How To Use Article Marketing

It's common for new business owners to wonder how to use article marketing to their advantage. For a startup, articles are a great way to demonstrate company expertise and announce some of the great products or services the company has to offer. There is a certain credibility and familiarity about reading several articles from a published author.

For established businesses, a press release promotional article can attract a journalist's eye who is nosing for a story and can add even more credibility. Best of all, web users who read these articles can check out the info box at the bottom of the text, which directs them to the business owner's homepage, where they can comfortably act after having learned all this new data.

The first step in knowing how to use article marketing is avoiding common rookie mistakes. One thing Google hates is repeat articles that have been cut and pasted in multiple locations. Google doesn't know that you were the author and doesn't have the patience to inquire. In fact, this heinous crime is often punishable by decreased ranking.

If you plan to write articles that can be used on your website and on a third party article directory, then you will need two slightly different pieces to pass the test. Another method that has lost favor is the "quantity over quality" strategy, where you submit an article to more than 50 websites. Unless you have thousands of high-quality links already, these cheap links won't help your page ranking or traffic.

If you're wondering how to use article marketing in a better way, then think "quality over quantity." Choose the top five trusted article directories and submit five unique articles. This is a great method for new sites looking to build gradual, believable, quality links.

After all, Google doesn't look for sites that suddenly spring up into quick fame, but rather, sites that have a long history of credibility and high rapport with readers. Google bots learned that article business marketing representatives were using automated programs to blast their articles onto dozens of websites in a short period of time, so they've come up with ways to prevent this tactic from helping sites gain the advantage.

Now that you've learned how to use article marketing in article directories, you may also be interested in using these articles for subscribers. Research shows that repeat customers bring the most business and spend the most money online. They also usually spread the word to family and friends, acting as unofficial spokespeople.

One of the best ways to continually drive repeat traffic is to offer them some sort of newsletter, RSS feed or ezine subscription, which provides them with a steady stream of valuable content. You can re-use many professional articles in your newsletter marketing, without fear of being penalized by Google.

Does Marketing With Articles Work?

Some entrepreneurs feel they can whip up a 500-word article, submit it to multiple free article publishing sites and just sit back, while the traffic streams in. However, professionals who've made it to the first page of Google's search results know that marketing with articles entails so much more. You need to know what keywords will bring -- not just traffic -- but targeted traffic to your page.

You'll also need to know how to use links to your advantage. You will have to realize that submitting the exact same article to many sites can negatively impact your Google rating. You'll also need to understand how affiliate marketing, linking, press release submission and other tools work along with your article business marketing to create a strategic plan for success.

In one case study, a business owner created a 25-page niche website, with each inner page created around one target keyword phrase, for which a promotional article was created. Each article (including back-links in the "About the Author" resource box) was also submitted to directories like www.ezinearticles.com and www.goarticles.com.

He also got linked up with an affiliate network of 10,000 sites that trade one-way back-links as well. After eight months, there were 2,600 unique visitors and 650 returning visitors each month. This number continued to grow steadily to 5,315 in August and earned the owner $180/month in revenue through AdSense. As you can see, article business marketing really works!

There are many other case studies that support the benefits of marketing with articles. One search engine optimization/copywriting company from Los Angeles, California helped Delta Hotels increase their traffic by 175%. Luxury Home Magazine went from the 1,000+ page of Google search results to #1, 2 and 3 for targeted phrases like "Sacramento luxury homes" and "Hawaii luxury homes" within six months.

A small independent contractor, Kimberly Painting, reported lasting success, moving from 1,000+ to #1 for competitive phrases like "Atlanta painting," "Atlanta painters" and "Atlanta house painting!" A professional online article marketing company can work wonders for any industry it seems.

Marketing with articles can begin with anywhere from four to twelve well-thought, researched pieces. Every three to six months, it's a good idea to review your online article marketing strategy and order fresh content to maintain your Google position and develop new articles for submission.

Always use a professional copywriter to do the grunt work for you because quality content is far more important than quantity of content. Today's advanced search engine bots see through all the gimmicks and award only the best sites with its prestigious ranking.