Do-It-YourSelf SEO Part 2: Use Articles to Increase Your Web Traffic & Your Credibility
By Veronika Noize, the Marketing Coach
In an earlier article we talked a bit about very basic search engine optimization for your web site. Here's another tip that will not only drive traffic and increase your rankings in search engines, but will raise your credibility as well: Submit articles you've written to article banks.
An article bank is an online resource that provides free articles and editorial content for publishers of ezines, newsletters, web sites, and even blogs.
The writer or author who contributes to the article bank can be anyone with the guts to put words together; you don't have to be a "writer" to self-publish, so if your article is worth reading, get that same article all over the Internet so that people who are looking for someone with your expertise can find you.
And don't let the word "publish" intimidate you, either; anybody who sends out a newsletter, has a web site, or blogs publishes.
That's why article banks are good news for both the writer and the publisher; the writer gets additional exposure, and the publisher gets free, quality content to fill the space.
The advantage of this strategy of submitting articles to article banks for you as the writer is that it does a lot for very little effort:
- Articles posted online get read and drive traffic back to your web site.
- Articles used by other publishers (who use banks for free content) get delivered directly to the inboxes of their mailing lists, warmly introducing you to those who may well be your best prospects.
- All of those links back to your web site in your author box raise your rankings in the search engines.
- Your article is the perfect opportunity to showcase your expertise.
So, maybe you think you're too busy or not creative enough to write an article? No problem; simply write down what you do know about your business or industry as a list, and call it the Top 10 Rules, or the Seven Secrets, or the Three Myths of whatever it is you know something about.
If you are concerned that your writing skills will fail you, consider making a checklist that would be helpful to your clients, giving it a sexy title such as 101 Things, or 9 Steps, or something along those lines.
To find article banks, simple search for "article banks" in any search engine. You'll find dozens if not hundreds of sites willing to showcase your expertise, and all it costs you is the time it takes to post your article.
DIY SEO P2: Use Articles to Increase Your Web Traffic & Your Credibility © 2007-8 Veronika Noize. All rights reserved.
