Article Marketing was popular years ago for search rankings, but the social media environment of today gives article marketing a new role. Is it worth the time and energy to write and submit articles?  I say yes and I'll tell you why.  First, I would like to tell you about 2 articles that I wrote that have allowed me to rank organically on the first page of Google for our keywords.

The first is an article I wrote in 2005 that discussed the concept of Home vs private vs public schooling,  the goal was to rank #1 for the keyphrase "Long Island Private School" in an effort to drive traffic to our client, a local Montessori School.  The article was not overt,  we simply discussed the pros and cons of the three primary schooling methods.

The second was an article that I also penned about the Aurora Borealis on Long Island. Here in South East New York very few would imagine that we can see the spectacular visual event, but when circumstances are just right we do get a glimpse.  Why would I write that type of article?  Well, we have a very talented photographer here on Long Island who managed to capture the purple sky from his Kings Park backyard, and we have four additional photographers as clients, so it was a simple way to capture the keyphrases "Long Island Photographer".

These are both very good arguments for the use of articles in Search Marketing.  Driving traffic to your site by creating content on other sites with a hyperlink back to your site is one of the best ways to capture a search  I still believe in using articles to get rankings, I still believe in using any method that Google sanctions to get rankings, and I practice it every day.... but think about the people who wind up on your pages from those searches.  Think about using article marketing to create relationships online. With so many emerging online marketing options available such as blogging, podcasting and video marketing - article marketing is probably more useful than ever.

There are essentially four ways to write an article for online advantage:

1 - Share what you know
It seems obvious enough - if you have knowledge, and you share it,  you establish yourself as an authority.  As long as your knowledge is valuable and useful information, you set yourself up to establish a relationship with the reader.

2 - Share what you like
Social bookmarking is built on these this premise.  When we share information, whether we created it or found it, we build and strenthen relationships.

3 - Share what you don't know
When you write an article on a topic that you and others want to know more about, not only do you capture some of the strongest search categories, but you start a conversation.

4 --Share what you hate
Misery loves company. Another great way to build a relationship is to find a common dislike and exploit it.  If you talk about the things that bug you, and others are searching for a solution to the same itch, you create new relationships.

IF you are already writing content for your own personal blog, hold some of it back and submit it as an article instead. If you've written a few short blog entries that you think you can elaborate on, think about doing a bit of research and creating a stand alone article to submit.  You will reach a few of your fans on your own blog - but if you submit to a larger entity you can reach a much larger audience.

Consider that webmasters and online publishers always need new fresh content.  If you can write an article and submit it, you can get a FREE link back to your website and seemingly effortlessly you can capture a search and increase your exposure. 

Show me another form of marketing that can get you ranked for your keywords, establish you as an authority and help you build relationships.

Is there an issue that you would like Dawn to address?  If so contact Dawn at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell her what you're thinking.