Internet Article Marketing Strategy – Unleashing the True Power of Article Directories

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By Sufidreamer

Using article directories as the foundation of an internet article marketing strategy is the road ahead
See all 5 photos
Using article directories as the foundation of an internet article marketing strategy is the road ahead
An internet marketing strategy that does not unlock the potential of article directories will soon founder
An internet marketing strategy that does not unlock the potential of article directories will soon founder

Most businesses working online have heard of article directories, such as Ezine, where you submit content, and are aware that a good internet article marketing strategy cannot avoid their potential. The idea is elegant in its simplicity; you submit articles, and others are free to use them and distribute it around the internet, on the condition that they include backlinks to your site.

Article directories are well known by webmasters and marketers, who understand that a high-quality article site gives good quality backlinks and instant kudos with Google. Many of these flood the sites with spun content, hoping to gain an advantage in the search engine rankings.

Internet Article Marketing Strategy and Backlinks – An Unhealthy Fixation

Many of these marketers outsource work, use article-spinning software, or hire cheap freelance writers. This attitude is fine if you are chasing Adsense and affiliate sales, where you might get away with broken English and stilted, non-natural writing. However, this paradigm has leached over into mainstream marketing, and there is now a prevailing attitude that it is not worth paying a professional writer to submit content to article sites.

I have seen many articles, on Ezine, where the business owner has tried to hack some copy together, or has outsourced the work to the notorious article mills. They then sit back, waiting for the clients to roll in, and are surprised when this approach does not work. The problem with this plan is that they became fixated on one aspect of article marketing, back linking, and failed to understand the true power of an internet article marketing strategy.

Internet article marketing strategies are the key to success
Internet article marketing strategies are the key to success

Basing Your Internet Article Marketing Strategy around Quality

Stepping away from online marketing for a while, think about what type of strategy you use in the real world. Most businesses, if they want to generate good business, focus their efforts on producing high-quality brochures and postcards, and delivering them to targeted areas.

Moving back online, that is the same type of approach that you should adopt with your internet article marketing campaign, and you should see your articles as more than a cheap source of backlinks. Articles can actually form the backbone of your marketing strategy and drive high-quality traffic to your website.

Many businesses simply do not understand the power of article marketing sites, and seeing using them as glorified link-farms misses the potential of two other marketing methods, direct referrals and organic growth.

The Power of Direct Referrals and your Internet Article Marketing Strategy

Sites such as Ezine, with its very stringent quality controls and human editors, are loved by the search engines. As a result, an SEO optimized Ezine article will often appear higher on search-engine rankings than your actual site. Sites such as Hubpages, with its high Google ranking, are also excellent mediums to dominate Google search results for targeted keywords.

As a result of this search engine impact, potential clients are likely to land there first and, if your articles are filled with empty-content, they are not going to click on the link. If you want to use article to their fullest potential, you need to treat them as if they were content on your own site; they are often the point of first contact and you must make an instant  impression.

Internet article marketing strategies can hit the heights of success, using the true power of article directories
Internet article marketing strategies can hit the heights of success, using the true power of article directories

Making the Internet Work for You - Organic Links Keep on Giving

If you do your keyword research and manage to get your Ezine article onto the front pages of the search engines, then there is one other benefit of using a professionally written article. If the article is well written, then others are likely to pick it up and use it, which will include the embedded links. Apart from giving you a little more Google love, through organic backlink growth, this also increases your reach and the chance of direct referrals.

With a powerfully written, informative article, others are going to do the marketing for you, by distributing your links around the internet. This is the true power of article marketing sites, not this vague idea of building a few backlinks. There are other ways of building Google backlink love, and using article-marketing sites purely for this purpose is missing out on the true potential. With a good, high-quality article, the backlinks will multiply, without any extra effort or expense.

Using a Professional Writer as the Foundation of your Internet Marketing Strategy

If you look at many of the article sites, you will see that many of the articles are merely sales pitches, two or three hundred words of clumsy language. Most people do not understand the art of writing web content and articles, which requires the careful touch of a master craftsman.

if you intend to sell something online, then going for the cheap option is a non-starter; you might think that you have a great deal by finding a reasonably competent writer, who will throw out articles at $5 a time. If this does not increase sales conversions, or the articles migrate into the Google sandbox, then you have thrown that money away.

A professional writer has the ability to write an article, seemingly about an unrelated subject, but use layered content and language to guide the reader gently down to the link at the bottom. Article sites invariably include your link at the bottom of the page, so you have to make sure that the content is well written and informative, enticing the reader down to the final paragraph and the all-important link.

