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It's
still a buzz industry even after all these years. Usually, with Internet
marketing, someone comes up with a good idea that quickly gets abused
and run into the ground. After a short burn, it dies off like a supernova.
However, article distribution has held its own because of several
factors, not the least of which is its ability to generate links.
As a copywriter, I produce many articles each month
for clients that help them achieve several online marketing goals,
including building link popularity. But, lately, questions about
the quality of the links from article sites have come up.
I have my own opinions, which I'll get to in a moment,
but I also wanted to check with some well-known and trusted industry
sources, so I sent out a couple of emails to a few friends. Below
are their responses to the questions:
Are
links from article directories still worth having or have they
lost their impact? In essence, is it still worth doing article
distribution from an SEO perspective to get links from directories?
You can't talk about article submissions without
bringing up one of the oldest and most respected sites online: IdeaMarketers.com.
Owner Marnie Pehrson first launched this site way back in 1998 before
the Internet gave much thought to marketing through articles. As
times have radically changed, Marnie has kept pace making unique
and important changes to her site.
When asked the questions above, Marnie responded,
"Whether it’s an article directory or any other high-traffic/well-established
site, a link prominently displayed on an authoritative site is a
good link. Lumping all article submission sites together is rather
unfair because they are all certainly not the same.
"Many have pitiful PageRank and bury your article
deep within their pages to boot. That’s why we implemented
our bidding system at IdeaMarketers. You have the chance to be featured
on pages that search engines give more weight to. We include anchor
text links in the listings as well, which makes them all the more
valuable. So, while some links from poor-quality article directory
sites are most likely not worth much, links from well-established
heavy hitters can still help your link popularity."
You might be thinking, Of course an article
directory site owner would say that! But, she happens to be
right. There are a slew of cheap, fly-by-night article sites online
that are literally here one day and gone the next. There are still
more that stay active for a while, then slowly grind to a halt.
When you check the last time they added any articles to the mix,
you might find it was 2006. Your focus needs to be on quality, active
sites. One prominent linking pro agrees.
Does link-building
specialist Debra Mastaler from Alliance-Link think article distribution
still has merit? "Yes, it's still worth using the article directories
as a way to accumulate inbound links. Links embedded in your content
will pass link popularity, provided the directory pages they're
sitting on have been indexed.
"Mix up your anchor text and use links to your internal pages
as well as your home page. Doing so helps stream link popularity
and visitors to your revenue-producing product pages."
Tips for Effective Article Distribution
I said I'd give my two cents worth, so here it is:
I agree with Marnie and Debra. You can't stereotype all article
submission sites. You have to pick and choose. As I discussed in
my previous article about duplicate
content issues with article distribution, there are things you
can do to improve your success. In addition to the three tips given
here:
> > avoid article-blaster software
> > only use sites that allow HTML and
> > establish the article on your own site prior to distributing,
you can also:
Choose
Quality Sites - While most PageRank (PR) indicators are
not accurate, they can give you a general idea of where a site
stands. Choose sites with a minimum PR of 3.
Check
for Updates - When is the last time a particular article
site added content? They normally print the published date for
each article. Flip through a few categories and make sure the
site is timely.
Find
Backlinks - Using sites that have lots of traffic pointed
in its direction is always a good idea. After all, while SEO is
a wonderful benefit of article marketing, establishing yourself
as an expert and branding your company are prime perks as well.
Nobody wants to place articles on distribution sites and have
them sit, unused, for eternity. The entire goal is to use high-traffic
sites that allow others to find and reprint your material. Aim
for sites with plenty of backlinks.
Article marketing has been an exceptional way to
get the word out long before the Internet burst onto the scene.
When you add the ability to build link popularity to the enormous
exposure that's possible with this type of promotion, you get a
highly effective method that drives traffic, positions you as an
expert, reinforces your brand and allows for infinite promotion
of your business. Pretty darn good deal, if you ask me!
Karon
Thackston is developer of Article Marketing & Distribution,
a course available exclusively at Search Engine College. Take Karon's
course today at http://www.searchenginecollege.com/article-marketing-distribution-course.shtml.
Subscribe to Karon's copywriting blog at http://www.marketingwords.com/blog.
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