Search Engine Optimization

Website Promotion Using Articles

Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures

Writing and distribution of articles is quickly becoming a choice method of website promotion. However, if the articles are not of high quality, using articles for promotion becomes pointless. Web publishers are seeking for quality content to offer their subscribers and visitors. Web publishers are unlikely to use articles that have a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. According to the terms of use, publishers don't have the permission to alter articles, even when they have the inclination and the time to correct errors. When they come across an article with many mistakes, they bypass it even if the article has a great message. If the author took time to polish it up, it would have been very usable. What guidelines can you follow to write quality articles?

The main goal of submitting articles is to enable other web publishers to use your content, thus bringing more traffic and exposure to your website. If your articles are sub-standard, they shall not be used. The following are general tips to writing quality articles.

Clear Title

If you write a piece on the topic of internet marketing, the title does not have to be 'Internet Marketing'. Let the subject of your article be clear, for example, "Seven ways to promote your Internet Marketing business". Remember, it is the title that grabs people's attention and encourages them to go on to read your article.

Proper grammar and spelling

Take the time to correct all the mistakes in your article. Many web publishers will overlook one or two typos, but they will not tolerate articles that need to be deciphered. Most word processing applications come with in-built grammar and spelling check. Make use of it before submitting an article. Make sure that you have used the proper word forms that sound similar but have different meanings, and are spelled differently. For example, "they're, there" or "too, two, to".

Avoid keyword stuffing

Of course you want your article to be keyword-rich so as to lure the search engines. However, be careful to avoid overkill. Too many keywords make your article monotonous and redundant. Sprinkle the keyword all through the article, but think of alternative phrases that you can use that would be as effective.

Focus your article

What is your article's focus? Some articles begin with one topic and the slowly digress into other irrelevant topics, without solving the problem or answering the question posed at the start of the article. While such pieces have their uses, most web publishers are seeking for articles that help their readers learn something new or solve a problem. This is best done by keeping your articles simple. Begin by posing a problem or asking a question, and then provide an answer. Don't digress into other subjects, unless the article touches on a number of interconnected topics.

Use a good author bio

Don't just list your name and website address. While readers enjoy an article, they want to know more about the author and their website's offer. Readers will not click through to your website unless something compels them to do so. Tell the readers a little about yourself. What is your expertise and experience? What is your website offering? However, don't make the bio too long.

Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.

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