Every webmaster knows that to gain ranking positions in search engines you need to build links. This usually means hours at a computer submitting your site to directories and emailing other webmasters requesting reciprocal links. There is another way of getting links which often overlooked and complements your current link building strategy, writing articles.
Regular new content is important for any website. By writing and distributing articles you can provide site owners with new content and at the same time get a back link or two for your site. In this article I’ll attempt to answer some of the most common questions asked by people considering article marketing as a way to promote their sites.
What should I be writing about?
It is always easier to write about what you know to start with. Once you develop your writing skills then you can move on to subjects you need to research. Always make sure that the topic is related to the site that you are promoting.
How are site owners going to find my articles?
Once you have written your article you submit it to Article Listing websites. These website provide a categorized list of articles that are free to use on websites as long as certain conditions are adhered to. One of these conditions is that all links must be live. When you submit your article you add a short biography and a link to your site in the resource box.
Don’t Webmasters just remove the links?
Yes this does happen but not as often as you think. It is very easy to track these webmasters down. Use a tool like Google alerts which checks the Internet for relevant key phrases. It is very useful if you add a unique key phrase to your articles that you can enter into the search tool. You can also search for your name to ensure that all the links are live.
How long should the articles be?
There is no fixed length recommended. If you try to keep between 350 and 500 words you should be fine. Some people write much longer articles but I see this as a bit of a waste of time as a 2000 word article could easily be split into 4 500 word articles and give you 4 links back to your site.
How many sites should I submit to?
That is a matter of personal choice some people believe that you should submit them to as many as possible, personally I only submit to 2 or 3 sites with a Google PR of 3 and above. My personal belief is that this keeps the articles unique enough to benefit any webmasters who use the articles.
How many Articles should I write?
Write as many as you can. Some people find they can only write 1 or 2 a day while others like my wife can churn our 25-30 in a day. Set yourself a target of writing 1 before breakfast everyday to start with and then take it from there