There are many websites that will host your articles on the Internet. Some small, some large, some with guidelines, some without, some support streams of topics, some have a limited focus, some charge a fee and some are free.
With so many places to post your articles how can you maximize distribution with the least amount of effort? You can do so by being selective. Post your articles only on sites that support your topic, have integrity, and have a win/win approach. Since no two websites are alike. Here are a few features to watch for when considering your articles for submission:
1. Search capabilities. When you are at the website is there a search feature visitors can use to find a certain topic? If the page or pages list articles one after the other down a long page readers will not get past the first 20 names. Actually they will not even read that many. Web viewers do not have the patience to scroll through rows of titles trying to find the right subject.
2. How user friendly is the website? If the article section is buried inside a website and you have difficulty figuring out how to submit your article you will want to consider submitting your articles to this site.
3. What is the purpose of the website? Is that purpose supportive of your article, topic, and purpose or detrimental? Is it a sales page just trying to drive up search engine optimization under false pretenses? don't be fooled there are many of them out there. Is the host of the website apparent or nonexistent? Can you find a phone number or location -- city, state or country?
4. Submission guidelines. Some websites stipulate a word count, minimum, maximum or range. If your article doesn't meet their word count stipulations your article will normally not get published. Take them seriously and take the time to read them. More importantly find a system to track these. I have a rating system I use with 1 being the perfect submission site on up to 15 being an absolutely no. I keep track of the no website sites so that when I'm looking for new sites I know which ones I have already reviewed.
Since website owners change, just as we do as we learn and grow with our skills, guidelines change occasionally as well. I recommend reviewing the guidelines either every three months or at least ever six. Some sites have gotten sneaky and post good guidelines and then change to "we have the copyright now" sites when you are least expecting it.
There are also a few sneaky submission sites that are counting on you not reading their guidelines. These sites stipulate in their guidelines that upon submission the author gives up their copyright on the article. Some are blatantly labeled while others are hidden inside obscure legalize.
Some sites stipulate that you give them permission to use your material in anything they print or publish. This means that they can accumulate articles on a certain subject, and this is their usual intention, put them together in an ebook and sell the ebook. While some of you will not mind this and consider it viral marketing there are some dangers in this. And this author knows because this has occurred to her materials before she became wise to the secret purpose.
5. Statistics. There are very few websites that provide reader statistics. I love the websites that tell me how many people read the article. I want to know if a particular topic is well read. Many sites prefer not to post reader statistics. I suspect it is because writers would see that there is a very low count and submitting their articles. Voting on the article is a nice feature, however, it is not really a vital statistic counter. Maybe 1 out of 10 to 15 views will someone take the time to vote. If the voting feature is remotely positioned viewers never know of its existence. Even if this feature is position well on the page -- above the article to let readers know its there and immediately below the article -- readers will rarely vote unless the article was awful.
Article hosting and posting is a joint venture -- view it as such -- and you will maximize your time and effort.
Copyright 2005, Catherine Franz.
Catherine Franz, Millionaire Coach, thinks outside the box naturally when it comes to attracting money. Order her latest strategy, How To "Get 'Them' To Follow Your Yellow Brick Road" report (for professionals, consultants, employees, and retail store owners). http://www.marketingstrategiestogo.com
There are certain mesmerizing words that when used effectively can... Read More
Creating mini-sites that grab your browsers and prime them into... Read More
Go for the bronze.Repeat...go for the bronze.That's right, DO NOT... Read More
When you offer your products via an email campaign to... Read More
If you think that all money to be made online... Read More
If you read my first article titled BUILDING A BUSINESS... Read More
Perhaps the online community today is not so different from... Read More
There are hundreds of ways that you can promote your... Read More
If you are on a shoestring budget and need to... Read More
I'm sure everybody has received an email from a company... Read More
Overcome lackluster copy and lack of product sales by using... Read More
How much does an advert in Yellow Pages cost? How... Read More
The numbers are supposed to be big in online marketing,... Read More
If you have ever wanted to know HOW the Internet... Read More
I recently posted an article titled "Internet Marketing and Public... Read More
Life is thought to have begun on Earth somewhere around... Read More
When it comes to making money online, there are a... Read More
One marketing technique used by advertisers old and new is... Read More
Google has released another valuable. The tool, "Sitemaps", allows you... Read More
Whether online or offline, small businesses often show little faith... Read More
When the economy is booming, you may do well in... Read More
Do you believe that there is a price to pay... Read More
When you offer your products via an email campaign to... Read More
There are no hidden secrets on how to rank high... Read More
The Internet is a practical and accessible tool to build... Read More
While we are well into the 21st century too many... Read More
Uniqueness is what separates each business, its services and its... Read More
Instant Messaging is rapidly becoming accepted in the business community... Read More
We all know the importance of gaining top visibility to... Read More
When my sister and discussed our shopping plans this year... Read More
So you've started your business and you have a website... Read More
It is difficult to for a real estate agent to... Read More
Exchanging links has been an important part of generating traffic... Read More
"Making money online quick and easy" seems to be the... Read More
Photos should be important parts of your marketing. The photos... Read More
Objectives, strategies, and tactics (i.e. programs or action plans) -... Read More
Link exchange is one of the many Internet marketing strategies... Read More
Set up multiple simultaneous marketing campaigns with database marketing automation... Read More
Product creation is usually one of the first concerns of... Read More
There are so many business opportunities these days that promise... Read More
As any successful businessman will confirm, having a great product... Read More
As we look at building our online businesses, many of... Read More
Looking for some tips on being a newbie in the... Read More
They hang around your web site. Not buying, just lurking.... Read More
It seems to be in vogue these days to downplay... Read More
When you make the decision to start an Internet business... Read More
While we are well into the 21st century too many... Read More
Do you want to join the well known gurus like... Read More
The busier you are the harder it is to remember... Read More
Formal business planning is a process that takes that "great... Read More
Banner Advertising:Paying $15 for a 1000 impressions on a high... Read More
One of my favorite net marketing tasks is creating a... Read More
Niche marketing is focusing your business efforts to a target... Read More
Jeff Mills, a popular internet marketer and entrepreneur told us,... Read More
Critical Mass Website Promotion is the elite goal rarely attained... Read More
The story of how Hotmail moved from zero to a... Read More
Like many other useful toolbars out there so is the... Read More
Everyone has heard about viral marketing but what is it... Read More
Even though the days of an IPO generating millions of... Read More
Recently, I stumbled upon a simple way to hit the... Read More
No doubt, online marketing is the fastest way to get... Read More
There are numerous tools available on the Internet to assist... Read More
Still marketing through press releases, networking groups, and talks to... Read More
You certainly know by now that the term "viral marketing"... Read More
There is a trend going on in the world of... Read More
Whether you are a small company or a larger corporation... Read More
Internet Marketing |