Article Marketing Do's and Don'ts

Is article marketing a good way to get traffic to your website? The answer is maybe. Here are facts to know before spending time and money on article marketing. We've included some do's and don'ts to help you learn the right way to use articles to market your business online. 

Look around the web for tips on getting traffic to your website and you're likely to stumble on claims that tout the virtues of article marketing. The process, the self-proclaimed article-marketing gurus will tell you (as they try to drive you into their own marketing funnels), works like magic. Write some short articles (or have someone else write them for you), include anchor text links to your site in the articles, and then shoot them off to every website that has a section that says "Write for Us," or "Article Submission Guidelines." 

It all sounds like a great idea. But does it work? And if you already are somewhat familiar with Internet marketing, does it work in a post-Panda/ post-Penguin/ post-"We've detected unnatural links" world? 

The answer is, "It depends." Article marketing can work if the articles you produce are authoritative, well-written, original and focused on providing information of true value to your target market. In fact, having articles published to get exposure for a business is a concept that predates the Internet.

The problem today, though, is that so many of the articles that get distributed online are either unsuitable for publication on quality sites, or are written by individuals or agencies that are trying to get links to a client site - without disclosing that fact.

BusinessKnowHow.com contains a mixture of staff-written content and content from subject matter experts who have contributed articles. We had an article submission form on the website in the past, but we had to take it down because we received more than 2500 articles submitted to us for publication each month. It was rare that we found any that was

 publishable.

The reason? Very often, the articles addressed a subject the website or newsletter doesn't cover; they were poorly written; were "spun" by "article writing" software; and read like advertorials, white papers, or direct mail copy.

Even though we removed the article submission page from our website several years ago, we still receive dozens of article submissions and requests to submit articles each week. They contain everything from requests to publish articles about health issues, gambling, and other topics we would never cover, to articles that are being submitted just to build buzz for an SEO client.

Although mass submitting such articles may get them used on some websites (and get links to your site as a result), the sites that do use your content may not be sites you'd want links from, and they may not be sites that will bring you likely prospects for what you sell. The links may also be discredited by the search engines.

There's another, related problem with most article marketing campaigns, too. They focus on getting keyword links to a site instead of focusing on what really matters: the customers' needs – and what should be your real goal of article marketing: attracting targeted customers to your site based on the quality of the content you distribute.

As we noted above, article marketing can work if you focus on customer interests instead of SEO tactics. Here are some do's and don'ts to remember to help you use article publishing successfully as part of your marketing campaign.

Don't use software-generated "articles"

There are several ways individuals use software to create articles. Sometimes they just "spin" a new article by changing a few words and rearranging the sentences a little in an article they've already written. Other times they use software to scour the web for articles on a chosen topic. Then they proceed to steal phrases and sentences from each of the articles and string them together into a "new" article. In both cases, the articles that are produced tend to be poor quality; sometimes they're pretty close to gibberish. Where content has been stolen from other people's websites – even small amounts – the "new" article may also contain one or more copyright violations.

Don't Submit Off-topic articles

Established websites and online newsletters cover specific topics, just like print publications do. That's because whether a publication is online or offline, the way to attract and keep an audience is to consistently provide readers with well-written articles that are accurate, timely, and provide practical tips or solutions to real-life problems related to the subject matter of the publication.

So, just as you aren't likely to find articles telling you how to lose weight or learn Yoga in Entrepreneur Magazine, you won't find articles like that on Business Know-How or on other popular business websites or online publications. Nor will you find articles in business magazines about one man's experience when he had to take care of his kids one Sunday when his wife was sick.

Don't Be Self-Serving

Yes, the purpose of article marketing is to market your business, but pushing out articles that have your self-interests in mind instead of your customers' is self-defeating. Material that is nothing more than a new product release, thin white paper, or advertorial won't get you published on good sites. For instance, we get articles submitted at least once a week by web hosting companies or web designers about how to choose a web host or web designer. Most of those articles are deleted immediately because their sole purpose is to point people back to the authors' sites to buy web hosting or design services.

Don't Regurgitate What Other Writers Have Already Written

In high school and college, you may have been encouraged to read numerous articles on an assigned topic and then write a paper based on what you read. That's fine for school papers, but it doesn't work for either Internet or newsstand publications. Research is definitely important, but you need current, original research and real-life examples to give your article a chance at being published on popular websites. Don't waste your time writing or submitting articles that deal in generalities. If your article reads like this recent submission to Business Know-How, it will quickly be deleted.

Don't Sound Like Sally

There are a number of individuals and small firms that offer article writing and submission services to website owners who want to drive traffic to their site. A few of these services are good, but like anything else, you often get what you pay for. And there are some services that seem to rewrite the same tired articles slightly for each new client.

