SUBMIT ARTICLES TO DIRECTORIES

Grow Your Traffic by Submitting Articles to Article Directories. Here Is How You Do It Successfully.

When you are developing your SEO Strategy, it is always important to remember that one-way links are more important than reciprocal links (which can hurt you if you have to many). To get high-quality, one-way backlinks for your website or blog, you should submit articles to directories.

Submit Articles to Directories: Why Do It?

The main reasons you should submit articles to directories are to get backlinks that will improve your PageRank, help you move up the search engine ranks, and increase your website or blog traffic. It also helps you practice your writing skills. Since there is only the expenditure of time and no mentionable drawbacks if you submit articles to directories, do it!

Submit Articles to Directories: What You MUST NOT Do

When you submit articles to directories, there is one thing you must not do under any circumstances: copy or duplicate content. Do not write an article and submit it to multiple article directories.

Many article directories will screen for this themselves, but some don't. If you duplicate content, Google will find it and penalize you by completely ignoring or penalizing all duplicate content. So, naturally, you would NOT want to copy an article you have already posted on your website or blog and then submit the same article to a directory. I made a version of this mistake when I first published this website. Here is a tip on What Not to Do.

Article marketing can be a very powerful tool in your arsenal, but each time you submit articles to directories, they must be unique. The penalty Google applies to your website will more than offset any benefit you might have received from the article directory. If you are going to write about a topic already covered on your website or blog, make sure that the articles are at least fifty percent unique. Any less is asking for trouble.

Additionally, don't post any articles until you have written 30-40 articles for your website or blog. You should submit articles to directories with the intent to augment your main website. If you haven't spent time building it up, do that before submitting elsewhere. Plus, if you submit articles to directories before you get your website up and running, you lose the major benefit of doing it in the first place since you won't be able to get a backlink for your effort.

Don't be too lengthy. If you can't write a good, concise article in 300 to 700 words or so, pick a different subject. Dissertations are not for article directories. Turn your dissertations into individual websites. Submit articles to directories that are short, beneficial to readers, and to-the-point.

Submit Articles to Directories: What You MUST Do

When you go to submit articles to directories, each article directory will stipulate the editorial guidelines by which you must abide. And, you MUST abide by them. Don't try to fudge even a little bit. All the good article directories have a review process that will ensure your article submissions are in 100% compliance. If you don't comply, they won't post it. You either have to go back and edit/resubmit or give up. So, pay attention to their guidelines and follow them exactly.

You also must pay attention to keywords. You need to know where your keywords go and where they don't go. This is covered more in the next section:

Submit Articles to Directories: How to Be Successful

When it comes to finding success for your website as you submit articles to directories, the submission process should be a part of your overall SEO Strategy. Likewise, the same things that will make your website pages rank well will make your submitted articles rank well.

There are several components you should address when writing for article directories. If you apply these principles to the appropriate areas, you will be much more successful than if you do not:

HEADLINE - The headline is crucial to the success of your articles. In fact, it will likely make or break it. Learn how to write a good headline. Use the headline to engage your reader immediately. Spice it up and make it exciting. Include your keyword.

INTRODUCTION - The headline should make the reader want to keep reading. The introduction should fulfill that desire by keeping his attention. Use questions, anecdotes, or shock and awe tactics to keep them reading and interested. Don't preach, but do tell them what benefits you are going to provide for them with your content, tips, methods, or instructions.

BODY - Keep it short, logical, and to the point. Go step-by-step with explanations, and try to start each sentence, step, tip, technique, etc. with an action verb (examples: use, move, wrap, allow, show, push, make, etc.). Minimize your use of words ending in "-ly" or "-ing" (examples: likely, walking, boring, hurriedly, etc.) unless your use of specific terminology makes them necessary. Remember, you are writing for your reader, not yourself. Make sure it is crystal clear so that he will not have trouble understanding it. Choppy sentences are fine, just make sure you are understood. Keep the paragraphs small (around four sentences each), and keep the sentences short (shoot for about seventeen words or less for each one). Use lots of "white space" by having short paragraphs separated by breaks. And, be sure to scatter your keyword throughout the body of the article.

CLOSING PARAGRAPH - Reiterate the benefits the reader will obtain by doing what you just said. Will he gain money or skills? Confidence? Safety or security? Will he save time? Tell him again!

RESOURCE BOX - Don't toot your horn too much here, but do include a short statement that tells your reader what you can do for him. Include a link to your website or blog that uses the webpage's keyword as anchor text. If more than one link is allowed, use the second to give something away for free ("For a free report on ###, go here!"). Don't try to sell people anything in a resource box. Get them to your website or blog, and do your selling there. Sell your stuff to them once they have benefited from the article and have decided to visit your website or blog.

Following these guidlines will help you greatly when you submit articles to directories. Remember to do these things and maximize your keyword exposure, get more backlinks, and see your website's traffic increase.

Submit Articles to Directories: Where to Submit?

So, where do you go to submit articles to directories? There is no shortage of places. The site that is probably the most respected and well-established is Ezine Articles. Articles submitted to this article directory will generate very valuable backlinks to your website.

There are, however, plenty more from which you can choose. Here is a sample of sites where you can potentially get backlinks:

Go Articles Article City Free Content

Amazines Article Dashboard Submit Your Article

iSnare Web Articles Article Cube

Article-Buzz Free-Articles-Zone Article World

Impact Articles Article Alley DirectoryGold

Article Fever Content Articles Software Marketing Resource ACC Article Directory Article Niche

Article Central WebProNews Idea Marketers

Site Reference Promote News Article Finders

Any backlink you can get is good. Submit articles to directories on a regular basis, and you should see your rankings improve. It takes time and effort, but is worth it! If you want even more options for submitting articles, click here.

Submit Articles to Directories: Extra Benefits

There are a few other benefits to be had when you submit articles to directories. Each will probably provide some version of this, but Ezine Articles gives you two "bonuses" when you have articles successfully submitted to them.

First, Ezine Articles will send you a summary of the three articles that drew the most visitors at the end of each month. They will also tell you what keywords people used to search for those. This is a great idea-generating tool that can help you chose topics for future articles.

Second, Ezine Articles allows authors to edit anytime they so desire. This is great as it allows you to update when you find better keywords or want to add new information.

Submit Articles to Directories: Conclusion

When it comes to generating website or blog traffic, you can't really go wrong if you submit articles to directories. Each backlink you generate will help your website gain ranking and importance. As part of your SEO Strategy, set aside regular time to write keyword-focused articles for various directories.

After you have a content base, have spent focused time Getting Website Traffic, and have implemented the Monetization Options you chose as part of your Website Monetization plan, there is still more to do.

You never reach perfection when it comes to managing a website or blog. That means there is always room for improvement. Click the link to learn about a few basic Website Improvements you should implement or incorporate into your management.