Free article marketing is a great way to build
attention to your business. You write free articles for distribution on any
number of internet directories. People choose your articles from those
directories as free content on their websites. You and your business gain from
exposure over the world-wide-web. So, how do you do it?
Free Article marketing is
a great way to build attention to your business. You write free articles for
distribution on any number of internet directories. People choose your articles
from those directories as free content on their websites. You and your business
gain from exposure over the world-wide-web. So, how do you do it?
Writing free articles is relatively easy, if you follow some
simple rules. Here is a template to help get you started.
Carefully
read your free content directories guidelines before and after you write
your article to ensure you are following the rules.
Consider
what keywords internet users will use to find articles like yours. This is
very important as you will be using them a lot in your article.
In writing your headline, follow this
formula: “Keyword: Why reader should read this”. This text to the right of the colon
could be written in various ways: a list (Seven reasons to hire a
financial planner); dos and don’ts (Do’s and Don’ts to planning your
vacation); or ask a question (Do you know this secret to financial
freedom?). These are all great ways to tease the reader into your
article. Try to use the words “you
or your” in the headline also.
Always
start your article with your keyword or a close variation of it. This will increase your article’s
ranking in the various search engines. Also, be sure the opening paragraph
(or the lead) reflects what you wrote in your headline. Like the headline,
the lead should follow this formula: Keyword. What the reader will the
reader learn about the keyword from reading your article and why it’s
important to them.
The rest of
the article should flesh out the opening paragraph. By following your
headline, the body of the article could take a variety of forms: The
numbered list and dos and don’ts are probably the easiest, both for you
the writer and for the reader. Remember the reader is busy and just wants
to get your information quickly and easily
In the
text, be sure to use your opening keyword several times, along with
several related keywords, if they flow naturally into the article. Not
only is this useful to keep your writing focused. The use of many keywords is also
essential for search term optimization, which is how web content is ranked
on various search engines.
A search engine uses a web crawler to
determine how much quality content is used. Using many keywords alerts the
crawler that your article has a lot of useful information. However, don’t just
load the article with keywords and not say anything. Your article must be
useful to be effective in your article marketing campaign.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short.
As a general rule, readers are lazy. Believe it or not, a long paragraph
can be daunting and your reader may just skip past it, missing valuable
information.
Be sure to
include at least one link to your website within the article and perhaps
links to other useful websites. Again, it assists in search engine
optimization: An article is ranked more highly if it links to one or more
other sites with useful information. When linking to your own site, it is
better if your article links to a page with more information about the
subject (such as another article), rather than just your business’ home
page, but either is helpful.
Finally, be
sure there is another link to your website in your bio box. It is the
whole reason you wrote this article in the first place: to drive people to
your website. Your bio box should also contain your name, your area of
expertise and contact information. It should also list a reason for
readers to click the link to your website: For example, “Bob Smith is a
business owner and expert in the field of kumquat research. Visit bobsmithsite.com for a special
report on how kumquats benefit your health.”
By following these simple rules,
your free article will get and keep your reader’s interest and entice them to
visit your website. They are simple ways to get Article Marketing to work for you and
your business.
