submit to press aggregators

Sites like Crunchbase, AngelList, and Product Hunt allow you to add company information. Include a link to your press page in your company profile.

Share on social media

When you publish a press release or update your press page, share it on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other channels. Tag relevant journalists and industry figures. Make it easy for them to discover your press page.

Step 8: Maintain and Update Your Press Page

A press page is only effective if it's current.

Update it regularly:

Monthly

• Add new press mentions or coverage
• Update metrics (users, growth, revenue) if they've changed significantly
• Fix broken links

Quarterly

• Review and update founder bios
• Refresh media kit assets (new screenshots, updated photos)
• Add new press releases if you've announced major milestones

Annually

• Audit the entire page for outdated information
• Refresh design if needed
• Update company description and narrative

A press page with outdated information signals that your company isn't actively shipping. Journalists notice. Keep it fresh.

Also monitor for broken links. Journalists might link to your press page, but if the links within it are broken, they'll have a bad experience. Use a tool like Broken Link Checker to audit your press page monthly.

Pro Tips and Warnings

Pro Tip: Use a press page template to save time.

If you're starting from scratch, don't reinvent the wheel. Use a template from Webflow, Figma, or your website builder. Customize it with your company information. You can have a functional press page in 2-3 hours.

Pro Tip: Make your press page visually appealing.

A well-designed press page attracts more links. Use consistent branding, clear typography, and strategic white space. Include images of your product, team, and company culture. Journalists are more likely to link to a professional-looking page.

Pro Tip: Include a "Subscribe" option for press updates.

Add an email signup form to your press page. Journalists can subscribe to be notified of new press releases. This builds a list of interested journalists you can reach directly.

Warning: Don't oversell or use hype.

Journalists are skeptical. Avoid superlatives like "revolutionary," "game-changing," or "the future of." Use specific, verifiable claims instead. "We've helped 500+ founders achieve organic visibility" is better than "We're revolutionizing SEO."

Warning: Don't include outdated coverage or irrelevant mentions.

If a mention is more than 2-3 years old and no longer relevant, remove it. A press page with stale coverage signals that your company isn't actively shipping.

Warning: Don't make your media kit hard to download.

If journalists have to jump through hoops to get your logo or founder photos, they'll find them elsewhere (or not use them at all). Make downloads one click.

Building a Press Page That Compounds

A well-built press page is a compounding asset. You build it once. It works for years.

Each journalist who uses your press page creates a backlink. Each backlink signals authority to Google. Each signal improves your organic visibility. Better visibility means more journalists discover your company. More journalists means more backlinks.

It's a flywheel.

The key is structure. Your press page must be:

• Easy to find. Link from your homepage and footer.
• Easy to use. Clear navigation, downloadable assets, fast loading.
• Credible. Recent coverage, specific metrics, professional design.
• Optimized. For both Google and AI tools.
• Maintained. Updated regularly with new coverage and information.

If you follow these steps, your press page will become a passive link-building machine.

Journalists will find it. They'll use it. They'll link to it. And your organic visibility will compound.

For more on building SEO foundations that compound, check out our guides on SEO habits every busy founder should build in 30 days and how busy founders beat agencies at their own game. Both cover sustainable SEO practices that pay off long-term.

Link Building Beyond Your Press Page

Your press page is one piece of a larger link-building strategy.

For a comprehensive understanding of link building, review the definitive guide to link building from Ahrefs, which covers tactics beyond press pages. Moz's link building strategies offer additional proven techniques. Backlinko's complete list of link building methods includes 20+ tactics you can combine with your press page strategy.

Other link-building tactics that complement a press page include:

Guest posting. Write articles for industry blogs. Include a link to your website (and press page) in your author bio.

Broken link building. Find broken links on industry websites. Suggest your content as a replacement.

Resource pages. Create a resource page on your website. Other sites will link to it if it's valuable.

