What are the Two Goals of Article Marketing?

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.

The first 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. With Google taking a dimmer view of spamming for links, most SEO professionals recommend writing an article, creating five different titles and descriptions, and uploading each version to 20 directories fore a total of 100 submissions. Then a new article of at least 30-40% new content is created, and the process is repeated for the next 100 directories.

This allows 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. After a time, however, article marketing can begin to 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 need to be highly 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. While the first wave of articles are meant more as a vehicle for a link, these articles are actually intended for human consumption.

If they article is properly optimized for the long tail phrase, it has a chance of ranking itself 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, so it is imperative to 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.

It is important not to waste your resources when starting article marketing. Don’t waste superb material across a hundred directories as they will dilute their chances of ranking. Likewise, don’t try to use sub-par content as your brand builder – this can destroy your reputation more quickly than anything else. Outsource your article marketing for links, and contract with a highly qualified copywriter for your premier copy to create the best possible impression, and 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.