Articles and Links

Articles and Links
By Vickie J. Scanlon

Article marketing is the writing of short articles that is related to your business field of industry. It's a great way to get one-way links and to help to increase traffic to your site.


Links within an Article

If you are not planning on sending your article viral than links within your webpage copy is great. However, if you're planning on sending your article viral, it is best to utilize the Resource Box at the end of the article. Why? Because your article will, in most cases, be rejected by the Article Directory.

The Article Directory is looking for information only within the body of the article, and not looking for self-promotion-Sales copy, in other words. Can't blame them. However you can utilize the one area - the Resource Box.


Your Resource Box

The Resource box, is your advertisement. In most cases they will allow up to three links within the resource box. With that in mind...

When writing an article, also keep in mind your advertising links you want to use, or will be using. If you are talking about a specific product or service that is a web page on your website, be sure and place a link to that web page. In other words, make total use of the Resource Box and do not direct it just to your home page.

As you have probably figure out, the resource box is for lead generation and link building. So, it is wise to experiment with your resource box, creating several different info resource boxes. You'll soon determine which description pulls your target market to your site.

So, what at a minimum should a good resource box include?

• your name,

• business (if appropriate)

• website, webpage links to direct people who are interested in your product/s or services

• description of your service or product

Though simple, sometimes the simple things are missed. So don’t miss the simple things that can and will pull your target market to your site.
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Articles and How They Can Affect Web Traffic

As you may have already read, or heard, articles are a workable solution to getting traffic to your site. Many people want to discount this method of getting traffic because they feel they cannot write, or they do not want to write. Well, if you feel you can't write, why don't you give the Thirty Minute Writing System a shot before giving up and paying a ghost writer to get content.

If you are writing your own articles, that is great. If you can afford to do it, you can get a wider dispersion of your articles through one of many article submission services.

Using other people articles is great for content, and you do need this for your website or blog. But you also need articles that will drive traffic directly to your website.

Now, as to the type of article -- Have you noticed which articles get your attention at the get go? It is usually one that sets up a scenerio, or a real life problem -- and then goes about giving you solutions to that problem. As a matter of fact, some people have used this type of procedure in some of the forums that I have ventured into.

Here is an article that I written, "Writing Articles – Your Style and the Effects on Your Traffic", it will enlighten you to the articles that I have seen and read online -- and as a reader, the effects it had on me.

Writing Articles -- Your Style and the Effects on Your Traffic
By Vickie J. Scanlon

What should you consider when you are writing an article? Well, it depends upon what you want to convey to your reader. Do you want to inform, present the issues, or complain? How do these styles of writing, and the words you use, effect your readers and your traffic?

Information for your Reader
On the Internet, the most prevalent of articles is the informative article. Readers on the Internet connect to your article because they want to learn, or resolve an issue that they are currently facing. The “How To” or “factual” piece should present viable facts and possible solutions to the reader. These types of articles can increase your creditability on the Internet as an Expert.


Pro and Con Article
With this type of article you can slant the article either for or against. Or, you can present both sides, and let your reader draw their own conclusions. In either case, whether you are for, or against the issue, back it with facts. Why? As always, your creditability is on the line.


To Complain
Okay, this article really isn’t a type, but one I felt I had to address. In this case, the writer uses the article as a pulpit to express his complaints. If it is presented tastefully, you will get people to listen. However, if it is more of an “I’m mad at the whole world” scenario – then this writing, I personally feel, should be reserved to a blog – your own.


Example of my own experience with a complainer.
It has been my habit, to read several articles of a writer, just to get a feel for the author, and possibly see if a little of his personality may seep into the article.

Anyway, I came across this website, and read several of this individual’s articles. To my dismay, I found the articles that I read, biting and uninformative. I began to wonder if this person ever had anything good to say about anything, or anyone. So to give the individual the benefit of the doubt, I read several more articles. To my dismay, the complaining and criticism continued. I found it distasteful, uninformative, and with all the negativity that flowed through the person’s words, it actually gave me a headache. Needless to say, the individual lost my vote, and I clicked away. Lesson learned--if you complain – make sure you can support your claims – and don’t do it too often, or over time you will lose your readers.

There are positive and negative ways of presenting your words to your reader. The choice is yours as to how you want to present them (words). But remember, the click of the mouse is still the choice of the reader.

Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities, software and computers -- all geared to help the affiliate/small business person online.
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How Do I Get Traffic To My Website?

Everyone is always trying to find ways to promote their site, to get it noticed by viewers and by the search engines. Here is an article that I wrote regarding my own journey to getting traffic for my website.

How Do I Get Traffic To My Website?
By Vickie J. Scanlon

Internet Marketing requires you to sale other people’s products or services, or if you have decided to create your own product, sale your own. But whether you are selling your own or others, we all have one thing in common – getting traffic to our websites. But what is most important is not just getting traffic, but targeted traffic. Thus, How Do you or I get traffic to our sites?

In my early beginnings on the Internet, I tried many methods of getting traffic to my website. I was definitely a newbie in training – some of the software or services that I bought did me no good. I found, at times, that it was truly difficult to decipher which was a good deal and which was not – who was honest, and who was not – but I guess it goes with the Internet territory – and you must always do your due diligence.

However, I have found three methods of getting traffic to my site or affiliate product or service – Buying it – PPC, such as Google, Mamma, Overture, linking or the hard one Search Engine Optimization.

Pay-Per-Click

If you have the money to invest in Google or some of the other search engines pay-per-click programs you can make some money. Here you create an ad or ads relevant to your affiliate program, and place a bid on the keywords you select. This takes time, energy, persistence and money – and research. Also, I would advise that you read your affiliate programs rules, as well as, the rules of Google Adwords before jumping into the pay-per-click arena. You usually have to put “aff” after your ad or something similar to that – it’s dependent upon the affiliate program you are in. The idea with pay-per-click is that you pay only when the individual clicks on your ad.


Linking

Linking can be by either paid or unpaid methods. The paid methods are paying for your link to be shown in Ezines, newsletters or on other peoples’ sites. It can be costly, so the best suggestion that I can give you is to research the Ezines, newsletters and or other people sites that you want to link with before buying. In most cases, if ezines are accepting advertising, you know they must have at least 500+ subscribers, or I should say, be sure that they have at least 500+ subscribers before advertising in their ezine. Know what you are getting before you put your money down – and as they always say, be sure to read the fine print.

The unpaid method is through article creation. This requires hard work on your part, but the return will be seen in the long term. Keep in mind, your articles should be relevant and address the subject matter of your site and products. Content reigns king on the Internet – and if it is relevant to their needs – they will eventually come to read.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is basically the optimization of your web pages so that you can get a decent ranking by the search engines, and thus, to pull people to your website by it relevance. This is a difficult chore and needs to continually be worked at – and within the ethics of the Search Engines.

To conclude, getting targeted people to your site is really part of growing your business. And Internet marketing – well, it’s not for the faint-hearted, but for the determined, persistent individual who wants to really make a living on-line. Thus, if you really want to make a living on-line – don’t give up and promote.

Available on my website is additional information regarding SEO, Adwords, Adsense and more.

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