1) Increase Backlinks

The best way to start showing up in searches when people look for your product or service is to make sure there are plenty of links to your site out there on the Web. Google describes this process in its info pages about page rank (well, at least as much as Google is willing to describe it). The more credible websites that link back to you, the more your standing improves in search results. So, how do you increase backlinks?

2) Market Yourself

Marketing is the name of the game in online sales. The days when people might randomly stumble across your site are long gone. There are just too many websites out there for you to rely on simply "appearing" in front of anyone. That means you have to put yourself in front of those eyeballs. The easiest and most popular way to do this today is with article marketing. When you consistently market yourself using this method, you will begin to increase backlinks and start moving up in the Internet world.

3) Article Marketing in a Nutshell

Marketing yourself is easy, and it can even be fun! All you have to do is write one or two articles per week about something you know -- it could be about your business, how you turned your hobby into a company, how to build a website, you name it! Then, after you've written your two articles and your "about the author" box, which includes your link, you're ready for publication!

4) Getting Published Online

Now comes the tricky part. You've got your first two articles and you're feeling pretty good about them. But how do you manage to get them published? Many publication sites have different parameters: One wants 65 characters per line, the other wants 70. One wants your About the Author box to use HTML, the other doesn't. Doing all this by hand is tedious and can drive even the calmest of people quite mad. Not to mention the number of places to get published. How on earth can you find them all?

5) Use a Service

Luckily, the online community has responded to the needs of people just like you and me. There are several services out there that, for a fee, will distribute your articles to hundreds and even thousands of websites, perfectly formatted and ready to roll. That means all you have to do is write them and submit them once, then your service does the rest for you. Some of the most popular sites are Article Marketer (my personal favorite), PhantomWriters, SubmitYourArticles and iSnare.

Driving traffic to your site doesn't have to drive you nuts. Online entrepreneurs have had years to perfect their methods, and sometimes it pays to learn from other people's experience. Many of the best online success stories have happened thanks to article marketing. Are you ready to be next?