The result: editors quickly learn what email addresses are associated with such writing and submission services. And here at Business Know-How, at least, we often delete those submissions without ever reading them.

Don't "Loose" Your Mind, Spell Checker, and Fact Checker

Then there are the articles that sound interesting but contain multiple common misspellings (such as loose instead of losing), or that contain factual inaccuracies. Good editors know the subject area their publications cover and know when something doesn't ring true. And while most editors realize it's easy for an occasional typo to slip through, the second time we read "You can avoid losing customers by…" will be the time when we click the X to send the open email to the trash.

How Can You Get Published, Then?

Not surprisingly, the secret to getting published by popular websites and online newsletters isn't much different than the "secret" to getting published in more traditional publications. If you want your article published by a website or online newsletter that reaches a large audience, keep these tips in mind:

1. Learn What Types of Articles the Website Publishes

Read back issues of newsletters and browse through articles visible on a website to see if your subject matter and approach fits in with the type of articles they regularly publish. Keep in mind that while a site for home businesses might occasionally publish an article about home storage solutions, such an article would need to focus exclusively on storage solutions for home offices. If the article talks about hanging onto your furnishings for years or how to make more space in your clothes closet, a business publication isn't going to use it.

2. Write About Your Area of Expertise

But do so without overtly promoting your own product or service. Offer little known-facts, productivity tips, or other information that readers can use and benefit from regardless of whether they use your services or not.

3. Offer to Write an Article or Column Exclusively for a Particular Website

Websites like to have a steady stream of exclusive content on their sites. It helps keep visitors coming back. But if you're going to offer to write content, be sure you have samples of your writing available to show the editor.  They'll want to know how well you write – and may want to see the finished piece, too, before agreeing to publish any articles you write.

4. Use Pertinent Anecdotes and Facts

Use specific examples to flesh out your articles. Instead of saying that many people are afraid to speak in public, give a real-life example of someone who was stressed out by the thought of speaking in public, and what steps they took to conquer the problem.

5. Be Careful With Your Resource Box

Authors who distribute articles for free usually include a resource box at the end of their articles. Typically this includes their name, email address, brief credentials (just a couple of lines), and a link to their website. However, some authors insist the entire resource box be included unchanged and then include calls to action similar to what one would find in direct marketing campaigns. For instance "Subscribe to our free email newsletter today and save 10% on your next purchase." Here at Business Know-How, and on other sites as well, an ad in your resource box and a statement requiring the complete resource box to be included unchanged in the published article will get your submission deleted.

6. Follow Up

If you are sure the article you submitted to a website or online newsletter was appropriate and well written, and that the publication to which you submitted it uses material from its audience, follow up once to be sure the editor got the article. Sometimes articles get overlooked or accidentally deleted due to the large volume of email and spam editors receive

Article Source: https://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/getpub.htm 

Make Money From Every Article You Write For Your Blog

Is it possible to make money writing articles for your blog?

There are many people who have tried it and most have failed. Yet there are other writers who not only earn a decent income from their blog, but some of them actually earn more than a full-time wage.

So what is it that they do right? Why are their blog posts so popular and how do they make money from blogging?

Well, to begin with, if you want to write articles for your blog, there are three important things that you need to consider before you start. But once you know what these are, it can kick-start your career as a blogger.

Know Your Reason For Writing Articles.

This is really important. You need to actually (and I mean literally) think really hard about why you want to write articles. Once you have your reason, then every article you write can work as a soldier for you, going out to achieve your article writing goal - as long as you know what that is.

How Are You Going to Earn Money?

There are several different ways that you can make money writing articles for your blog. You can write them to earn money from PPC advertising, or to sell a product, or to sell a service or to do affiliate marketing (or you can choose to use all of these). Once you know how you want to earn money from your blog you can then write articles that attract the most targeted readers so that you can maximize your blog income.

What Action Are You Looking For?

You need to also know what action you want your readers to take. Once they finish reading your articles, they always want to do something, so you have to know what that is.

Do you want them to click on a PPC advertisement? To make a purchase? To join your email list? To read about a service you're offering? To sign up for more information? Be sure of what it is that you want them to do and then tell them to do it.

And most importantly, don't forget that all your articles/posts need to read like a story so that your readers keep reading. In other words, make sure every article has a beginning, a middle and an end.

Start with an introduction of what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them how this information can help them, and what to do next.

That way all your articles can be your army of soldiers, helping you to earn money from everything you write.

