Saturday, February 28, 2009
Source: On Demand Knowledge Management Software & Service
Tags: Search Engine Optimization
Why article submission
1. Build Trust
From all the articles posted online, people will read about the author and the company. They will see that you know what you are talking about, and that you offer sensible, sane, advice. Do it right, and they will test everything else to see if it measures up to the standards you have set. In short, they will learn to TRUST you. And when they are ready to buy, they will either buy from you (if you have a product or service to sell), or they will listen to your recommendations - and buy through your affiliate links.
How will this happen?
Simply because you will provide solid, valuable, helpful content. AND they will see your name all over the web. Whichever way they turn, they will come across your name and your content. Again and Again. Pretty soon it becomes obvious who is the leader, the expert, the authority on this particular topic. And so they will come to your site already pre-sold on whatever you have to tell them.
2. Work for search engine
All that content, that is all over the web, is pure honey for the search engines! Like bees they swarm to it - all the more so since it is all unique content. They lap it up, process it, and serve it up to the public through the search engine results. After all, that is what search engines do best - discover unique content and provide it to the searching public.
Not only is there all that unique content, but in it there are links, correctly formatted links, that point back to your website. Not one or two, but hundreds. And, over time, not hundreds but thousands and tens of thousands! Now the search engines love you even more! Thousands of targeted links on themed content pages tells the search engine that your site is the authority on this particular niche. Especially when these links are coming from sites that the search engines have already rated as "authority" sites!
3. Built on sound principles
It has worked since the internet began. In fact it has worked since before the internet began, only back then you would have submitted your article to various newspapers or magazines for publication. And it will continue to work, because it is based on sound principles, not on the latest fad or gimmick.
How to do article submission
Step 1. Write an article about your niche.
But don't just write any old article. Write something that provides value. Answer a question that the reader has. And then suggest ways they can get more information, or point them in the direction of finding the products that will solve their problems.
On the internet it is not just about providing content, it is about providing unique content. And that is where all the submission services fall down. Every one of them sends out the same article all over the place. Yes, initially the search engines pick them all up, but then, with time, they sort through them and find they are all the same. They still remain indexed, but their value diminishes. They show up in the search engines less, and their links back to you count for less.
One of the most effective tactics is to do an article along the lines of "Don't buy X unless it meets these criteria" in which you spell out all the features they should be looking for in a product - which just so happen to match exactly the features of the product you are selling. If your niche is golf shoes then you might, for example, write an article on "How to Find the Perfect Golf Shoe".
Now, you can't actually put a link to your site inside the body of the article, as most article publishers will just remove it. But what you can do, indeed are expected to do, is to put a "resource box" at the end of the article with a link to your site. Something like this (no, the links don't work, it is just an example):
Sample:
--------
About the author: Joe Smith has specialized in Golfing Accessories for the past 5 years and has produced a free report that exposes the underhand techniques golf shoe companies use to sell you sub-quality merchandise. Don't be caught out. Get you free report on Golf Shoes now. You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.
--------
Step 2. Submit that article to all the top article directories, announcement lists, and ezine publishers
They will grab it, and either publish it on the web, or send it out in their ezine to their thousands of subscribers. Then other webmasters and ezine publishers will see it, and they too will pick it up and publish it... And on it goes, first hundreds then thousands of copies of your article all over the web, driving hordes of qualified buyers right to your website.
Where to publish article?
Just do a search on Google for "article directories" and "ezine publishers" and you will find literally hundreds of places to send your article. Just visit each one, fill in their form to register your account, then fill in their submission form, select the appropriate category and...
Step 3. Repeat. In fact, the best strategy is to do this once per week for every website you own. The results actually become exponential, as the more they see your name in print, the more credible you become, and the more likely it is that other publishers will pick up your articles and reprint them. In fact, quite frequently I have had people contact me asking for permission to print my articles offline in their magazine (a real paper and ink magazine)! How cool is that? Talk about free publicity! Of course I said "yes" each time.
By doing this, by the end of the year you will have tens or maybe hundreds of thousands of qualified, genuine, one-way links to your site. Plus all those different articles will show up for all sorts of "long-tail" searches (i.e. people typing three or more words into the search engines. You will start to receive traffic from all sorts of places you never previously new about.
Tools
Search Article Submitter on Google. The content of this post comes from the pitch of Unique Article Wizard
|