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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Using Article Marketing to Drive Traffic to your Website

Article marketing is an extremely effective way of increasing the amount of visitors to your website. Article submission sites provide a free showcase to display your skills and authority in your area of expertise, with the added benefit of providing free quality backlinks to your website. Article sites like Ezine Articles, Buzzle, and Go Articles, also allow you to write a small author bio to let readers know what you're all about. You have nothing to lose by submitting your content to article directories; it's free, easy to use, and can significantly increase your readership and search engine rankings.


Study the submission guidelines


Each article directory has their own way of doing things, and their own editorial guidelines. Some have strict rules regarding the structure of your articles, and the types of formatting to use; others prefer articles to be written from a third-person view point. It's important to study the submission guidelines for each separate directory, and ensure that you follow their specific rules.


Take time to craft your author bio


One of the biggest mistakes that people make when using article marketing, is to write an author bio along the lines of "Hi, this is me. Come look at my website!" This kind of bio is unprofessional and tells the reader nothing of interest.


Your author bio is the most important piece of information that will determine how a reader responds to your articles. You could write a top-class article that informs and engages your readers, but if they don't like what they read in your bio, they will click away and go somewhere else.


The tone of your bio is as important as what it contains. If you want to convey a sense of professionalism, you should avoid using first-person writing in your bio; if you would like to give readers a more personal connection to you, the first-person may be the best option.


Don't waste space with extraneous information; if you are trying to show readers how knowledgeable you are about parenting skills, there's no use including a long list of unrelated qualifications in physics and astronomy.


Be consistent
If you choose to submit articles to different article directories, rather than just one, make sure that your bio information is consistent across all of the directories. Don't sell yourself as a
reptile expert on one article directory, then a skin care expert on another; readers will spot the inconsistencies and become sceptical about your authenticity.


This also applies to other marketing methods, such as email marketing and social networking campaigns; make sure that you convey the same consistent message across all platforms.


Writing Articles
ake sure that each article is unique; do not submit the same article to different directories, as this can affect your articles availability in search engine results. Each article should also be a complete piece – not part of a series, or designed as part of a 'click here to read the rest of the article' campaign – and should provide a valuable piece of information for your reader.


Article structure
The structure of your article will depend, at least in part, on your chosen subject, but all articles need to have a beginning (an introduction), a body (where most of your information will be contained), and a conclusion (where you should either answer a question, or sum up the main parts of your article).


Paragraphs should be a maximum of ten lines long, and should be separated by a single line break. Each paragraph should stick to one single point, and make it clear to the reader what that point is. Cut unnecessary words from your article, and try to use language that is easily understandable for your readership. Avoid jargon and elitist language.


Grammar, punctuation, and capitalization
ood grammar and punctuation is essential if you want to be taken seriously. Never use 'text speak' or language that could be interpreted as prejudiced. Ensure all titles and subtitles are properly capitalized, as well as the first letter of each sentence.


Finally, know when to seek help. If you are not confident in your writing skills, grammar, punctuation, or marketing skills, seek advice from someone who can help you to craft your articles, and your author bio.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-tips-articles/using-article-marketing-to-drive-traffic-to-your-website-4581939.html#ixzz1JVOEfril
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