• By Isabela Duarte
• Published 10/20/2011
• Article Writing

“Articles” are 400-1,000 word pieces of content on topics of interest to your potential customers. A good article has a few key ingredients. Your article must be original content (not copied from somewhere else), and written to educate, inform or enlighten your potential customers. Think about your area of expertise, and imagine yourself talking to a potential customer. What knowledge, advice or ideas would you pass along? What are you passionate about? What insights do you have that you want to share? To be distributed through an article submission service, keep in mind that your article must be unique. In other words, it has to be written by (or for) you exclusively. Don’t submit someone else’s copy, or something you found online. If you find a good existing piece, use it as background research, and write about the topic in your own words, adding your own insight. Make sure the words are your own.

Your article must be good informational content, not a sales pitch. If you are a lawyer, for example, don’t write about your firm or your practice. Instead, write an article about new legislation that may impact your customers. Ar

ticles are not ads! Speaking of advertisements, please remember that links to your website should not be included inside your article. Each article has a resource box attached to it. The resource box should include your author information and links to your website. Keep in mind that your resource box is very separate from your article and that is where you can promote your website. There’s no hard and fast rule about the style of the article, as long as it’s interesting, original, and offers great information. Some popular types of articles are the “How To” piece (ex: How to Save Money on Taxes This Year); and the “Top 10” piece (Top Ten Ways to Train Your Dog). You may even consider hiring a professional writer. If you go this route, make sure the writer you choose understands article marketing, and what kind of content works best for distribution. Not all writers get this, so choose carefully.

Articles are very important because they can be used to help increase traffic to your website. Not only do they produce links, but they also help to educate your audience about your website’s area of expertise. Remember that you are the expert and that educational content will help increase traffic to your website!