Why is this so? Here are the benefits that writing articles can give your Internet business.

1. It's absolutely free.

Too good to be true? Not. Okay, you have to pay for your Internet Service Provider. That's it. All you need is your thoughts, your computer, and your hands. If you have those, nothing will stop you from typing words that will make you complete that article for your website. On which aspect of that process did you really shell out any cent? Maybe later when your electric bills come.

2. Your website will be noticed in a short period of time.

Submit that article of yours to article directories that get the most web traffic and in no time your web site will be crawled. That is if you don't forget including your resource box or byline.

3. Obtain back links automatically.

When you submit your articles to directories, surely, other websites will make use of your article too. With the copyright terms of your articles, the URL of your website will still be intact and will subsequently direct more traffic to your website.

4. Improve your reputation.

As an Internet marketer, if you plainly display your products on your website, you will not gain much conversion rate. Conversion is when your traffic converts to sales. You have to show that you are knowledgeable on your field. And what better way to show that than by writing articles that will allow you some bragging rights, right?

Just make your creative juices flow and jot down or key in those ideas quickly to jumpstart your article writing momentum. With those benefits listed above, a writer's block is the last problem you will ever be able to surmount. But that's another story...

2. Resource Box Length

When writing your resource box, keep it 5 to 6 lines long. In a resource box you are simply trying to get people to request more information, not sell them something. If you want a longer ad, buy one!

3. Line Length

The lines in both your article and your resource box should be formatted to 60 to 65 characters per line. One of the consequences of not doing so is that, in some email programs, your article may appear with every line at a different length.

You can get your article formatted, as well as learning its character, line, and word count, at the following website for free. http://www.fwointl.com/FWOFormatter.html

4. Is Your Article Actually An Article?

Publishers want to provide their readers with actually useful information and you should want the same. If you write an article that is just a sales letter or press release it will be rejected 99 percent of the time.

5. Inactive Links

Before you even think about publishing or submitting your article check that all links within it are active and working. Nothing is more irritating than to click on a link for a site you're interested in only to find out that it no longer exists.

6. Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar

If you submit your article and it's full of errors it will be thrown into the trash folder so fast that your head will spin. Submitting articles with these types of errors not only makes you look extremely unprofessional, but it shows disrespect for both the publisher and their readers.

7. S*AM Triggers

As a courtesy, you should run your article through a program that will check it for triggers that could possibly get it rejected by filters. This isn't a necessary step but it will definitely impress publishers and increase the chances of your article being published.

You can check your article for free at http://www.lyris.com/contentchecker.

8. Publisher Guidelines

This should be understood without having to say it, but it is still important enough to mention. Always, always, always follow the publisher's guidelines when submitting an article to them. Not doing so will get your article rejected quicker than anything else.

Read this list, print it out, and keep it by you when you are writing an article. Read each tip and make sure that you are following it.

Making the above mistakes will insult the intelligence of both the publishers and their readers, as well as wasting your time and theirs.

Webmasters and publication editors have an insatiable appetite for tightly written "niched" articles that are relevant to their web sites or publications themes.

This need is your opportunity...

An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has a never-ending need for good content. Each issue they publish must be filled with useful, relevant content that will appeal to their readers or subscribers self-interest. A publication that cannot provide great content will not long survive.



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"An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has a never-ending need for good content.



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By regularly supplying the media with well written articles, you build a never-ending supply of links and traffic to your own websites.

How?... Well, the secret is in the bio. Each article you submit for publication has your own "authors bio" that gives full attribution and links to your site. This is the payment you receive for having supplied the articles... it is a payment which gives you long-term dividends!

Not only will your article be presented to many thousands of subscribers initially... but those same articles (with your bio and links) will be archived on the publications websites. Those archived articles become fodder for search engines which not only provide on-going traffic to the publishing site... but to YOU as well. It is truly a Win/Win proposition.

NOT A WRITER?... NO PROBLEM...

There are countless freelance writers who will "ghost write" articles for you and... giving you the copyrights. I know of many well-known names in the industry who have articles plastered all over the internet...and they have never written a word themselves. I know this because I have written some of their articles. :-)

If you need such services try elance or do a Google search for "ghost writing" or "freelance writers". There are many highly educated, english speaking, foreign-based professionals who will write articles for very nominal fees.

OK... YOU HAVE AN ARTICLE... NOW WHAT?

Having a good article is only the first part of the equatiion... now you need to get the articles distributed to those editors and publications who will welcome your contribution... and publish your work.