Freelance Writer Editor

Please feel free to visit my personal site if you are interested in hiring a professional article writer to promote your business and increase the reach of your internet article marketing strategy.

A Freelance Writer Editor lies at the heart of your internet article marketing strategy
A Freelance Writer Editor lies at the heart of your internet article marketing strategy

Internet Article Marketing Strategy – Unleashing the True Power of Article Directories – Many businesses, as part of an internet article marketing strategy, submit batches of articles to the article directories, hoping to gain backlinks for their site. They fail to understand the true power of article directories, which can be part of an internet article marketing strategy if quality content is used to drive direct referrals and promote organic growth.

Hire a Professional Writer – Writing Quality Web Content – Quality web content is important to businesses, as the final interface between customer and business, the deal closer. If you look at the best sites, they understand that unique, high quality content is the king. As search engines change their algorithms, to filter out poor quality articles, businesses with the foresight to invest in a professional freelancer are the ones most likely to succeed.

Hiring a Freelance Writer Editor for Press Releases and Sales Letters – Press releases are an often forgotten way of generating publicity, yet are a great way of informing potential clients of new developments in a business. A high quality press release can create interest and give businesses a distinct advantage in the cut-throat world of internet advertising.

Nell Rose profile image

Nell Rose Level 8 Commenter 2 years ago

Hi, you are so right. I have noticed since I have been writing for Hubpages, that when I look around the internet, I see it with different eyes. When you just use it for looking something up, you don't notice the bad spellings, or the bad grammar, but when you write yourself, you see it from a writers point of view. And some sites are appallingly bad. As you say, if someone is going to pay you to write for them, whether they think they are getting a good cheap deal, it is in your interest to write it properly and with a bit of style, so you can earn from your links and other people seeing how professionally you do write. Nell

Hello, hello, profile image

Hello, hello, 2 years ago

This is a wonderful masterpiece of information and advice. Thank you so much for your help. By the way in Freelancer most of the articles of 500 are paid $1 or if they really, really splash out $2. I am not a top writer but I think it is not a payment, it is an insult.

billyaustindillon profile image

billyaustindillon Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago

Very well written - the key at the end of the day is quality anything else drives just temporary success.

amillar profile image

amillar Level 5 Commenter 2 years ago

I don’t understand all that stuff about SEOs etc. I wish I did.

Amber Allen profile image

Amber Allen Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago

Hi Martin

Great hub and a nice piece of self promotion too. I'm learning so much from the 60DC hubs from all the members.

Amber:)

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Hi Nell - Glad that you enjoyed the Hub. You are right - people who write a lot, whether professionally or for pleasure, do notice horrible language. However, I shop online and, every time I land on a poorly written article, I simply click the back button. If they cannot be bothered to present a presentable, informational article, I assume that they are not a professional company.

Have a great weekend :)

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Thanks, Hello, hello - it is a very insulting rate and, sadly, the clients complaining most loudly about the low quality are the ones who shop in the bargain basement. What did they expect? If you tough it out, you can find good clients who understand the value of hiring a professional for high-quality content, but it does require a lot of work.

Cheers, billyaustin - as always, you are bang on the money. The businesses that thrive are the ones who look for quality in everything that they do - Amazon are a fine example of that.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Cheers amillar - I am learning quickly, through necessity. I have to do my own marketing for the site! :)

Hi Amber - Glad that you found it useful, too. The good thing about the 60DC is that we participants are learning loads of good stuff, too. Everybody wins!

GeneralHowitzer profile image

GeneralHowitzer 2 years ago

Wow a lovely piece Sufi this is one of the best hubs you've made... Contents reign supreme!

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Thanks for the kind words, General - much appreciated :)

Lee B profile image

Lee B Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago

I've bookmarked this for future reference. Excellent, helpful information, especially for us newbies.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Thanks, Lee B - Glad that you found the rambling musings useful! Take care :)

waynet profile image

waynet Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago

Great stuff!

Article marketing is one of the best strategies, combine it with video marketing somehow and you'll be on your way to millions or at least a couple of quid!

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Cheers, Wayne - it certainly is a good method, which I intend to use more and make two quid :D

How are the art videos coming along?

waynet profile image

waynet Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago

They are coming along quite nicely, got nearly 150 videos done on my youtube channel, all featuring me talking over most of them, my username on Youtube is WayneTully1 if ever you want to see some inspired drawings and not so inspired voice overs!!

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Great stuff, Wayne - I have a slow connection, so I will look at your vids in the morning. I really hope that the art thing works out for you - if you can make money from something you love, then all is well with the world. :)

wrenfrost56 profile image

wrenfrost56 2 years ago

As ever good advice, useful information and well wriiten. I always gain knowledge from your work and it's always a pleasure to read. :)

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Hi Wren - always great to see you! Thanks very much for the kind words - good for the ego! :)

Take care :)

Ylva profile image

Ylva 2 years ago

nice hub here. Article is the most important thing dealing with internet busines.