Expert roundups. Contribute to roundup articles (e.g., "10 Founders on [Topic]"). Most roundups link to contributors' websites.

Skyscraper content. Create the definitive guide on a topic. Reach out to sites that link to similar content. Ask them to link to yours instead.

For more on link building fundamentals, Search Engine Land's guide on link building explains the basics. Search Engine Journal's link building collection has practical tactics. HubSpot's 10 realistic backlink strategies focuses on methods that actually work. Neil Patel's link building strategies for 2026 covers current best practices.

Your press page is the foundation. These tactics build on top of it.

Connecting Press to Your Broader SEO Strategy

Your press page doesn't exist in isolation. It's part of your broader SEO foundation.

For a complete SEO strategy, you need:

1. A domain audit. Understand your current SEO health. Identify technical issues, missing opportunities, and competitive gaps. If you need a quick audit, Seoable delivers a complete domain audit in under 60 seconds.

2. A keyword roadmap. Identify the keywords your target customers search for. Prioritize them by opportunity and relevance. Your press page should target branded and press-related keywords.

3. Content strategy. Create content around your keyword roadmap. Your press page supports this by providing journalists with newsworthy angles.

4. Technical SEO. Ensure your website is crawlable, fast, and mobile-friendly. This includes your press page.

5. Link building. Your press page is one tactic. Combine it with guest posting, HARO, expert roundups, and other methods.

For guidance on building sustainable SEO habits, read SEO habits every busy founder should build in 30 days. For a broader perspective on competing with agencies, check out how busy founders beat agencies at their own game.

If you want a structured plan, from busy to cited: a founder's roadmap from day 0 to day 100 provides a 100-day playbook that includes press page setup and link building tactics.

Measuring Your Press Page Success

Your press page should drive measurable results.

Track these metrics:

Backlinks to your press page

• Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz to track backlinks.
• Monitor growth over time. More backlinks = more authority.
• Identify which publications link to you most. Pitch those journalists again.

Organic traffic to your press page

• Use Google Analytics to track monthly visitors.
• Note which traffic sources drive the most visits (branded search, direct, referral).
• Optimize for the keywords that drive traffic.

Press mentions and coverage

• Use Google Alerts or Mention to track mentions.
• Count new mentions monthly. This should increase as your press page gains visibility.

Referral traffic from press page

• Track clicks from your press page to other pages on your website.
• This shows how journalists use your press page and what information they find valuable.

Conversion metrics

• Track signups, demos, or purchases from press page visitors.
• Calculate the ROI of your press page. Is it driving customer acquisition?

For more on measuring SEO success, read SEO reporting basics: the 5 metrics that tell you if it's working. This guide covers the metrics that actually matter.

Key Takeaways: Build, Distribute, Maintain

A press page that earns backlinks requires three things:

1. Build it right. Include your company overview, press releases, media kit, founder bios, coverage section, and clear media contact. Optimize for search intent and AI tools. Use proper heading hierarchy and schema markup.

2. Distribute it actively. Get it in front of journalists through direct outreach, HARO, industry publications, press release distribution networks, and social media. Make it easy for journalists to find and use.

3. Maintain it consistently. Update it monthly with new coverage. Refresh assets quarterly. Audit for broken links and outdated information regularly.

Do this, and your press page becomes a passive link-building machine. Journalists find it. They use it. They link to it. Your organic visibility compounds.

You don't need an expensive PR agency. You don't need to chase journalists endlessly. You need a well-built press page that makes journalists' jobs easier.

Build once. Rank forever.

For founders who want to move faster, Seoable delivers a complete SEO foundation—domain audit, brand positioning, keyword roadmap, and 100 AI-generated blog posts—in under 60 seconds for $99. This includes strategic guidance on press pages and link building. But whether you use a tool or build manually, the principles remain the same: structure, distribution, and maintenance.

Start with your press page. It's the foundation of passive link building. Everything else builds on top.