Make no mistake about it. Article marketing takes a little more effort than simply writing articles and submitting them to article directories. This is the reason why there are cardinal rules in article marketing and they are are as follows:

1. Optimize your articles for keywords.
2. Write headlines that gain attention.
3. Evoke interest in the article body.
4. Call to action (CTA) in the resource box.
5. Get more visitors to visit your article.

There’s a reason why optimization for keywords is the number one step in article marketing. People use keywords to find things on the Internet. And keywords are what you’re going to use to bring your article to your intended audiences.

But of course, delivering the package is only the first step. Keep in mind that so many other competing websites are also fighting for attention, which is why you need to write headlines that grab attention. Headlines are essentially the makers and breakers of articles. If you want people to read your article, then attract them with a very good headline. In article marketing, there are certain types of headlines that grab more attention than others.

Headlines that begin with “The Top 5 Gifts To Give This Valentine” and headlines that ask questions easily grab more attention that others. Other types of headlines that attract attention are commands like, “Learn How To Groom A Dog Now!” and abstract headlines like “What You Should Know About Fluffed Tails and Trimmed Coats.”

It takes a skilled writer to pull off a creative headline. And it also takes writing skills to write exciting content that whets your readers’ appetite enough to make them click the link in the resource box.

When you article has been submitted to the article directories, you need to promote it even further. Keyword optimization within your article will get it ranked in the search engines; however, you need to generate links to your article so that it ranks higher. Thankfully, you can easily do this through social bookmarking. Bookmark your article at sites like Delicious to generate links to it. You can also use resubmit your article to other article directories, but with the link in the resource box changed to the link of the original submission.

Filed under: For Freelance Writers

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