Keep up to date with all the latest information to ensure that all your articles work like soldiers, going to the front line to help you dominate any online niche that you work in. Don't write blog articles that don't help you to earn money. Instead, get the best ROI from all your writing and online marketing. https://www.articlemarketingsoldiers.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ruth_Barringham/38265

Article Writing - 5 Important Factors For Peak Performance

1. Keywords

When most people enter a word or phrase into the search bar in their browser, they are most likely using either the Google, Bing or Yahoo search bars. The results of their query will bring the search engines best matches for the person.

The goal or ideal situation will be to find the articles on the first search engine results pages, or SERPs, for the keywords and subjects that are relevant to the content in that post. The first 3-5 keywords in the post will get a higher priority from the search engines.

It's a great idea to use a keyword tool. I think that the Free Google Webmaster Keyword Tool and the Jaaxy Keyword Tool, which has a free starter plan, are both awesome and I highly recommend them.

2. Title

Did you know that up to 95% of the article, post, or book success can be determined by the first 3-5 words in the title? Wow, that sounds like a really interesting and important factor to keep in mind, I'm sure you agree. A lot is determined simply by whether the piece sells, the demand or purchasing of the work. So choosing the title is not to be taken lightly, create keyword-rich titles that match the most commonly searched keywords for your topics, for best results with your articles, eBooks, etc.

Your article marketing strategy can be maximized simply by understanding keywords and how to create smart titles. These titles are closely matched to word phrases entered into the search bars on a daily basis. You can draw or attract lots of targeted traffic to your articles and website by understanding how the search engines work.

3. The Introduction or Summary

The purpose of your article summary is to lead an interested reader to check out the rest of your article. Start out by letting your audience know the benefits they will receive when they read your article.

The length of your article introduction should be somewhere between 3-8 sentences or about 2 paragraphs in length. Add a few keywords related to your article title within those few sentences.

With each post written, be sure to target your intended viewers and speak directly to them. Let them know that your article is written for their benefit and they should read the whole page.

There's no need to make the summary any more than 5-8 sentences, nor should you repeat the author's name in the introduction. Don't try to promote yourself or your business by adding a link or your URL address. All of these things, including email address, can be added at the end of the article. Don't put the title of the article in the 3-8 sentence summary either.

4. The Article Body

Choose a Font and letter size that you like, one that's easy to read with enough white space between lines and paragraphs. You can break your article down into an eye-pleasing, easy reading style, maybe with a numbered list or bullet points.

Share your expert strategies, tips, and knowledge. Your website should be filled up with quality posts or articles, relevant and useful for those searching for up to date information on the topics of your site.

Draw the reader to want more and to click on your site URL where there is a lot more relative information. Some will be persuaded to answer a call to action or even to make a purchase.

Put links in the end or conclusion of the article and draw readers to your website or to an affiliate site.

It's not a good practice to promote your own site in the article's body. The content should be in a manner that doesn't sound spammy. Save the links and self-promotion for the end.

Most website owners and publishers will not republish a self-promoting article and I'm sure that we all want as much exposure and circulation as we can get. It's always best to fill up the article's body with great quality content in a way that gives the reader something that answers their search entry.

The article's body should show your expert experience, knowledge, how-to info, and or advice. When writing the article always provide up-to-date, relevant, useful information with your readers and continuously build up your niche authority and trust.

Remember to bear in mind the article title and be sure to stay on the subject.

Always make it a point to keep the reader in mind and speak to them in your writing.

Also, remember to fit in your pre-chosen keywords at least a few times throughout the article body in a way that doesn't make the article sound unnatural.

5. Conclusion

This is how to close out or conclude the article and greatly increase traffic to your site:

Wrap up the post by making a few closing points within about a single paragraph, or a few sentences and lead the reader to your offer.

Be sure that your readers know that the article is written by an individual person. That alone will cause many to click on your site URL and check out your profile.

Sum up your offer, or unique selling proposition (USP) in one-three sentences and reach out and encourage the reader to visit your website or offer. Tell the reader to enter their name and email address or make a purchase and leave a valid URL address: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://yoursite.com">https://yoursite.com</a>. Don't hide the URL address in a word or anchor text. Using the full address will ensure that the link will remain active when a publisher uses your article.

Article marketing is a great way to improve your writing skills because of the volume of the content that you produce. So then, your writing skills will improve and continuously draw readers to your site to review and share the content found there.

Hi my name is Pete - If you would like to take advantage of an awesome Free Offer of 2 Websites and 10 Entrepreneur Certification Lessons then Sign Up Today @ [https://newcareerat40.com] at the page bottom.

Take all 10 lessons and build up your websites for Free - No Card Required

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Peter_Mangini/2298216