About Article Marketing

About Article Marketing

Article marketing used to be a very effective way technique to boost website traffic and search ranking.  It's not working so well now.  Learn why.

Article marketing is the practice of submitting short (400-700 word), original and useful articles with tips or other insider information to article directories. These articles all have an author byline and links back to a website or blog where people can learn more or "get the rest of the story."

About article marketing

There are a lot of websites that will let people post articles.  They act like the "host" for these articles.  Think of article directories like a library of short articles. 

Cautions about Article Marketing

A small business owner shared this with us. 

"It seems that Google has killed off one of their main competitors, which generated lots of traffic for free...article marketing.  Article marketing may be dead, or at the very least, badly damaged.

I did a test.  I have posted about 15 or so Articles on ezinearticles. In the past, my articles would appear in the first 3 pages.  And the phony article syndicators-these guys take your headline and summary, post on their site, and link to what they are selling--would never rank in front of you.

Now, the phony guys appear in front of the ezinearticles and I am lucky if my articles appear on page 5.  Net...almost no traffic boost like before.

Of course, Google claims this in the best interest of their customers.  But, in reality, it is in their best interest.  Makes life tougher for the small business owner."

Here's data from compete.com on ezine articles website traffic

Know this:  you may want to consider if article marketing is an effective way to build website traffic.  We did a test and wrote one article for ezine articles and the website visitors we've gotten from doing are tiny.  You're better off looking at other ways to How to Increase Website Traffic.  This how-to guide has all kinds of suggestions for how to get visitors to your website that may be a much better return on your time than article marketing. 

 

Types of article marketing directories

• Tier one directories

  • The two leaders with quality article directories are Ezine Articles and Go Articles.

  • They invest in using people to review each article submitted. These individuals determine if the articles that are submitted adhere to directory guidelines. They act like "quality control." 

Know this:  Top tier sites like Ezine Articles and Go Articles take their commitment to quality so seriously, they do not accept submissions from the article submission services like Submit Your Article or Blurb Point. They can do this because the majority of website administrators looking for quality content go straight to Ezine Articles or Go Articles. They do not bother with second tier directories.

• Tier two directories
  • While the reputation of these other directories isn't as polished, these directories do broaden an article's reach. There are so many of them, it's cost effective to use an article submission service to speed up the process of distribution.  Think of using these services like how you would with distributing a PR release. 
  • Here is a good list of smaller and niche article directories

 

TIP:  you can also turn an article into a presentation and post it on slideshare.net.  Learn more about what MarketingZone members say about Slideshare.

 

Article marketing can build your professional reputation

• Who may benefit from submitting articles?
  • Professionals in solo practice: attorneys, business service providers, consultants, chiropractors, therapists, financial planners, veterinarians, etc.
  • Speakers, authors, bloggers
    
  • Businesses with a long-sales cycle that need to "pre-sell," educate prospects and build trust
  • Online ecommerce sites that want to grab that search engine Page 1 rank in their industry by adding how to articles and helpful advice
  • Online businesses selling information products because giving free information can serve as "bait" for information products with a fee
  • Affiliate marketers
    

Benefits of article marketing

After Google's search algorithm change to penalize "content farms" it's uncertain if these benefits still are valid...

 

• Higher search engine rankings:  If a business picks your article with a "backlink" to your site and posts it on their site, other businesses and even individuals may link to it as well. If ten individuals choose to link to your article, the article has created 10 backlinks to your site. The search engines evaluate backlinks to determine the credibility and authority of a website. If a lot of people like your article enough to showcase it on their sites or mention it, the search engine must go with that popular opinion and rank your website higher.
• More website traffic:  Readers who like an article enough click on the your link to check out your website. Provided there are opportunities for conversion on that site ("sign up for our newsletter," "friend us on Facebook," "connect with us on our blog,") the reader might do those actions and become "known" to the website. Your business has won a new lead!
• Increased brand recognition:  The best place to spread a brand name fast is the Internet. If a potential customer has already heard your name or your business' name, he or she is more likely trust your name and buy.
• Establishes expertise: Articles that reflect the depth of your knowledge and offer tips address customer pain points and create trust, appreciation and respect. Individuals want guidance in unfamiliar areas. Becoming the "go-to" expert drives referrals and repeat business.
• Long-term presence on the Internet: While Ezine Articles guarantees keeping your article for only six months, other directories promise to never take it down, leaving it there indefinitely for browsers to find. Even if an article is removed from a directory, it will still exist on the websites of those who picked it up to enhance their own businesses.
• Articles can be "syndicated": In other words, a browser who likes a certain article enough may elect to have your articles automatically downloaded to their site whenever you submit a new article.
• Websites are encouraged to let authors know when they're using an author's article: The top tier article directories strongly encourage those who take articles to inform the author they're using the content. The author can then understand the traffic source function on web analytics. Further, this connection can benefit both parties in the form of better leads.

 

TIP:  Article marketing is just one way to be seen as "an expert."  Learn more about How to Be Seen as An Expert and Personal Branding.

How to do article marketing

• How To Article Marketing - this is a helpful how-to guide on what's involved to be successful at article marketing with step-by-step instructions

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