Article marketing is an effective way to broaden the online presence of any small business. By distributing articles to multiple article directories on the Internet, your business can reap the benefits ranging from an increase in web traffic, lead generation, new customers and a solid reputation on the Internet. It’s a simple concept that has the potential to take your business to the next level and higher.

The foundation of article marketing has evolved from a well-known strategy called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO; a practice where web pages are optimized with keywords and published online in an effort to increase search engine rankings. There are three steps to article marketing; research, writing the article and distribution.

Research

The first step is keyword research. It is vital to inundate your article with keywords that you want to rank well for in the search engines. For example, assume I sell used DVDs online. I would research what keywords people are searching for relative to the term DVD (i.e. rent DVD, DVD rentals, DVD, or buy DVD). I would then make a list of approximately 10 or so of these keywords that I would want to sprinkle throughout my article. This step is relatively simple and only takes about 30 or so minutes; unless of course you are still on dial up.

Writing the article

You cannot just put together a glob of information and call it an article. If you have this skill, you can write the article yourself or hire someone to do it for you. The goal here is to write an objective article related to DVDs; and naturally placing the keywords within the content of the article. The article should not be a sales pitch or an advertisement. In fact, most article directories will not even accept articles written with a “sales type” approach. The article should be written with the intention to educate consumers about some aspect of DVDs. It’s always helpful to have a catchy title for your article. In addition to keyword rich article, a second critical component of this strategy must include the distribution of a website’s URL, commonly referred to as back link. Most, if not all, article directories allow for an author resource box where links can be easily placed. Publishing a website’s address at the end of articles will allow interested readers to conveniently visit the site by clicking on that link.

Distribution

This is the component of article marketing that takes some time. There are approximately 200 or so directories online that allow marketers to post articles. It is good practice to manually submit these articles to each directory; as most directories have banned article distribution via automated software. Besides, by using automated software, there is less control of the article and the article resource box.

Article Marketing Does More Than You Think

Article marketing does more than simply reinforce your internet visibility. Unlike direct advertising, it actually presents an opportunity to educate your target consumer group in an effort to build long term, profitable relationships with them. Paid advertisements usually lose potency and relevance over time. But a well written article will continue to be republished on various newsletters, websites, forums and blogs; and trigger a viral marketing effect that will last for months at a time.

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