Today I'd like to talk a little about article marketing. Article marketing has long been a favorite method of gaining traffic and back links to many a web-site. It is not as effective as it used to be but it is still VERY Worthwhile.
I would also like to take this opportunity to clarify a few issues around duplicate content. You see, the old method of submitting your articles to as many article directories as possible has recently come under a lot of scrutiny, as Matt Cutts from Google started to talk about duplicate content penalties.
Well, as always, it pays to test. So, here's what I did. I tested three different methods:
1. I created one article and posted it on my site to an 'orphan' page i.e. not linked in. I then wrote another article and linked that to that page. I then submitted that article to Ezine.
2. On another orphan page, I created another article and then posted that same article to Ezine articles.
3. On another orphan page, I created another article and then posted that same article to Ezine PLUS every other article directory.
I then placed tracking code on each of my 3 pages and waited. The results are not what I expected at all?and if you don't get this right then you are going to waste a heap of time, effort and money following the wrong strategy. So, this is what happened:
{Results only available to subscribers} It is important to keep in mind that there are several different types of writing and each writer might be highly skilled in one area, yet lack in another. For example, there is creative/fiction writing, biographical writing, news writing, general informational article writing, critical writing, copy-writing, poem/verse writing, technical writing, medical writing, essay/report writing, and sports writing. Although a writer may be highly skilled in one area, many freelance writers spread themselves out into others areas as well. So, it is critical that the writer you choose can produce the type of content that you need.
To find a freelance writer, you can look at various freelancing websites that will allow you to post the specification of your project and your budget.
From there, writers will make bids on your project and provide you with writing samples so that you can get an idea of their skill level. Make sure that you choose a writer who gives you a sample of the type of article that you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a copy-writer, do not hire someone who only sent you a sports writing sample. He or she may be an outstanding sports writer, but copy-writing is about selling (a product, service, or yourself) to your website visitors.
In conclusion, the more you are willing to pay per article, the more bids you will get from quality writers who know how to entertain and inform your website visitors so that they keep coming back for more. Writers know that you will eventually make a ton of money off of each article or content piece.
