Writing and getting articles published has been used to gain credibility (at times, even notoriety), attract attention and gain business for decades. Today, you can achieve that and more by getting your articles published online. By having your articles published on web sites across the Internet, you can develop a legion of devoted fans, generate traffic free to your web site and practically put your web site promotion efforts on autopilot. This strategy is often called internet marketing SEO and begins with knowing where to start.

Knowing Where To Start Your Article Marketing

There are literally hundreds of thousands of opportunities to have your articles published online. However, because there is so much opportunity, many people are confused about how and where to start. You should focus most of your effort on submitting your articles to the right article directories.

There are large directories as well as smaller directories. Both types can offer benefits for your article marketing efforts. The key is knowing which article directories you should use and which ones should be avoided. As you learn which directories are valuable, take notes so you can easily find those directories for future article submissions.

The Pros And Cons Of Large Article Directories

Directories such as EzineArticles.com and GoArticles.com provide value in two ways. First, because they are two of the largest article directories, they receive a large amount of exposure on Google. So, if you publish your article on EzineArticles.com and somebody searches for your topic on Google, there is a good chance they will see and read your article. Second, backlinks to your web site from these larger directories are often more substantive than those from smaller directories.

Unfortunately, these larger directories attract thousands of writers who submit their articles daily. As a result, your articles can easily be lost in the crowd. With thousands of articles about dog training, your article on dog training may never see the light of day.

The Pros And Cons Of Smaller Article Directories

There are plenty of smaller directories that offer benefits unavailable from large directories. First, these small directories aren't drowning with authors. So, your article about dog training may only compete with a few other articles about the same topic. This makes it much easier to get visitors' attention. Second, smaller directories often allow the writer more control. While EzineArticles.com doesn't allow direct affiliate links in their articles, smaller directories often do.

Unfortunately, small article directories often lack exposure on Google. As a result, less people may find your article when searching for the topic on Google. Keep in mind, however, that small directories sometimes grow large. As they do, they gain exposure. Even EzineArticles.com was a very small directory once.

Article marketing continues to be a powerful way to get free traffic to your web site. You can build credibility, gain exposure and develop a legion of fans by including a link to your web site in your article resource bio. The key is to find the right directories for your article submissions. Both large and small directories offer unique benefits, so don't dismiss a directory merely because of its size. Learn to write quality articles and submit them to the right directories and you can enjoy free web site traffic over time.