Article Marketing: A Secret to SEO Success

It is common knowledge that link building is one of the toughest aspects of search engine optimization. Often times the process of obtaining new backlinks can be tedious and repetitive. It is about time that we link builders rediscover the exciting and powerful SEO tactic that is article marketing. Below are four steps that are essential to any successful article marketing campaign.

1. Writing
Article marketing is great for search engine optimizers because the content, anchor text and URLs are determined entirely by the creator. Nonetheless, sitting down and writing a worthwhile article with optimal built-in link juice is not an easy task. The first hurdle is choosing a good topic. Writing on a subject that relates to your company or job is the best way to incorporate relevant links into your article and will likely bring the most traffic to your site. However, if you discover that it is easier to write about your favorite hobby or your newest tech gadget, by all means go for it. As the saying goes, where there is an article, there is a way to incorporate links (or something like that). Keep in mind that the types of articles you write will determine the types of sites or blogs you will be able to submit them to and the more relevant the better.

In order to get the best SEO results for your article, there some important writing strategies to pursue. Aim to keep your articles relatively short (typically between 500 and 1500 words) and try to include the deepest, most relevant links as possible in your article. Deep links induce search engines to crawl through more pages on your website. The ultimate goal is to provide content that makes the reader want to know more and then to provide the links that enable them to do so right there. If you find that you cannot incorporate any relevant links into the main body of your article, do not fret. In this situation feel free to include a small blurb at the end of your article with an author’s bio and a link or two to your website. Many article directories include a reference box for exactly this reason.

2. Submitting
So you finished writing your brilliant, one of a kind article, now what? There are two primary destinations for your articles, article directories and various blogs or websites. In general, article directories offer a quick set of backlinks from lots of sites that have average PageRank. You can search online for a list of the top article directories, likely to be ordered by Google PageRank or Alexa rating. You will find that each directory has its own rules on article submissions (e.g. no more than six links, no links in the first 200 words, etc.). It is imperative that you follow the guidelines and adjust your articles accordingly to get published. There are many article syndication programs out there that can increase your submission efficiency.

Another submission strategy is to focus on blogs or websites that relate to the content of your article. For example, if you write an article covering a newfound use of widget X you can do a Google search for high PageRank sites that focus on widget X and reach out to them. Many of the people you contact will jump at the opportunity for free, high quality content. Keep in mind that if you go this route you will likely have to create a unique article for each site. If you find a blog or a website that has a significantly high PageRank or is specifically relevant to your company it may be beneficial to reach out to them first and work together to generate a unique article. Contacting bloggers or site owners is one of the best ways to get high quality link juice.

3. Utilizing all of the Benefits
The backlinks that your articles generate will be terrific and yet they are only the tip of the iceberg. Almost every article directory has the option for authors to create a personal page on their site. Each directory does it differently, but almost all allow you to include at least one do-follow link in this section. This will quite possibly be the easiest backlink you will ever get and do not hesitate to focus these links on keywords that you have recently been targeting.

Another benefit that derives from article marketing with no extra work is increased organic traffic. If your articles are of decent quality there is a good chance that they will get republished on other sites. Also, a lot of views and high ratings on your article will boost your article in search engine results. With a little on-site optimization (wink, wink) it is surprisingly easy to get your article to rank in all three major search engines for the keywords in your title. The more times your article is republished and the higher it ranks in search engines, the more free traffic your website will receive.

4. Recording and Following up
It is important to record your article marketing efforts and results. An easy way to do this is to create a spreadsheet that includes the important attributes of the sites you submit your article to (e.g. the URL, PageRank, submission date, contact method, status, URL of accepted articles and any notes you may need later). This will provide an easy way to measure the success of your article marketing campaign and will enable a simple and straightforward follow up strategy with any directory, site or blog.

Search Engine Optimization: A Practical Guide to Link Building

Search engine optimization is critically important for any company, big or small. The most common method of finding websites is done via the major search engines and the higher your site shows up, the more visitors you will get. A key factor in determining how high your site will rank is link popularity, primarily determined by the number and type of sites that link to you. The process of increasing this number, link building, is arguably one of the most difficult SEO tasks. Nonetheless, an extensive set of back links is essential to outranking your competitors.

