Write for the Non-Human Reader
Articles should be written to cater to two dissimilar types
of readers - humans and search engine spiders. Each responds
to information in their own ways. How one attains the best
of both goes to the heart of your article strategy.
People want articles they read to be useful, timely, and
relevant. Writing quality (with wit, persuasion, emotional
images, etc.) matters to them. But that's of no concern to
the spiders. Readers who like what you've written are likely
to come to your website - maybe even buy something. Yet, the
benefits received from search engines are just as important.
Search spiders are attuned to links, keywords, and Page Rank
(the popularity of sites that link to yours). Decide which
keywords or recurring theme to build every article around
before starting to write. That amplifies your search engine
optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) efforts. Multiple
articles can draw attention to a wide array of pertinent
terms.
What Search Engines Do for Your Articles
- Track your keywords as they appear in posted articles
- Deliver links to you in response to relevant queries, thereby sending targeted traffic to the site
- Find your site through links from posting sites - particularly important for a new or low-traffic website
- Show the places that publish your articles
- Increase your Page Rank as high-quality links are established
- Raise your site in the rankings as more and more articles appear
Decide
Where to Submit your Articles
Who (human) are you writing for? Narrowly defining
appropriate interest groups will dictate what spin to use.
Unless that's clear, blasting out articles is too hit or
miss. For example, if writing about electronic games for
children, your emphasis will be very different if written
for parents, schools and institutions, or the kids
themselves.
Clarity about your audience determines where to send your
creative output. Article Marketing Academy
http://www.promotewitharticles.com/howto.html offers
extensive lists of where and how to post your articles.
You'll soon learn which sites actually publish your
contributions, and which drive traffic to your site. Your
submission list keeps growing with every completed article
(becoming more valuable to you all the time). At some point,
your name-recognition and expert status kick in.
Watch Out for Contradictory Messages
Maintain a consistency of message from one articles to the
next, that is also in synch with your website personality.
If your article promises a mother lode of answers, make
certain they can be easily found, once a reader visits your
website. Confusing navigation or a sour note can quickly
undo whatever good your article accomplished.
Recycle Your Articles to Work Harder
Posting your articles online is just the start. Even before
you've written them, plan off-line ways to recycle that same
information. When I write articles for clients, I encourage
them to use it in as many ways as possible. Don't neglect
your customers who aren't Internet savvy.
Re-package Articles Multiple Ways
- Send to local publications as press releases or PR
- Submit to trade journals
- Create handouts to be provided at your store or with services
- Collect them into handouts or flyers to sell or give away
- Reformat them as hints, booklets, tutorials
- Incorporate them into speeches or classes
Monitor the Results
A strategy only makes sense if you also keep track of what's
working. How many websites actually publish your article and
link back to yours? (That's easy to determine. Conduct a
Google or Yahoo query with your article title in quotes.
Continue to log where it appears for several months after
posting.)
Spelling out an article promotion strategy makes your
Internet and traditional promotions work smoothly together.
And it assures that the needs of both search spiders and
readers will be satisfied. The right time for planning is
before starting to write any articles. I can help you with
that. http://www.promotewitharticles.com/consult.html
Your carefully-crafted strategy assures that a steady flow
of articles supports your multiple business goals. Best of
all, you don't have to wait long to see people and search
engines responding to what you've written. That's bound to
pay off, and keep paying off...
(c) Lynella Grant, 2005
Part 1
includes writing multiple articles and meshing online and offline
marketing methods.
Part 1 is here.
--Dr. Lynella Grant http://www.promotewitharticles.com - Article Marketing Academy - Promote yourself, business, website, or book with articles posted online.
Author, Yellow Page Smarts, http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html (719) 395-9450
