The lifeblood of a website is not just traffic but targeted traffic. A successful website will have a flow of visitors that are searching for the exact information, product or service provided by that website. These are not the casual lookers, these are searchers who have a want and have found a website that satisfies that want. There are a variety of methods to attract such visitors and article marketing is one of the most effective.
One of the unbeatable advantages of article marketing is that it can be free. It is a simple case of writing an article and submit it to the many free article directories that are very keen to additional articles. It is then located by those who are purposefully searching for such information and then taken with the author's consent and displayed on other relevant websites. The clickable link that will be contained with the article will direct the reader back to the author's website. So here is a targeted lead generated from an article that is free and distributed to directories that are free.
Regard article marketing as free advertising for your website. Submitting your articles to other websites presents an opportunity to advertise your website without paying high fees. It is important to bear in mind that no article should be a blatant piece of advertising for whatever is available on your website. The purpose of the article is to raise curiosity, give a snippet of information and make the reader want to click on the link that will take them to your website where you can then begin the selling process.
You should regard artciles as a very effective means of boosting the websites search engine page ranking. Your website should have an article page where visitor can click on and read the various articles yet the real benefit lies in what they can do to improve your website in the eyes of the search engines. As you are adding relevant content to your website and making it "deeper" by creating an article page full of this content (including various keywords of your subject in the title and content of the article) the search engines will class the website as highly relevant source of information and push it up the indexed pages.
Another benefit of article marketing is increasing your websites link popularity. As each article is submitted you will include a resource box that give brief details about your website and includes a link to it. This will be indexed by the search engines and when your article is distributed around the web, the websites that pick up your article and publish it will become a link partner. So, the more articles you have, the more links that will be out on the web with a link pointing to your website. The search engines take account of the number and quality of links pointing to your website and will rank it accordingly.
As can be seen, by the publishing of a simple article, you can create a process, which can all be free, to establish a greater page rank for your website and push it higher up the search engine pages.
Perhaps you have tried many different marketing techniques, but have not seen an appreciable increase in traffic. You probably also submitted your site to the various search engines, but have you considered how the search engines truly work and how their users would actually find you?
This is a rather complex topic. The top search engines use complicated algorithms and criteria to rank Web sites in their searches. However, one such measure used by the leading search engines is link popularity.
So, what exactly is link popularity? Put quite simply, link popularity describes the quantity and quality of other Web sites that link back to your Web site. It serves as a basic measure of a given site’s popularity. Generally speaking, the higher your Web site’s link popularity, the higher its ranking among the search engines. In addition, they usually assign higher scores to higher quality links.
Before getting into exactly how to increase your site’s link popularity, first I need to talk about how search engines work. To locate information stored on the millions of Web pages, search engines employ software robots, called spiders, to build lists of key words and phrases found on the Internet. The process spiders use to build these lists is called web crawling. Each search engine works a little differently, but the initial process is generally the same. They usually start with the most heavily trafficked servers and most popular Web pages. The spider then follows every link found on the sites. The information is then indexed so that search engine users may retrieve it later.
What can I do to increase my Web site’s link popularity?
1. Reciprocal links
One way to increase the number of links to your site is to develop relationships with other Web masters and make arrangements to simply “trade" links with them. Contact the owners of businesses that compliment your own and offer to put their link on your site if they will put your link on theirs. Be sure and explain how a link to your site will benefit their customers. You should send the link to them as HTML code and never send your link as an image unless they will also include a text description with it. Not every Web master you contact will agree to link to your site and you may have to approach many Web masters before you see any significant results.
2. Link exchange services
Another way to generate links is to register with a link exchange service. When you register with a link exchange service, they add your link to the links page that other members place on their Web sites. Most of the link exchange services are free, but you should be careful that the links are relevant to your own site content. Otherwise, you may find your site being dropped by the big search engines, since they have been known to ban sites using “link farms" because they artificially increase a link’s popularity.
3. Classified ads
You can also increase link popularity with online classifieds ads. There are countless free classifieds on the Web, though these are not usually considered the highest quality links. You may also submit paid ads, but stick to the more highly trafficked sites, if you can afford it.
4. Write a testimonial
Find Web sites that will allow you to submit a positive testimonial for their product or service. Include a link back to your own site with your signature.
5. Submit your site to directories
There are multiple directories on the Web that will allow you to add your URL for free. Before adding your site to the directory, make sure the links are direct links and not redirecting links. This will make it more search engine friendly. Also, be sure you submit your site to the proper search categories, to increase your link popularity further.
6. Blogs and forums
Each time you post an entry on a blog or chat forum, include a hyperlink to your Web site in your signature. However, avoid posting blatant advertisements, or you will risk being banned.
7. Writing articles
Another means of increasing your link popularity is by writing articles and publishing them on the Web. Many reputable sites welcome new authors. An Internet search for “free articles" will reveal several such directories. All you need to do is register with the site and complete a profile. Once you have written your article, you just submit it to the site for approval and publication. You will also include a brief bio of yourself, along with a hyperlink back to your Web site. Not only does this increase your link popularity, if a reader is particularly impressed by your article, they may just click on your link, increasing your site visitors.
If ranking high in the major search engines is the goal, link popularity should be an important concern for any Web site. The disadvantage of link popularity as a ranking device is that it punishes new Web sites, since it takes time for a new site to accumulate links. Therefore, the process requires patience, since it can take considerable time to see a significant change in your rankings with the search engines. In the meanwhile, you can track your Web site’s traffic ranking on www.Alexa.com. There may be no data at first, but over time, if you employ the techniques described above, you should see an increase in your rank over time.
Both Michael Tasker & Jennifer Neel 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.
Michael Tasker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Massage, How to Sell on Ebay and Fitness. Michael Tasker has an information marketing business offering those in their early stages free sound advice and tips including products that will make a difference. Ignore the mountain of cheap and poor quality products that promise the earth with little. Michael Tasker's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.