While building links may seem daunting, the process can be surprisingly exciting. Much like the field of SEO in general, there has yet to be a proven best strategy on how to build links. The art of link building is constantly evolving and everyone approaches the job a little differently. Below are in-depth looks at three link building techniques that every company should be pursuing.

1. Learn From Your Competitors

One of the best ways to begin or refocus your link building campaign is to analyze what your competitors are doing. The objective is to find, analyze, and reach out to the sites that are linking to your biggest competitors. There are tons of ways to go about this, the cheapest being free online resources. There are many backlink providers online that supply the URL and anchor text of hundreds of backlinks from any competitor. On any such provider it may take a while to weed through the list and find the quality sites, but going through it will give you a general sense of the sites linking to your competitors. The trick is to reach out to said sites and convince them that your own site is worth linking to as well. And the games begin…

Some more great tools to track your competitors can be found at SEOmoz, the leader in SEO resources. A useful free tool from SEOmoz, Open Site Explorer, allows you to explore and compare competitors’ backlinks using metrics to judge for quality. You can find some other powerful link building tools on SEOmoz that require a pro membership (check out their free blog to learn more about SEO resources and strategies). Learning from your competitors is an excellent way to build up backlinks, but in order to pass your competitors you have to pursue other methods as well.

2. Utilize Directories

Directories provide a relatively quick way of obtaining backlinks and can generate rapid results in search engines. Submitting websites to directories has always been a bit of a controversial issue in the world of SEO as it has been shows that misuse of search directories can result in penalization from search engines. Nonetheless, an educated method of utilizing directories for link building can produce valuable SEO results. In many cases, all you have to do is enter some general company information and you will get rewarded with an instantaneous link.

There are countless lists online of high volume free directories to submit to and many include PageRanks and other helpful attributes. To avoid penalization, is imperative to only submit to directories that have categories relevant to your site. Once you locate the best category, be sure to check the guidelines to see if you can link to deep pages within your site. The deeper the links you submit to the directories the more pages of your site the search engines will crawl, enhancing the effect of each backlink. While the high success rate of getting listed in directories (especially compared to that of emailing sites that link to your competitors) can be captivating, don’t forget the importance of implementing multiple strategies.

3. Write Articles

Article and blog posts are the best way to get the exact backlinks you want with the most optimized anchor text. However, great links come at a great cost. And naturally this type of link building strategy takes a lot of time and effort. The primary goal is to write articles with applicable information that include links back to your site. You can then publish the articles on either relevant sites or in article directories. Not unlike search directories, article directories can be a relatively efficient strategy to get backlinks. Once again, you can do a quick search on Google to find a list of high trust article directories to submit to.

Many article directories have various posting rules (no links in the first paragraph, no more than three links, etc.) but in every case you should be able to find at least one way to get links pointing back to you. This may come in the author’s bio section or in a profile page but the opportunity will be there. Another location to post articles is on blogs or relevant websites. Try doing some research of suitable blogs or sites and reach out to them with your article. Many webmasters will jump at the opportunity to include your article as a guest post especially if you are providing rich content.

Conclusion

All of the aforementioned strategies offer great opportunities to significantly boost your company’s online presence, but an essential component to any successful link building campaign is variety. Try to create a balance of your different link building efforts. Email some websites that link to your competitors, submit your site to a couple of directories and publish a couple articles that link back to your site. Definitely make sure to document your efforts and keep track of your link building results.

While these link building strategies only scratch the surface of SEO tactics, they are a great place to focus your efforts. Welcome to the game that is Search Engine Optimization.

10 Ways to be a Successful Intern

Over the last three years I have had the privilege of interning at two incredible companies, www.allstardirectories.com and www.seniorhomes.com, and during that time I have compiled some invaluable tips on how to be a successful intern. Here are some suggestions to help you make the most out of your internship.

