Some Internet marketers have the mistaken idea that the articles they use for promotional purposes don’t need to be quality articles. They think that they can slap a few keyword stuffed articles up at an article directory and expect hordes of traffic to follow. This isn’t exactly true. Look at it this way: if your articles offer little value, what will your readers think about your website? They’ll likely believe that it offers little or no value also and they’ll click on the next article in the directory and they’ll follow that link back to someone else’s website.
Keywords aren’t Everything
Keyword count but they’re not everything. You do want to use your keyword or keyword phrase in your article title and of course, you want to use it a few times in your article but you also want clear and concise information throughout your article. If your article sounds like nothing more than a promotional sales pitch, then all the keywords in the world won’t turn your readers into customers. Spend some time on your title, too. Think about the titles that make you click on the articles, ads, or emails that you click on. Think about what information people are really looking for when you add your titles and look at the other titles in your niche in the same directory to see how they compare.
Spelling, Grammar, and Flow
It should go without saying that you need to proofread your articles for spelling, grammar, and flow but it’s obvious that not everyone does by the looks of most article directories. Think of these articles as your storefront display window, like many of those in the brick and mortar world. Displaying articles full of typos and mistakes is like having dirty windows in your storefront display. It stands to reason that if your promotional materials are littered with mistakes that your products or website might be also. Articles like these are just invitations for readers to move along and that is exactly what they will do.
That’s not to say that you have to be a prolific author to profit from article marketing. On the contrary. Your articles can be simple informational pieces that highlight the subject of your niche. Remember, solve a problem and you’ll gain a customer. While you’re ensuring that your articles are error free, run your computer’s spell checker but don’t rely on it. Run it first and then read the article over and you’ll see what I mean. Computer spell checkers are notorious for confusing words like your and you’re and to and too so play it safe and read over your articles after you spell check just to make sure.
