I have never heard of any online marketing agency patenting SEO strategy, so this is rather new to me. Berkshire Hathaway’s Business Wire 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.”
In short, they’ve patented an SEO strategy. This is a rather strange step but certainly something really interesting as this might lead to other SEO strategies being patented by SEO agencies? Business Wire says its strategy is the result of “years of research and development and considerable investment.”
“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. This is certainly a huge precedent and I am sure this is the start of “all out war” between search engine optimisation companies in United States and perhaps UK as well. Will Business Wire be keeping tabs on other agencies software development and processes for possible patent infringements. Is the process of PR distribution and analysis effectively Business Wire’s?
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a document containing content for distribution via one or more online media distribution channels; analyzing astructure of the document; determining optimal modifications to the structure of the document; analyzing keyword frequency and keyword positions in the content of the document, the keyword frequency and keyword positions being analyzed relative to historical data obtained from one or more of the online media distribution channels; determining optimum modifications to the keywords in the content of the document based on the structured document; displaying recommended structural changes to the document based on the structured document modification and recommended keyword modifications to the content in the document to a user in a graphical user interface; receiving input from the user adopting one or more of the structural changes or thekeyword modifications to the content; and initiating distribution of the document via one or more of the online media distribution channels.
2. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a document containing content for distribution via one or more online media distribution channels; analyzing a structure of the document; determining optimal modifications to the structure of the document; analyzing keyword frequency and keyword positions in the content of the document; determining optimum modifications to the keywords in the content of the document, the keyword frequency and keyword positions being determined based on one or more of the following: other documents that previously achieved high search engine rankings for keywords in the document, historical data weighted by recency, seasonality factors, and neural networks which adapt based on the actual performance of documents for which recommendations are made; displaying recommended structural changes to the document based on the structured document modification and recommended keyword modifications to the content of the document to a user in a graphical user interface; receiving input from the user adopting one or more of the structural changes or the keyword modifications to the content; initiating distribution of the document via one or more of the online media distribution channels; and analyzing and recording the performance of distributed documents for each optimized keyword in terms of search engine ranking, document opens or views, and related conversion events.
3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the related conversion events comprise: user contact information submission.
4. A method as in claim 2, wherein the related conversion events comprise: product sales.
What is my take on it?
- U.S patent system is flawed, ineffective and should be revised.
- SEO processes, strategies and technology is way too dynamic, patenting them is commercially not viable or worth it.
- This patent is based on very primitive on page analysis, there are many free tools out there than can do most of what is claimed here.
- Press Release SEO is not new, many leading distribution services offer search engine optimised press releases, in fact some come with automatic recommendations.
- This is Warren Buffet’s worst investment.
And people say the American’s ability to patent a process isn’t flawed
So let me get this straight: Vague flowchart = Patentable process?
This is a prime example of why the patent office needs to be disassembled. This is embarrassing.
Agreed.
Which simple mind accepted the request to get it patented and why in gods name did they granted it? By far the worst investment of mr. Buffet.
It is a flawed system that is why these silly patents are granted.
[...] Sekander over at ElevateLocal spotted the news and has his own write-up here. The Business Wire release is here, saying: Business Wire announced on Wednesday that it has been [...]
So how does the patent benefit them? What’s the point of this patent?
I’m guessing the point is for him to be a troll and sue the lay daylights out of everybody.
Funny timing because a patent reform law was just passed but it was vague and some citizens including myself are pushing more deeper reforms.
[...] Warren Buffet patents a search strategy!! It is for optimising a press release, I’m now making a list of things to patent… making toast; already done, making coffee; already done… link [...]
Hey Yousaf, great article. Spotted it on LinkedIn. Amazing how it’s getting so much traction and attention on the patent.
Business Wire did not invent this product nor do they have the best version of this product amongst their competitors and they certainly did invent this phrase, I do not see any justice here.
Business Wire did not invent this product nor do they have the best version of this product amongst their competitors and they certainly did NOT invent this phrase, I do not see any justice here.
Hmm I never heard about patents (SEO) strange but success
This is Warren Buffet’s worst investment.
I agree.
The whole process can be sum up in “research keyword and stuff them up in the document”, however I disagree that this is Warren Buffet’s worst investment. The cost is so small while the potantial windfall incase this could be use to sue someone is huge. Its not nice but its not stupid either
And when Google change their algo in a significant way, Buffet’s back to the drawing board.
Farmer update
Panda Update
Revised Panda Update
Buffet Update
Good luck with that one Warren!
next thing to patent is the term “SEO” if it hasn’t been already !!
in the 1970′s a company patented a computer performance tuning software method. It was widely used before the patent application. I used it. I caused a big uproar in the computer performance community. Finally the company (Boole and Babbage) had to back down and issue a statement that said they would not prosecute anyone who used “their” method.
Then about 1985 i tried to patent software that included several new data compression and data encryption methods, several of which i believe are still found no where but in my product. But the patent office, despite the 1970′s patent, told me that software could not be patented.
Two years later the courts forced them to patent software. To late for me because my product was already in commercial use by then.
I think they have been pretty much screwed up for at least the last 40 years. However, it must be hard for them to keep up on new technologies.
It seems that Warren Buffet has been blinded by some so called “SEO Guru’s” and thinks he’s on to something that few know about. The fact that these techniques are well documented by those in the know seems to have escaped his (and the patent office’s) attention.
It’s good to see that someone as well regarded as Buffet, can also be hoodwinked by gurus…lol
Warren Buffett blinded by internet marketing guru’s. Now that is a scarey thought, but I agree with your premise.
[...] just the patenting of Business Wire’s systems; the patent claim itself (as cited by Elevate Local) gives Business Wire rights to “a computer-implemented method comprising” (emphasis [...]