|
The correct way to market on the Internet using articles?
|
James Opiko
|
Aug 03, 2006 20:30 PDT
|
Article submission is perhaps one of the best ways to leverage your
products and services on the Internet....that is, if done correctly, but
like Link Exchange, I think it's being abused.
That said, I don't think Article Marketing is about to die. It's alive
and strong!
I have noticed that a lot of authors are submitting articles for the
wrong reasons. Authors are submitting 'half baked' articles fueled by a
'PageRank' and 'BackLink' craze, a very fruitless endeavor. Like in link
exchange, the search engines have wisened up and are getting better at
weeding out 'spam'.
It’s imperative that you submit ‘quality’ articles. A badly written
article may generate you that ‘backlink’ that you so much desire, but
the real purpose of submitting your article to an article marketing
directory is to gain publishers who will willingly publish your articles
on their websites, blogs and newsletters; that’s where the real traffic
comes from. Publishers should 'want' to publish your article...and they
will not publish a poorly written article.
Submitting numerous short (less than 500 words) and haphazardly written
articles will do you no good. Also submitting the same article with a
few modifications over and over is not acceptable; it’s duplicate
content and defeats the purpose of a directory.
An author needs to sit back, choose a good topic and come up with a
article that is an effective marketing tool, an article that captivates
the reader and makes him or her want to publish it, print and/or forward
it to their friends.
Anything less is essentially a waste of time!
How many times have you seen a website with thousands of backlinks but
with no ‘PageRank’ or worse still does not feature in the SERPs (Search
Engine Results Pages) at all. Too many, I must say. If 'numbers' is the
game, then why do some directories containing thousands upon thousands
of articles have very low PageRank or in numerous instances none at all?
Clearly the 'Link Farming Phenomenon' applies to article directories
too! Search engine algorithms are identifying these attributes in
article directories and filtering pages from indexing and search
results. Duplicate content is unavoidable in article directories, but a
sincere attempt must be made by authors and directory owners to improve
quality and uniqueness of articles.
Quality rules!
As an author, your number one priority when writing an article is
‘quality and uniqueness’. You must write powerfully and with purpose.
Your writing must be attractive and persuasive, otherwise it’s not worth
the trouble. Write a few 'very good articles' and submit them to
carefully selected article directories. Make sure it's a well written
and useful article....something people will want to publish in their
blog, website or ezine.
As I post post my own articles to directories, I always find myself
refining the article. This may or may not have any direct benefit but I
strongly believe it's part and parcel of the quality control process.
Personally, I don't worry about PageRank or BackLinks, I also do not
force feed my directory and I read each and every article that is
submitted to the directory.
Write good articles and let it come to you naturally....the search
engines will reward you as bloggers and webmasters post your articles on
their sites, something they will only do if your writing is stimulating
and relevant.
Look at your article as 'Your Product' or 'Your Service'. A service or
product that is not choreographed properly will almost always be
rejected. If you are having trouble writing, make time and study what
the topnotch writers are doing. The Internet is 'pregnant' with
excellent writers.
As an owner of an Article Directory, I demand from my authors that they
make a serious attempt at writing quality articles. For example, I now
do not accept anything less than 500 words in length...debatable yes,
but shorter articles are usually badly written.
In summary, here are a few salient points to note:
1. Plan, be clear, be original, structured, substantive and interesting.
2. Your writing must be grammatically and syntactically correct.
Spelling mistakes are a no-no! Proof read your articles.
3. Your article(s) should be at least 500 words long.
4. There are plenty of writing samples and guides all over the internet.
Look for them and use them. Visit article directories and read the
articles within. Nobody is asking you to re-invent the 'writing wheel',
but it's of utmost importance that you keep abreast with what the top
authors are doing.
5. Get feedback from your friends and colleagues. Two or more heads have
always been better than one.
6. Write on topics that mean something to you - passion breeds
excellence.
7. Finally if writing is too laborious for you, hire a Ghost Writer and
let him/her express your thoughts for you.
Article marketing should be a win-win situation for directory owners and
authors, therefore responsible directory owners should guide their
authors and help them improve their writing; such as digging up
information for them and emailing it to them in the form of a weekly
newsletter, a blog or a forum.
Additionally, directory owners should engage their authors in meaningful
discussions on article and general marketing, as it is part and parcel
of the cut throat Internet Marketing Game, a science that must be taken
seriously.
Note: This article may be re-printed freely provided that a RESOURCE BOX
containing the author's name and source of the article (clickable link)
is included:
http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Do-you-really-know-why-you-are-submitting-your-articles-to-online-article-directories-/834
|
|
 |
|
