Although article marketing is one of the easiest traffic generation method to understand and implement, it can also be a total time waster if done incorrectly. That is because article directories will be rejecting the articles, and time that was spent writing and submitting the articles would have been wasted. Here are some of the most common mistakes that I have come across as a practictioner of article marketing.
One, the article title is too general. This is the first thing that the readers will see, and if they cannot determine if the article has exactly what they want to read, they will not click on the link and read the article. Besides, it is getting harder and harder to rank for general terms. So it's definitely better to have something more specific in the article title. For example, instead of saying "Search engine optimization services", choose something like "5 unique search engine optimization tips for new and advanced marketers." The second title certainly sounds more appealing and communicates directly with new and advanced Internet marketers.
Second, the article title contains keywords that are too common. This is somewhat similar to the first mistake above, except that although the title has more specific details, it's still too common. One such example is "Tips for Internet Marketing". There is nothing wrong with such a title, except that these titles would have been chosen by several hundreds of article marketers already. And most article directories are setup to accept only unique article titles. So the article will most likely be rejected during submission.
Third, the article summary is too short. Some article marketers submit articles with summaries that are less than a hundred characters. A few established directories reject summaries that are less than a hundred characters. So it is a good idea to write at least three or four sentences for the article summary.
Fourth, the article summary is the first sentence of the article. This is the wrong thing to do as well. The summary should not be the first sentence of the article. Instead, it should capture the essence or the most interesting parts of the article to catch more eyeballs and entice the reader to finish reading the entire article.
Fifth, the article body contains too much self promotional material. Self promotional material means blatantly promoting the author's own services, or including the URLs in the article body. For instance, the author writes about the features of his products and services without additional useful information. To avoid this mistake, try writing from a third party point of view. Write as if you are the reporter, and provide some useful information. Also avoid including URLs in the article body.
Sixth, more than two links are included in the article resource box. Most article marketers are not aware that a handful of established directories accept a maximum of two links only. So their articles will be declined outright. To get around this, rotate the resource boxes during submission, but all the time keeping the maximum number of links to two.
Seventh, the links do not contain anchor keywords. Part of the benefit of article marketing is that you will get better search engine rankings from your efforts. But if the wrong anchor texts are used in the links, your rankings will not improve. So instead of using a direct URL in your link, try to use texts that describe your products or services in the links.
If you can avoid the seven mistakes mentioned above, you will see tremendous success in your campaigns.
Every week I meet with the Article Marketer editorial team to discuss the major editorial concerns surrounding the articles submitted during the week. Our editors have reviewed articles from over a thousand authors, so they've pretty much seen it all. In preparation for our weekly meeting, they gather and report on the most common mistakes being made by authors. Our editors work with these authors to correct errors and ensure that their articles get more widely published.
Every week many of the same issues are on the list: * Sales letters posing as ads. * Resource box information within the article body. * Spelling and grammatical errors.
Even these egregious (and frequent) issues pale in comparison to the most widespread and insidious problem facing publishers seeking high quality content:
The Biggest Problem: Off Topic Articles
Off topic articles target the wrong audience. Off topic articles contain content that doesn't match the chosen category. The Article Marketer editorial team tells me that they spend most of their time helping authors and internet marketers properly categorize their articles so that they reach the right audience. It's all about results.
How do articles get incorrectly categorized? It's generally an innocent mistake. After all, it's certainly no shock to internet marketers that free reprint articles are about educating readers and providing good content to webmasters and publishers. Everyone knows that "content is king" on the web. The Google spiders go crazy when they find relevant content. Internet marketers provide content-rich, royalty free articles in exchange for that all important resource box that contains a relevant back link and entices a reader back to the author's website. It's a win-win situation.
Imagine an author or internet marketer who has gone to great lengths to provide wonderful information about, oh? say, "Cats". The article teaches the reader about which grooming tools to use, provides a history of the domestication of cats, and explains some of the time-honored traditions and techniques of the breeding guild.
It's absolutely perfect content for publishers with newsletters or sites about cats. It's even a good match for "pets" or "small furry things". It's going to be a spectacularly popular article. The readers of cat newsletters are going to love this article. And it reaches a perfectly matched target market for the author ? a cat toy merchant. Everything is wonderful. Until the author makes a critical error.
When submitting the article to thousands of editors and publishers, the author selects not the "pets" or "cats" categories ? but selects the "Education" category, because the article is educational.
OH NO!
What might otherwise have been a dazzlingly successful article will now flop. The article might be "educational", but it isn't a good match for someone who publishes an "education" newsletter.
Choose the correct categories for your articles. There's a mixture of art and science to selecting the appropriate categories for a free reprint article. It requires that an author change focus and step into the other guy's shoes for a bit. From the author's perspective, the article itself is an education, and so it's a good fit for the education category.
But take a moment and imagine that you're a publisher, interested in receiving articles in the "education" category. You've got a niche newsletter or content site focused on the education market. When you look for articles in the "education" category, what kinds of articles would you like to see?
You probably want tips for teachers, student management techniques, grading strategies, articles related to the process of teaching, how to be a more effective educator, how to get your point across to a group of unruly students, etc. Imagine that you're looking through the "education" articles and you come across an article about grooming a cat. Huh? This isn't about education. It's SPAM!
That's the crux of the problem. So many people are writing articles these days that the problem of "article spam" is spreading like wildfire.
Publishers are hypersensitive to article spam. Some will just delete the offending article, but others will take dramatic steps to prevent getting more spam ? even up to the point of banning an author from submitting further articles.
In our meetings, the editors tell me that they spend the bulk of their time working with authors to make sure that their articles meet the guidelines. A big part of that effort is focused on categorization.
Real World Example So lets watch as the rubber meets the road. This is an article about "mistakes in categorizing royalty free reprint articles", written for publishers all around the web. How should it be categorized? Which newsletters would be interested? Which article directory categories would be an appropriate fit?
The article is written for writers and internet marketers, so that's where I'll start. The fist thing to figure out is how to best reach that audience. it's not hard to decide that the "Internet Marketing" category will be on the list. Article marketing is a highly effective form of internet marketing. Internet marketers would be interested in this article.
Because this article provides tips and tricks on getting articles more widely published, the "Writing" category makes sense. Authors with a desire to get their articles published will find this article helpful. An editor who publishes a newsletter for writers would like this article for that newsletter, because serving the needs of subscribers is what this is all about.
If you're reading this article, you're probably reading it in a newsletter or on a website for writers or internet marketers. It is likely that you're interested in royalty free articles, writing, or internet marketing.
Now it's up to you. What are you doing to properly categorize the royalty free articles you provide to editors? Are you making things easy for them? Are you giving them the right information to ensure that your articles show up in the right places? It's a good strategy for you. Your articles gain wider exposure by laser targeting your audience.
Both Gen Wright & Chris Ellington are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gen Wright has sinced written about articles on various topics from Terrier Dogs, Acne Treatment and Lose Weight. Darren Chow is a full time article marketer. His latest project is a where bloggers can promote their own blogs by submitting articles. Gen Wright's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.
Chris Ellington has sinced written about articles on various topics from SEO Articles, Personal Finance and The Internet. Chris Ellington founded to make royalty free article submission easier for internet marketers. Article Marketer has helped over 1000 authors get publ. Chris Ellington's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.