There are three primary means of promoting your articles:

Article Directories
Article Announcment Lists
Your Internal List
Paid Distributiion Services & Software
Here is a breakdown of each... and a list of resources to get you started...

ARTICLE DIRECTORIES...

Article directories are websites which categorize and archive your articles... and promote them to editors and publishers. Most are free... but some are fee based. They all provide a submission system for you to provide your articles to them. In addition, most have their own internal list of editors and publishers that they announce your new article to.

TIP: The simple act of listing your articles in the directory archives will provide you instant incoming links to your website which could increase your site traffic and page ranks.

Here is a partial list of article directories. (Please note that companies go out of business occasionally and you may run into a link which no longer works.)

http://www.allmerchants.com/
http://www.allnetarticles.com/
http://amazines.com/
http://www.articlecity.com/article_submission.shtml
http://articleresponder.com/index.php
http://www.articlesubmissions.com/index.php
http://www.boconline.com/
http://www.businesstoolchest.com/
http://www.certificate.net/wwio/index.shtml
http://www.connectionteam.com
http://www.dime-co.com/
http://www.ebooksnbytes.com
http://www.echievements.com/
http://ezineadhelper.com/cgi-bin/articles/articles.cgi
http://www.ezinearticles.com
http://www.goarticles.com
http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/bb/index.php
http://linksnoop.com/
http://www.mailbiz.com/mailbiz/magcat/
http://www.SimpleSteps2success.biz
http://thewhir.com/find/articlecentral/
http://webmarketingspecialists.com/articlesubmit.htm
http://www.webmomz.com/users/login.shtml
http://www.zongoo.com/index.php
ARTICLE ANNOUNCEMENT LISTS...

Announcement Lists are email newsletters, lists, or ezines, which allow you to "announce" your new articles to thousands of editors and publishers instantly. Most of these announcement lists are sent out daily to their subscribers. This means that you can have your article circulating to key editors and publishers within hours of completion.

Here are a number of important Article Announcement Lists that will give you a simple and fast mechanism for distribution of your articles...

http://topica.com/lists/articlereview/
http://topica.com/lists/freeezinecontent/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce_list/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Reprint-Articles/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Content/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free_eContent/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freezinecontent/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/internet_marketing_articleblaster/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netwrite-publish-announce/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/publisher_network/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/QC_Reprint_Articles
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reprintedarticles/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheWriteArticles/
YOUR INTERNAL, IN-HOUSE, DISTRIBUTION LIST...

Over time you will begin to build a list of editors and publishers, who have used your articles in the past, and find them to be relevant. This list is "your private goldmine". Each time you finish an article the first step you want to take is to send it, in a private mailing, to your in-house user list.

You might want to consider doing a "mail merge" to this list and personalize your submission to the specific editor by name.

Remember, this list could be worth thousand of dollars to you over the coming months and years. Do not treat it lightly. This list is truly a center-of-influence list that you will want to spend time and effort nuturing. Remembering them at holidays and on special occasions, goes a long way to building a profitable relationship.

Pick up a phone and call them. Let them know that you appreciate your relationship... and let them know you are available for special writing assignments. (Here is an example of how strong and beneficial this simple act can be... About two years ago I sent a small holiday gift [a screen-saver of tropical Hawaiian images] to a magazine editor who had used a number of my articles in the past. I waited until the package had time to arrive and then I picked up a phone and called her. She was delighted with the thoughtfulness of the gift and then stunned me with the news that one of her regular columnists had been forced to resign... and "would I be interested in replacing him?". So... that simple telephone call resulted in a regular column in a print magazine that serves one of my niche marketplaces. A marvelous result that may not have happened if I had not "nurtured the relationship".

Ask them "What Articles Do You Need?"... and listen closely to their answers.

By doing so... you will develop a sense of what materials are needed and wanted in your marketplace. Write specifically to those needs and you will develop a strong editorial following that will pay off in huge traffic flow, increased sales and profits, and an enhanced image and reputation. These are pretty hefty benefits for some time spent researching and writing articles!

PAID DISTRIBUTION SERVICES...

Two recent innovations that have burst on the article marketing scene are: (1)custom distribution software (Article Announcer) and (2) web-based article distribution services (Article Marketer). My experience with these systems are that the web-based service is much more cost efficient, easier to use, and has the built-in advantage of having the most current and up-to-date database of publishers seeking your content.