SEO And Article Marketing: The Anatomy Of A Good Article
By: Seomul Evans
Submitted: 2009-12-26 22:35:25 | Word Count: 627
Few internet marketers are unaware of the importance of article marketing to their SEO efforts. But many internet marketers neglect this important tool because they feel that they don’t have anything good to say, they feel that they can’t write well enough, or they just simply don’t want to do it. But article marketing is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Not only do you increase your search engine rankings by getting quality links to your website, but you gain credibility with your target market because they feel that you have something important and relevant to say about your industry. Here are three keys to writing a good article that will get you and your business noticed:
1. Pick a Good Title. The title should clarify the subject of the article. If you don’t clearly communicate your article’s topic in the title, you’ll serve only to confuse and frustrate your audience. The title sets up expectations about the content, so be sure to meet those expectations in your writing. Your title should also include your primary keyword for which you’re doing SEO. If you’re optimizing for a phrase, make sure that the phrase includes no more than three words. If possible, include a secondary keyword in the title as well.
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2. Write a Good Opening Paragraph. If your title was compelling enough to catch a reader’s eye, then you’ve already done some good work. Continue that work by writing a quality opening paragraph. The opening paragraph should take your title and expand on it, and should outline for your readers what they should expect to learn by reading your article. This is the key for marketing yourself as an expert in your field. People will judge your competence and your professionalism based on how much valuable information you can provide in your article.
3. Keep the Reader Reading. The body of the article should tell the readers what you told them that you were going to tell them. In other words, this is where you ultimately deliver on the promises you made in your opening paragraph. Your concluding paragraph should summarize the article and should be just as compelling as your opening paragraph. Readers will often skim an article, reading only the first and last paragraphs, in order to decide whether the whole thing is worth reading. So don’t peter out at the end and leave your reader with a weak conclusion.
4. Summary. This is separate from your article, but you should never underestimate its importance. It may be the only thing a potential reader reads, so make sure it will motivate your readers to check out the entire article. And don’t forget the resource box. This is most important part of the whole process for SEO purposes. The resource box gives you the opportunity to link back to your site and thus build up the quality inbound links that search engines value so much.
If you’re still not sure how to go about getting started in article marketing, spend some time looking at article directories. Find the articles that have been viewed the most and take your cues from those authors. What is their writing style? What do they write about? Are they formal or informal? Do they use technical language or language that laypeople would understand? You’ll learn a lot simply by observing what other successful people do. And if that isn’t enough help, consider talking to an internet marketer. An internet marketer or SEO expert can help you determine how to integrate article marketing into your overall marketing plan so that your search engine rankings will increase, more traffic will visit your site, and your revenues will increase!