FindYourSearch profile image

FindYourSearch 2 years ago

Great hub here! Making sure an article is well-written is one of the best things one can do. Not only will it have more appeal to readers, but the search engines will also treat it more favorably. They are getting very good at discerning spam, and extremely poor grammar is one of the warning signs it uses. Besides, no one wants to link to a poorly written article, and as you point out, that's a big part of what article marketing is all about.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Thanks, Yiva - it certainly is, and is an area that I hope to make better use of!

Good to see you, FindYourSearch - I am finding that more and more marketers think exactly the same. The sooner that we can see off the spammers and let the pro-marketers get on with their job, the better :)

Glenn Raymond profile image

Glenn Raymond 2 years ago

You are the man with the answeres. I am so glad I found you.

shazwellyn profile image

shazwellyn Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago

Swimming over to Greece to cheer you on. Well done for another professional hub:)

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 2 years ago

Thanks, Glenn - welcome to Hubpages and I look forward to reading your work :)

Anytime, Sharon - we have a spare room :D

mquee profile image

mquee Level 1 Commenter 23 months ago

Hi Sufi, it has been awhile since I have been by. I had nearly overlooked the fact of the good information and the quality of your articles. This is another very good one and I am going to make it a point to drop back on a regular basis. Thanks.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 23 months ago

Hey mquee - always good to see an old friend. Thanks for the kind words and I look forward to your visits :)

Research Analyst profile image

Research Analyst 23 months ago

You are a well written writer and I like the way you shared how to best use internet articles to maximize exposure for businesses needing a new way to market with directories. great job.

drbj profile image

drbj Level 8 Commenter 23 months ago

Hi, Sufidreamer. This is extremely well-written and useful for writers who want to expand their reach with internet articles. Don't we all? Thanks. And thanks also for the glorious graphics.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 23 months ago

Thanks for stopping by, Research Analyst - glad that you enjoyed the article.The directories are certainly changing - I have noticed that the more spammy ones have disappeared from the rankings.

Hi drbj - We certainly do, although finding the time is always a problem. I have lots of ideas for article directory articles, but little time to write them.

Thanks for visiting :)

travelespresso profile image

travelespresso 23 months ago

I enjoyed reading this hub Sufidreamer and what you said is so true. Well said. I'm off to join your fan club!

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 22 months ago

Thanks for the kind words, travelespresso - things certainly do seem to be changing for the better :)

Dame Scribe profile image

Dame Scribe Level 2 Commenter 22 months ago

I definitely love the effect of getting notice of a article I wrote being featured at another site or sites :) great tips, Sufi!

Non-offensiveUser 22 months ago

You have definately hit the nail on the head with using quality over the all too abused keyword articles that have no real meaning. People like to get somthing out of what they read, and you only get out what you put in. Great job!

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 22 months ago

Hi DS - Always a pleasure.

That is one of the upsides to writing good content. There is a buzz when you are noticed and it is a great way to gain publicity!

Cheers NOU - We can only hope that the recent trend towards better content continues. Some of the stuff online is so badly written that it is unreadable, and I believe in providing a service, even in a sales articles.

Take care :)

Merlin Fraser profile image

Merlin Fraser 22 months ago

Hi Sufidreamer,

wonder if you can help or advise me on this form of Internet marketing. I have to admit to be a complete ignoramous in all 'E' matters and need all the help I can get.

As you know,if you have seen my Hubs, I have written and published three Murder Mystery books which remains a secret and I need ways to increase my profile as an author and to promote my books to a much wider audience.

Any ideas ? I'd love to write as a freelance but have no idea where to promote that either.

Do I need help or what ?

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 22 months ago

Hi Merlin - I will send you a PM later on today. I still have a lot to learn about marketing, but I am pretty sure that we can come up with a plan of action!

traderx profile image

traderx 20 months ago

I always enjoy reading other peoples hubs, it often gives me ideas that I never had before and inspires.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 20 months ago

Thanks for the kind comment, traderx :)

TravelinAsia profile image

TravelinAsia Level 4 Commenter 17 months ago

Wow, very insightful hub. I agree with your strategy and I use a lot of the same tactics. I wrote a similar hub, and I linked it to yours because you have included some valuable info. Thanks for the tips.

Sufidreamer profile image

Sufidreamer Hub Author 17 months ago

Hi TravelinAsia - Thanks for commenting and for the link :)

I will try to track down your hub and reciprocate!

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