Among marketing strategies, writing for
article directories is certainly up there. It offers a large readership with
the advantage of having those readers click back to your site.
While it is writing for free, it should be
considered a part of your business expense, at least your time aspect of it.
Just like any other form of marketing it is used to create and increase your
visibility. It’s an investment.
I know it can get tedious having to write and
submit articles to the directories, but the articles don’t have to be long.
Here are 7 steps to writing for the directories:
1. Create a title
You want your title to be search engine
friendly. Be sure you have your keyword/s in it–make it specific also. It has
recently been determined that shorter titles work better than longer ones. You
can create a “How to” title; a “Steps” title, or a “List” title. An example of
a search engine friendly title is the title of this article.
If possible, it’s also advisable to have
your keyword at the beginning of your title.
2. Write an outline
This is optional, because there are many
writers who can write with the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants method. But, if
you are more comfortable with an outline, that’s fine. It does provide
structure.
3. Create List, How-to, and
Step-by-Step articles
This is a popular way to go. Readers love to
see simple 1, 2, 3 lists of what they should do or should NOT do.
Be sure to include your keyword/s in the
first paragraph and a couple of times throughout the article. Just don’t overdo
it.
4. Parts of the article
Your first paragraph should be interesting
and let the reader know what the article is about, but don’t give away too
much–you want the reader to continue reading.
Your second paragraph or section should
inform and elaborate on the first paragraph. This part should fulfill the
reader’s expectations.
Your last paragraph should sum up what the
article is about and conclude with a lead-in to your resource box.
5. Write the minimum word count or
just above
Check the guidelines for each particular
directory. The minimum word count is usually around 400. But, check the site to
make sure. Burn-out is easy with article marketing, especially if you’re
ghostwriting articles as well as writing for your own sites. Keeping articles
short and to the point helps in this area.
6. The resource box
Some sites allow you to include a resource
box which is about you and what you can offer the reader. Check the site’s
guidelines because they may have specific requirements for the length of the
resource box in relation to the length of the article.
7. SUBMIT
Once your article is complete, submit to a
number of article directories. A couple of popular directories are Ezine
Articles, Associated Content, Article City,
Suite101, and Helium. Since the popularity and effectiveness of directories can
change, you may need to do a bit of research for this step. But, those listed
should be a good bet.
Note: It’s not essential, but if possible change the title
of the article and at least the beginning content a bit when submitting to
multiple article directories. This will make the search engines think the
content is new.
That’s about it. Write, write, write . . .
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