The Nielsen Norman Group have released a major report titled Designing Websites to Maximize Press Relations.

The full 218 page report will set you back US$248. HOWEVER, the (free) Executive Summary contains some handy information including an explanation of journalists information needs, international usability of sites and design guidelines.

The research also includes the top-five reasons journalists gave for visiting a company's website which can be eminently useful if you are analysing whether your website makes such information easily available:

1. Find a PR contact (name and telephone number)
2. Check basic facts about the company (spelling of an executive's name, his/her age, headquarters location, etc.)
3. Discover the company's own spin on events
4. Check financial information
5. Download images to use as illustrations in stories

If you manage a company's PR then the Report may be a purchase well made, not least when you consider the following quote:

"The Web is one of the most important research tools for journalists. When asked how they would get basic information about a company, all the journalists in our study said that they would begin by doing some Web research. About half the journalists started by visiting the target company's website; the other half started by searching an outside service (mainly Google)... This finding emphasizes the necessity for having a clean corporate website with a clearly labeled Press or PR section that can quickly provide answers for journalists. It also emphasizes the need to be well represented in external search services and databases, especially since the trend over time is that more journalists are relying on search engines (mainly Google at the time of this writing).

"Journalists are not gullible, and they do not take a company's own word as truth. On the contrary, they almost all stressed that press releases are useful only to find out how a company is trying to position itself. We strongly recommend that a company's PR area have links to external sources, including press coverage, since articles from independent newspapers and magazines are often considered to be much more credible than the company's own press releases. We have seen similar findings in studies of prospective customers evaluating products on consumer- and business-oriented sites, so links to external press coverage will also help promote sales."