Anyone who has any knowledge at all about SEO will understand the value of backlinks to your website. Article directories are an excellent way of increasing your number of backlinks and your ranking with Google, but it’s very important to get good quality relevant backlinks in order to get the most out of the exercise.

What is an article directory?

This is literally a directory of articles. Many of these websites offer free services and some of them charge to submit articles. You will find articles on virtually everything in these directories and this is why people frequently use them for information.

Wherever someone is looking for information of course, there is always a good marketing opportunity. If you have some form of expertise in your line of business then it’s a wise move to offer some of your knowledge, insight and tips to the website users.

What does it achieve?

When you offer your information it is going to be read by someone else interested in the subject matter, so the chances of you getting visitors to your website are good. This is achieved by placing links in the main body of the article and/or at the end of the article. These are what are called backlinks and Google examines these along with various other properties when it needs to work out your position in the search listings.

You need to make sure your articles are relevant to what your business is if you intend to market in this way and boost SEO. The relevancy issue is just as important as getting your links into the text or at the end of the text.

Tips on writing good articles

• Make them informative and not just full of keywords that people are likely to search. If you write something someone wants to read and gets something out of you are much more likely to get them to go to your website.
• Don’t think you can’t write an article. It’s easier than you think. If you know your business then you’re likely to be able to write something that will be of some use to the article directory visitors.
• Don’t sound too self serving. There is nothing worse for a visitor than reading a blatant advertisement for a business when all they really went on the article directory for was information. You will achieve much more by becoming a valuable resource rather than just another advert.
• If you really can’t write then look for a copywriter. There are many copywriting services available online and you should be able to find someone who can write about your business or perhaps you could consult them to pass on your knowledge before they commence the work. Be careful who you hire here however, there are many writers out there who do not have English as a first language, and sadly this leads to copy that is difficult to read and may not have much SEO value because of it.

Conclusion

Remember that written content for your website and article directories, whilst important, is only one element of good SEO practice. If you want to do more it may well be a good idea to consult an SEO expert to find out how you can maximise your website’s potential.

To find out more about how we can help your business: