ARTICLES & Blog

ARTICLES OVERVIEW

Article distribution has grown into one of the web’s most popular viral marketing strategies for sites of all types. Although many bloggers are not acquainted with this technique, they benefit as much from it as can any other site. Promoting with articles not only creates a direct stream of traffic from your article, it also enhances your backlink totals, making your blog even more attractive to the search engines.
The underlying idea of this strategy is relatively simple. You write an article (preferably something directly related to the subject matter of your blog). You then make the article available to others free via one or more article repository sites. Webmasters looking for content for their sites find your article at the repository and then use it on sites they own. The article contains a “resource box” that includes a little information about you and a link back to your blog. Thus, every time the article is used, another link back to your blog is generated.
The unquenchable thirst for valuable content makes this technique a real winner. A single article on a hot topic may eventually find its way onto scores of other websites. Each time that article is used, your traffic potential is enhanced.
Surfers who find and read the article may be inspired to stop by the source’s blog for more quality information. Search engines, meanwhile, will notice the links and make note of them, increasing the standing of your blog in terms of search results.

WRITING AN ARTICLE
One can write articles from scratch on topics related to their blog’s subject or they can produce articles based on posts already placed on the blog.
In order to avoid any potential risk of a duplicate content penalty from Google or other search engines, it is generally a good idea to produce an article that is not merely a word-by-word reproduction of an existing post. The risk of experiencing problems is minimal and could only occur in some fairly specific circumstances, but the ease with which a post can be modified while turning it into an article is slight enough to justify taking a little extra care.
Remember, although the articles will serve as a form of advertisement for your blog, they should be informative and compelling pieces, not just a direct pitch for visitors to stop by! Ideally, your article will serve to show off some of your better writing and insight and will persuade readers to take a look at what else you have to offer. Well-written pieces are also more likely to be nabbed by webmasters on the hunt for free content.
Ideally, articles used for this strategy should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 to 700 words.

WRITING THE RESOURCE BOX
The resource box will contain whatever biographical information you would like to impart, along with a note about your blog and its URL. It is critical to make sure your site’s address is included in the resource box—that is how others will find their way from your article to your blog.
Most article repositories will have a size limitation on the resource box in order to prevent people from writing advertising copy for their site or blog. Be prepared to provide a brief synopsis of who you are and what your blog does in the resource box.
Optimally, your resource box will contain your name, a brief observation or two about your experience or expertise in the field under consideration, a note that you operate a blog (make sure to include the blog’s title), and a link to the blog. There is no need for superfluous information. Your goal is to put a “face” on the well-written article you have provided. If your article is effective, the end result will be success. If the article is miserable, no amount of hyperbole in a resource box will help you.

SUBMITTING THE ARTICLE
There are scores of sites that will accept your article. A quick Google search of “submit articles” or even “free articles” will give you a variety of options.
Many sites limit acceptance to articles on a particular theme. For instance, there are many business-related article repository sites. These sites will not be interested in your article about dog grooming, no matter how often you send it their way! Only submit articles to sites that are a good match for your article’s content.
Some sites will allow you to instantly submit an article using an online form. Others may require you first create a free author’s membership. This is a relatively quick and painless process. Since you will be promoting your blog with some regularity via the use of articles, it is worth setting up these accounts at some of the higher profile article sites.
When submitting your article, make sure it is consistent with all requirements. Some sites have different rules about the inclusion of HTML in an article, for instance. Also make sure your resource box is properly formatted and that you will end up with a “live link” back to your blog upon completion.

REPETITION
Increasing traffic via the submission of articles is a great way to give your blog a boost. One great aspect of this traffic-generation technique is that it is not merely a one-shot proposition. You can repeat the process as often as you would like, simply by writing a new article.
Some bloggers will author a new article monthly. Others weekly. Some will just do it when the mood strikes them. Every new article sent out into cyberspace, however, has the potential of creating a flood of links back to your site, as well as convincing some article readers to visit.
Thus, it should be repeated whenever it is feasibly possible. Additionally, the process becomes a bit faster each time it is undertaken. You will have author accounts established.
You can also maintain a list of the article submission sites you use, making it easy to find and access them. Articles are an amazing way to create free links back to your site. Links, as noted, are one of the key components to traffic success vis-à-vis search engines.
This is a powerful strategy and is one that is too often overlooked by bloggers.

BONUS TIPS:
1. Hot Topics! Your article is likely to find a home on more websites and to attract more interest if it provides information about a red-hot topic. If there is some aspect of your subject matter that is of particular interest, consider authoring an article on that topic.
2. Consider Automation! There are products available that will allow you to submit your articles to hundreds of article repositories automatically. They decrease the amount of time required to effectively implement an article distribution strategy. These tools may be a wonderful fit for a blogger who is really interested in driving a great deal of traffic to a blog on a very competitive subject matter. There is a cost involved and there are some concerns about the efficacy of automatic submission, but it is worth investigation if you are ready to take your article distribution plan to “the next level.”