Article Submission vs Article Marketing

While a number of gurus have their own ideas, there are two ways to approach article marketing: one, for links value alone, and secondly to build a reputation as an expert and drive traffic. There are two different types of article writing to achieve each goal. Yes, it doe make a real difference, and knowing that difference can save you a lot of time and money. The link value type of article needs to be basic, information oriented, and properly keyworded. In the past, quality was ditched in favor of speed and cheapness, and articles were sent out to hundreds of directories at once. Those days are definitely over. Now that Google is taking a dimmer view of spamming for links,  writing an article is a necessity. By creating five different titles and descriptions, and uploading each version to 20 directories for a total of 100 submissions, you have pulled in a decent haul of links. Then a new article of at least 30-40% new content is created, and the process is repeated for the next 100 directories. It can be tedious, but it is well worth it. Doing it this way, links to be obtained from even the most obscure directories, which is appealing when a website is first starting out and needs to do bulk link building. Eventually, article marketing can be handled differently to create traffic as well. The first articles should be published under a pen name, but these new articles should be published under the name you are trying to brand with expertise. The second batch of articles needs to be highly polished and focused on answering a question that a web searcher may be asking in your industry or niche. The article still needs to have the correct keywords, but requires a higher caliber of writing skill and needs to be able to connect with the reader. Keep in mind these are written for humans and not search engines. If they article is optimized for a long tail phrase, it has a chance of ranking in Google for searches, and drawing in a targeted readership. If these viewers like what they read, they are likely to click through to your website. Impress them and keep their attention and have them wanting more by the time they reach the resource box. If you can create a host of well written articles just in the top two or three article directories, then link them together and create a network of valuable information, you will be establishing yourself as an expert and your articles will begin to dominate search results. Your ‘brand’ will become recognizable and people will start taking what you say seriously. The targeted traffic back to your website will result in visitors who are more likely to convert, increasing your ROI and giving you even better results. Your website and you accumulated material out across the web will allow you to stand head and shoulders above your competition and will position you as the authoritative voice for your readers. Don’t waste your resources when starting article marketing. Don’t waste material across a hundred directories as they will dilute their chances of ranking. Don’t try to pass off low quality  content as your brand builder – this can destroy your reputation quicker than anything else. Outsource your article marketing for links, and contract with an experienced SEO copywriter for your premier copy to create the best possible impression. Don’t forget to use two different names so you can promote one as your voice of authority. A word about duplicate content – doesn’t matter when you are marketing for links, does when you are marketing for visibility. Don’t be tempted to keep publishing your best articles across different content farms – this will keep them from ranking as well. When you just want links, you don’t have to worry about articles being carried across lots of obscure directories. Focus your main efforts on building fast links first using a few replicated articles, then settle down to creating exceptional work that will be restricted to one posting each and promoted via social bookmarking and networking. If all is done right, you will have links, traffic and the reputation of an authority.