The first couple weeks are critical in the life of any press release. That’s the range of time when it will rank higher in search engine results. And if you’re counting on your press releases to act as handy backlinks for your website, you need to be able to send out press releases quickly, affordably, and to as many news sites as possible.

There are a number of free press release websites to utilize. These sites offer one-hundred-percent free distribution to blogs, news sites, and search engines. For smaller businesses, this kind of service is the exactly what they need to maximize their press release effectiveness while minimizing the money spent on them. Many sites, such as 24-7PressRelease.com and PR9.net, are ad-supported to keep the service free.

If you prefer an ad-free submission site, and have a larger press release budget to work with, you can take advantage of a paid submission site, which generally offer better placement and more features. Some sites even offer writing and proofreading services in addition to submission, which can take the burden of creating press releases off your plate entirely. Examples are PRLeads.com and Send2Press.com.

Not sure if a paid service is the way to go? Not to worry. Most free press release websites also offer upgrades and premium packages, so you can submit press releases without worrying about the cost, and see whether or not a particular service is effective. Some paid sites also offer free trials, and a number of paid services will provide a free consultation call so you can ask all the questions you need to before making your decision.

The press release is alive and well, even if the “ink and paper” news industry is flagging. And with just a little help, your releases can still get the message out about new products, services, or events, and attract the eye of potential clients all over the World Wide Web.