Article Marketing – Grabbing Links With Content

When you ask about getting links for your organic SEO marketing, you’re often told to start article writing – but is it an easy way to get links? Well, sure – but is it an easy way to get traffic? Yes, if you’re good at it. No, if you churn out poorly written articles with the same information as thousands of other articles out there.

Article Marketing & Links

First of all, back links in the right places can give your website great exposure. Article marketing is one of the most effective ways to gain viable links—are you good at writing articles or are you prepared to hire a ghostwriter. Focus on quality over quantity, strategically choose where to publish, and position yourself as an industry expert. By doing so, you’ll build powerful links and gain the recognition you deserve. Share your expertise wisely and watch your influence grow.

The concept of article marketing goes like this:

1. You write an article and put a compelling resource box with your website link at the end of the content.
2. You submit your article to an article site, gaining a back link.
3. Depending on which site you submitted to, that site passes your article on to other sites, which provide you with more back links.
4. People read your article and pass it on to others so your site gets exposure.
5. Some of those people publish your article on their websites or blogs – more links, more exposure.
6. Other people publish your article in their newsletters – more links, more exposure.
7. Still others may publish your article in an eZine or eBook – more links, more exposure.

Now, the hope is your article will go from 1 to 7. It might… if it’s interesting and/or unusual. Another hope is at step 2, where you submit your article to a very topic relevant site, such as a health site (instead of article directory) for a health article. You then get a very relevant back link, as well as relevant traffic.

Here are a few reasons why some articles never get to #7:

• Many articles currently available on the web are… well, blah. They’re boring, with standard (or sub-standard) information that’s been shared several times before in exactly the same way.
• Many articles suffer from poor English or poor structure. They’re difficult to read and understand, leaving them destined for the cutting room floor. These articles become the wallflowers of content, never taken out and shown to the world. Write with clarity and purpose to ensure your articles stand out and engage your audience.
• Some articles boast great English, perfect grammar, and excellent flow, but they’re so full of industry terms that the average layperson can’t understand them. While they might be seen, you want to attract the layperson to your site, right? Write with clarity and accessibility to ensure your content resonates with a broader audience and drives more traffic to your site. After all, if you have a business to consumer (B2C) company, you want the consumer – not your competition – to understand what you’re saying.

The Misconception of Volume in Article Marketing

Many think the answer to not reaching #7 is to just add volume to their article marketing. If two articles don’t perform well, maybe putting out twenty would help. It seems reasonable; it’ll bring twenty beautiful links.

Quality Over Quantity in Link Building

Yet, what are links without traffic? In addition, it’s probably helpful to realize that, while Yahoo may count ten links from the same site as ten links, Google generally only counts it once. To Google: 500 links from the same site = 1 link from the site. If you’re going for quantity rather than quality, you’d better find a few hundred article sites.

Rethinking Your Article Marketing Strategy

Before your next article marketing campaign, ask yourself what article marketing is for, and look at the sites you’ve previously used. You see, although article marketing brings back links, it’s really recognition you want. You want to garner enough positive attention that people start coming to you as an industry expert.

Position Yourself as an Industry Expert

Rather than submit, submit, submit, be the industry expert you are. Consider the information you’ve gathered through the years as a high commodity. Don’t share it with the world; be picky (or precise, if you’d like a more professional word) about the sites you put that information on. If you carefully consider each site in terms of relevance, traffic and interested visitors – and carefully write your articles in terms of quality, tone and information – your article marketing will be a grand success. Would love to hear your input.

A Final Note

In the world of article marketing, the key to success isn’t just about volume; it’s about strategy and quality. Focus on building high-quality links and gaining recognition as an industry expert. Be selective about where you publish your content, ensuring each site aligns with your goals and attracts the right audience. By prioritizing relevance, traffic, and engagement, you’ll create a powerful article marketing campaign that truly stands out. Remember, it’s not about how much you share, but how effectively you do it. Share your expertise wisely and watch your influence grow.