Article Submission – Just for Links?

Article Submission can be used in two ways; one, you will spread the word about your services and knowledge; and two, you will boost your website’s popularity in search engines by increasing links to your site.  However, submitting to multiple article sites can be a disaster if you plan on simply submitting the same article over and over. Different article directories will require different types of formatting. Making sure you submit correctly means the difference between acceptance and rejection – and some sites have a  policy of banning after 3 rejections.

The number of characters allowed in titles will vary widely from site to site. Links may be restricted to one, or they may allow up to three. Resource boxes (where the links typically go) will carry specific instructions as to what is allowed and what isn’t. Article submission software can get you banned fast, so do submit your articles manually, or hire a professional article submission service to manually perform the process for you.

There are some things that will make submitting much easier. Writing the article according to an approved template can help, but if you only have one it is not good as many directories differ, so prepare a specific template for each article directory you choose to submit to.  SEO friendly article writing can help your article rank well in search engines.

Many article directories want articles to be at least 350-400 words – some peg the minimum as high as 500. 1000 words is the top range – one page articles are best. Consider linking related articles together instead of having one huge long article. Courier 10 point is an excellent choice. Even word processors known for using special characters that mess up your formatting will be wrangled around and should work well with the various content management systems. Single space your copy, and double space for paragraphing without indentation.

Use single quotes when possible instead of double quotation marks. Also be vigilant with spell checkers and grammar checkers, and have a third party proof for you if possible. After you check everything ten times, your article is ready for submission. Use  Notepad to get rid of any excess formatting (for example, copy and paste from Word into Notepad, then cut and paste from Notepad into the article submission system.) Do a final double check for spacing, paragraphing and other formatting.

Title should be generally be just 60 characters or less, with keywords close to the beginning of the title. Pay attention – some article directories use title case, while some don’t. (Title Case is Like This, With Nearly All Words Starting With a Capital Letter.) You have to get these details right!

Many sites will require a brief summary of about 250 words describing the point of your article. You will also need to fill in the resource box (do NOT be promotional here!) Some directories allow you to tag your article with keywords. Do NOT spam. A few directories allow links in the article body, while others restrict them to the resource box.

If your article has been appropriately optimized and submitted, you should receive a valuable link to your site. Change your article slightly for each site you submit to so you can avoid duplication across the web. If an article is picked up by Google, you’ll benefit from traffic increases instead of just links!

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