CHARLIE’S CHOICE
Weekly Tips to Help You
Write, Publish & Promote Your Books
BUILD TRAFFIC ON YOUR SITE WITH `ARTICLES
You're a writer. What could be easier than crafting short articles on topics you've already researched for your book or eBook? It certainly isn't terribly hard to then send them off to an article directory for distribution throughout the Web. Believe it or not, amazing numbers of visitors will suddenly arrive on your web site thanks to just these two simple efforts.
It's easy and best of all, it's free. Certainly a task worthy of three or four hours of effort a week.
You've Already Done Your Research
The beauty of this program is that you can head right for the computer. You've already done the research necessary to write these articles. Because they deal with the same topic as your web site and your book, they become invitations that bring surfers to your site.
A high percentage of those visitors may either enroll in your eZine program or even buy the products you're trying to sell. If they don't on the first visit, adding fresh info to your site will bring them back again and again. Sales require exposure. People want to view your product before they buy. Promoting through article distribution provides that exposure.
You may wonder why a reader of one of your articles might become a visitor to your site. The answer is very simple. Web surfers lust for information. A well written article lends a great deal of credibility to you, the author, and invites the reader to find more information by clicking on your web site.
Don't "blow your own horn" in the article or you will lose your reader who at that moment isn't interested in you, just in the knowledge he/she is seeking and you are offering. Once convinced by reading your informative piece that you are a worthy source of knowledge, the reader is eager to obtain more from you.
A short biographical paragraph at the end of the article is all he/she needs to follow you to your web site. The paragraph highlights your credentials in the field you are writing about, gives the URL of your web site, as well as any other contact information you are willing to publicize.
Building Your Piece
Short, direct and packed with info are the essentials for a powerful e-Article. Your readers seek answers, and it's up to you to make them succinct and enlightening. Many of the topics you cover won't need much more than 400 to 500 words. Hold yourself to a maximum of 1200. These surfers aren't looking for lengthy literary masterpieces. They just want answers...the facts, man, just the facts.
Just as you worked to select appropriate keywords for your web site, so you must sprinkle them throughout your article, particularly in your very earliest paragraphs and at the end of your piece. Conduct an updated search to find whether new key terms have grown in popularity for people searching for your specific topic. Use sites like http://www.wordtracker.com/ and http://www.inventory.overture.com/ to help you find them,
Spreading the Word
The article does you no good sitting on your computer. When it's done, check the search engines for companies that will distribute it throughout the Web. Some of these companies list the articles they make available by subject, and invite webmasters throughout the Internet to select and use any of them. Others actually target specific sites and send out the articles.
In almost every case, however, article users pay no fee. "What!" you shout. "I don't get paid for my writing and my wisdom?" Of course you do. But not in dollars. Your payment comes in the form of widespread publicity that attracts targeted traffic to your site, and then generates sales of your products. That's the real payoff.
You can find sites for article distributor by clicking on "Article Distributors on the Web." You'll discover lots of them. Here are a few to consider: http://www.ezinearticles.com/, http://www.articlecity.com/,
http://www.freesticky.com/, http://www.articledistributors.com/ and http://www.contentdesk.com/. Check them out, and select the ones that highlight the topic you are writing about.
Still More Benefits
You can count on at least two additional bonuses when you use this remarkable promotional tool. The search engine spiders will begin to respond, for they love fresh content, and follow it throughout the Internet. In addition, you will probable attract links from many sites that cover topics that relate to yours. And that too will boost your rankings on the search engines.
So take advantage of the opportunities article writing can produce and see the activity on your web site soar far beyond what you ever imagined. Don't hesitate to contact us at charles@retirement-writing.com or surf our web site at http://www.retirement-writing.com/.