Using your articles – more than just article directories

Getting the most from your articlesAwesome! by NatalieMaynor.

If you’re thinking of writing a few articles to submit to article directories in the hope of attracting thousands of visitors and hundreds of Google-friendly backlinks, you need to think again.

Article marketing has become very popular in recent years as website owners go in search of that all important Google Page Rank. Not surprisingly, article directories have sprung up left, right and center to feed their interest.

But just like more traditional directories, the easier a link is to get, the less it’s worth in the eyes of the search engines. The SEO guys will debate the specifics endlessly but for most small businesses the lesson is simple:

Don’t create articles for article directories.

Create good articles that people actually want to read – and then use that article content in different formats (both online and off) to get the maximum return for your efforts.

10 tips and ideas for reusing your articles across different media

thinking out of the box 2

  1. Create keyword rich article content – and stick it on your own site first. Write first and foremost for your own website and your own readers / visitors. Add your articles to a useful resource section or a blog. Give the search engines a chance to find it before adding similar content to other sites. Once an article is up on your site, reference it often. Many people suggest creating ‘pillar articles’ that explain important concepts within your industry. Whenever you mention them in a blog post or in an industry forum, you can link back to that article.

  2. Contact individual site owners and offer to write articles for them. Based on the notes and drafts from your first article it should be easy enough to come up with a differently worded article on the same subject or a unique article on a similar subject. For example, if I wrote a general article on Low Cost Marketing Ideas I could write one on Low Cost Marketing Ideas for Accountants for an accountancy website.

  3. Always include an offline element to your distribution strategy. Local papers are always in need of good content and will often provide you with a detailed byline and possibly a picture. If your industry is relevant to the consumer market you should be able to come up with something quite easily – but keep it informative, not a sales pitch. Provide great content and they may be interested in a more regular slot. If you’re a B2B business, try trade magazines instead.

  4. Consider producing printed versions to use as handouts or sales aids.

  5. Do add it to article directories or submission services – ideally creating a different version to avoid duplicating the content on your own website. Some services will allow you to do this automatically by creating alternative headlines and sentence structures. Don’t expect to gain hugely in Google’s eyes from the backlinks this creates but you will create pathways back to your website (i.e. for humans) and the articles themselves may do well in search results.

  6. Use your article as a script for a podcast or short video piece.

  7. Use it as the structure for a short workshop segment.

  8. Use it in your newsletter.

  9. Use snippets to answer questions raised in forums.

  10. Pull all your articles together into a single ebook or even a printed version to use as an incentive or lead generator.

Articles are not just for directories so make sure you invest the time and energy needed to create something informative and engaging. If you do your articles can be useful marketing tools for years to come.

Of course, if all that sounds too much like work, you could get someone to do it all for you.

What next?

  1. Read our introduction to article marketing
    - Article Marketing 101: Why and How
  2. Learn more about our article marketing services.
  3. Consider subscribing for free to Really Practical Marketing by RSS or email.

Image: NatalieMaynor