We have all had the experience of spending time writing up an article that we know everyone should read, only to have it flop. Nobody reads it in the article announcement lists. Nobody publishes it from the article directories. You get few incoming links and even fewer web visitors. Something just isn't working. This article will help you understand what the problem is and how to fix it so that your articles perform at their peak.
Article distribution is not a new phenomenon. It has been a way of marketing a business since before the internet even began. Professionals in local areas simply sent articles, how-to guides, tip sheets etc. to local newspapers and relevant local magazines. For example a real estate agent would write up "10 must do things before selling your house", send it by mail to local papers etc. and get an increase in business as a result.
The method isn't all that different online. You need to find topics that people really want/need to know about or can profit from knowing. Then you distribute your article through a variety of online article distribution sites such as http://www.reprint-content.com and hope that it gets picked up by a human, read, and acted on.
Because article directories are search based, proper keyword use is critical to your article marketing success. Even if you only distribute article through announcement lists, it is your use of keywords that can make all the difference to getting your article picked up or not. Since the goal of publishing an article is to get it read and acted on by as many people as possible you need your article to stand out. There are 4 areas where proper use of keywords will make a dramatic difference.
HEADLINE: Now I'm not going into a discussion of proper headline writing. There are lots of other resources out there. However with articles for distribution your title needs to do double duty. Not only does your headline need to capture a reader's attention, it should also include your primary keyword as close to the start of the title as possible. Article directories just don't have very good search function, so placing your keywords clearly at the start of the headline means that it will show up better in search results when people who want to PUBLISH your article are searching inside a directory. Just make it sound normal. If your main keyword for the article is "Sony DVD player" a headline like "Sony DVD players - fun for the family" is better than "Family fun with Sony DVD players".
ARTICLE BODY: One of the reasons many people choose to use reprint articles is to add content to their website. Having a decent keyword distribution (there is no known rule, but most people say use your primary keywords more at the start, less in the middle, and slightly more again at the end. Not only does this provide a more useful article to potential publishers, but it also helps your article be found by publishers
In Body links: Getting links is certainly an important part of article marketing. However you can't always put 'live' (e.g. < a href=...) links in articles. Many places only allow you to include your raw url (http://www.reprint-content.com for example). When you go to write your article, if you can use 'live' links, be sure to make the anchor text include the main keyword of the page the link is pointing to (not the main keyword of the article you are distributing).
Keyword List: Most article directories allow you to include a set of keywords that are relevant to your article. Include them. Take a moment to review your keyword list and use relevant keywords from that list. At the very least, be sure to include the primary and secondary keywords of the article you are writing. These are actually quite important. Not only do they help potential publishers find your articles in directories, but the keywords you supplied can then be used by the publisher to better optimize your article for their site. This means better search rankings for that article on the publisher's site, which means more traffic for you.
Writing articles isn't that difficult, you simply need to sit down and do it. Just pay attention to what you are doing and provide good, accurate, and valuable information to your readers. That is only one part of your success. You also need to make sure that your articles reach the biggest possible audience. You can't just be satisfied with submitting articles to 1/2 a dozen directories and distribution lists. You need to take charge and do whatever you can to make sure that your articles get maximum exposure. The most basic step is to use relevant keywords throughout your article as indicated above.
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