We all know what wonders article directories can do with the right technique and also proper planning, but alas there are still tons of people out there who are clueless. Low quality articles, writing styles that are downright annoying and not marketing the articles all make up the deadly sins of the article marketing world.

But What Is Article Marketing?!

Simply put it’s the act of making articles work for you as marketing agents – either by driving more traffic to your site, influencing readers to buy something, generating more followers etc.

Your article gets read and it sets in motion activities that are designed to provide benefit to you, and also the reader of course.

OKAY… So Tell Me How?

Article directories – sites that allows authors to freely post articles about a wide range of topics or categories. You write a high quality article about a topic or subject of your expertise, and submit it to the article directories. Article directories help your articles with exposure, better visibility to search engines and a huge reader base, and help drive traffic back to your site – when done properly.

When deciding on which article directory you would like to submit to, please do your homework and select it based on the following principles:

• Relevance – if you’re marketing SEO services, Google for sites that make the best sense and impact
• Demographics – this is tricky but take time to research and assess if the demographics targeted are a fit for your articles
• Services you are offering – try to post to article directories which have a healthy, steady stream of articles pertaining to your topic or subject matter

Consider your end goal in writing or submitting the article – research keywords, utilize proper SEO tactics (keyword density, keyword relevance, semantics, links etc) and determine your strategy. Don’t be afraid to change your articles in terms of paragraph placements, grammar, approach (critical, review, informational) and test what works best for you.

This step also involves making a list of article directories which best suit your purpose.

2. WRITING

List out the key ideas, keywords and general notes – then get to actually writing the article. It’s a good idea to limit the article length to around 500 words. If you can’t write, outsource it but ensure you properly edit or manage the process to get quality articles.

3. MARKETING

The final step is submitting the articles to the article directories you chose earlier. Don’t submit a whole bunch at one time, 1 to 2 will be a good bet. Also make sure that the link that points back to your website allows you to track the source. It’s recommended to do this so you know exactly which article directory works and which does not.

And that’s it folks. I hope this will help you write great stuff and bring about success in your journey in the world of article marketing.