Yes we know writing articles is a great website marketing strategy that can ramp up any online business. Look at all the positives: more web site traffic, better visibility for your business, increased link popularity, repeat visitors, free advertising and a gaggle of other good stuff. All of this is true. However, if the thought of sitting down at your computer and cranking out content on a regular basis makes you break out in hives, than article marketing is a nightmare.

The reality is that doing business online requires web content. You have probably seen a few sites that contained nothing but an advertising banner. These sites do not last long. Why? Because people want useful information not a sales page and search engines want content. It's tough to build a customer base and get referrals if people have nothing to go on. The key to online success is to give both groups exactly what they want.

However none of this changes the fact that you would rather watch television test patterns that write articles. So what can you do?

1. Hire Someone.

There are many writers who for a certain fee will crank out articles for you. There are also a number of article writing companies online. You tell them the topic you are interested in, agree on the price and they will write a set number of articles for you. Many of these places are of top quality but you should understand one thing: No matter how much you discuss it with the writer, there is only one person that can give you exactly what you want one hundred percent of the time and that's you. Still, hiring someone to write remains a viable option.

2. Free articles

If you can think of a topic, the odds are someone has already written about it. Start perusing some the major article directories. Most of these sites will indicate that it is okay to use the articles on you website as long as you follow their guidelines. This usually means ensuring you give the author credit, not modifying the article in any way and including the author's resource box or byline at the end of the article.

All of this should go without saying. Plagiarizing or not giving the author credit only leads to negative (and totally unnecessary) ramifications for you and your business. You are trying to build credibility. Once you throwaway trust it's hard to get it back so do the right thing. Also as a courtesy if the link in their resource box does not work do some investigating and activate it. Who knows? Someone may do the same for you down the line.

3. Other webmasters

Find site owners in your niche who write their own content and invite them to post on your blog web site. It's not only a good way to get instant web site content but you can also establish potential link and joint venture partners. Getting free articles from other webmasters has great advantages. Unfortunately, the downside is the article links are pointing toward their website.

That's just another reason to write your own articles. The more websites that link back to you without requiring a reciprocal link, the better search engines will rank your site. By all means if your budget allows it hire a proven writer or article company to provide web content. Outsourcing (the good kind) is an important component to growing your business. You should also use the free articles that are available online to build your website.

But start writing. Providing original information gives search engines and visitors something unique that only you can provide. Seeing your business grow by leaps and bounds will overcome any lingering nightmare about article marketing.