Article Submission Isn't Just About Back Links
There seems to be some confusion about what article submission is all about and what it's used for. Apparently some people are using the process for the sole purpose of getting back links. Though this is part of it, there's a lot more here than meets the eye.
Make no mistake, all back links are not created equal! Really, if all you want is back links, then perhaps you'd be more interested in posting comments on other people's blogs, or in forums. Articles serve a much higher purpose.
The main reason why you'd want to write and submit articles is to create content that's informative. You want people to learn something about your topic they can actually use, but even more importantly, you want people to learn something informative about you.
Syndicating articles then, is about 10% creating back links, 35% providing usable information, and 55% presenting yourself as an expert in your field. Here's why . . .
When you create a back link, its added to other back links pointing to your site. If your target market isn't inundated with authority sites all ranking well on the search engines, then those back links will count for something. So they're good to have as a boost to search listings.
But you really want to do more than simply list higher in the crowd. You want to stand out, right?
In this day and age you can't rely simply on search listings to get clicks to your money pages. There's too much competition. So then you have to count on people actually reading your articles on the article directories, in the social arenas, or on other sites where your article was grabbed for reuse.
Thus whatever you write to gain back links should also be of good quality.
A good quality, informative article is more likely to get a reader to appreciate the material, which in turn will add to the likelihood they'll follow through and click your recommendation link. Which is ultimately what you want!
So if you can teach them something, or at least put a different perspective in their mind, then you've increased the selling potential of your recommendation. And if you can do so without coming off "pitchy," then you're way ahead of most article writers.
In fact, there's no rule that says every article has to lead to a product page. You can simply write to inform and offer free advice.
This is actually where it gets really good and how you get into the remaining 55% bracket of article use.
When you present good quality information without a "catch," you're lining yourself up with the sole purpose of why people use search engines and rummage around article directories in the first place. They're looking for information that won't cost them anything, but will give them the knowledge they're looking for.
Now most marketers will dismiss the idea of spending all that time writing articles to merely give away as free information. But if you think about it, giving people what they're looking for will raise your appreciation level through the roof. The more people appreciate the information you provide, the more likely they'll be to buy from you.
And so with the proper amount of market research and a little more elbow grease than most marketers put into their promotional efforts, you could have an avid following of people who you can then start making recommendations to.
This is how you achieve an expert status and brand yourself as an authority. So while your back links may not compete with all those authority sites, your well written, informative articles will.
Sure it takes time and much more work, but the end result will pay off in a big way. So when you think about article submission, put the idea of back links in the back of your mind as a fringe benefit. Work at branding yourself as an authority figure for your readers to reap the biggest rewards.