1. Be Positive.  Tackle every project that your boss assigns you with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. It is not uncommon for interns to start out with grunt work (filing papers, entering data, getting coffee, etc.). The fact of the matter is this stuff simply needs to get done. It is not an easy task to wade through large amounts of tedious work with a positive and motivated mentality. However, if you patiently wade through the boring stuff and prove yourself to your boss, chances are more exciting and interesting projects will be sent your way.

2. Listen Carefully.  Without a doubt, the best way to learn and get things right the first time is to listen carefully to your boss. Make sure to always have a notepad at the ready to capture every important detail. Not only will this make you more adept and proficient in doing your task, but when your boss comes to you a month and half later and asks you to do the same project you will have all of the steps right there. In fact, it may be a good idea to keep an organizational guide of everything you do. You may be surprised at how beneficial it can be for the company, especially if they hire someone else to do your job after you leave.

3. Manage Your Time.  First, always be on time to work and stick to your predetermined schedule. Once you have that down you will likely need to prioritize, especially as the projects begin piling up. In many situations your to do list may be overwhelming. To make life easier, create a list of all your action items and decide which tasks need to be dealt with first. It will likely be useful to set up a weekly meeting with your boss to go over any important information and to provide updates on your work.

4. Don’t be Afraid to Speak Up. People always worry about asking dumb questions, and interns are no different. As it turns out, interns are expected to have tons of questions. Always remember that it is better to ask than not ask and make a mistake. In other words, a “dumb” question is always better than a “dumb” error. Keep in mind that your boss chose to hire you which means your boss wants to hear what you have to say. If your question or idea is great, excellent, if it’s not, learn why and move on.

5. Be Proactive. If you are sitting around twiddling your thumbs, stop. It is difficult but essential to be able to ask your boss for new work if you find yourself empty-handed. An easy way to initiate this discussion is to tell your boss that you would like to take a second to make sure you are on the same page and doing everything correctly. The resulting discussion will likely get you the work you were looking for and it doesn’t hurt that it shows initiative as well. If you still find yourself with little to do, make an effort to learn as much you can through company files or search relevant articles and blogs for information.

6. Meet Your Coworkers. You will be spending a good amount of time at your internship, and nearly all of that time will be in the company of your coworkers. Make an effort to get to know them. Ask them questions about what they do at work, where they went to school, or anything else that comes to mind. Not only will this make your internship more enjoyable, but your coworkers will also be more willing to help you out when you run into any snags (which you inevitably will). Also, don’t forget about the networking opportunities.

7. Find a Mentor. One of the best ways to really learn your trade is to have a mentor to show you the ropes. A good mentor is typically either someone you are working with directly or someone in the same department you are in. Figuring stuff out on your own is great, but having someone who has been there before giving you suggestions will make the whole process much smoother. Sometimes a mentor will fall into place naturally, otherwise find someone with relevant experience who is willing to help you and form a relationship.

8. Work Hard. This may seem obvious, but it is much easier said than done. Working hard generates a cycle of positive benefits, beginning with the fact that it will impress your boss. This will encourage your boss to give you more responsibilities and bigger projects. And this will be incredibly beneficial, for not only will you feel more accomplished, but when you finish your internship and ask your boss for a reference letter you will likely get great results. Who knows, maybe you will even get asked to come back next year.

9. Remember why you are there. Maybe your parents made you, maybe you needed the money, but in the long run you are in it for the experience. It is increasingly difficult to get an internship and if you are one of the lucky few to get hired, make the most of it. Try to learn as much as you possibly can, not only about the department you are working in but about the entire company and even the industry as a whole. Make an effort to truly understand what you are doing and how it affects the entire company.

10. Stay in Touch. Even after you finish your internship there is still work to be done. Make a genuine effort to keep contact with your boss and/or your coworkers. Shoot them an email asking how the project you were working on is doing or how things are going in general. Don’t be hesitant to provide an update on your whereabouts either. The people you worked with provide an incredible opportunity for references, networking, and even future jobs.