Free articles: Dos and Don’ts for your article marketing efforts

Writing free articles for use as website content can be a very effective way to market yourself and your business. If you do it the right way, the exposure you gain is awesome.

Here are some dos and don’ts for you to follow to get the best bang for your article marketing buck.

Do write a lot. Many people get the article-writing bug but then only write one or two articles. Then they give up and say it didn’t work. As with many marketing efforts, it takes time and repetition to get the word out. Keep writing. Some experts say you should write five or six articles a day to be effective.

Don’t make your articles puff pieces about yourself or your company. Web publishers are looking for content that is useful to their visitors.

Do write about subjects in your field that are of interest to you. Your passion will show in your writing and fire up your readers’ interest. They will be eager to go to your business.

Don’t write about something you don’t know about. Take the time to do what research you need to make your article understandable and enjoyable. Just be sure to give proper credit for the information you use.

Don’t plagiarize. It is wrong and hurts your credibility. You could also be sued for using someone else’s information without attribution.

Do make your headlines clear. The most effective is “Subject: Why your reader should read this.”

Don’t write a headline that doesn’t describe the article: “A lovely Christmas story” is not what your reader wants right now. He or she wants information now. A good headline tells the reader exactly what information is in the article.

Do keep your opening (or lead) paragraph short and sweet. Make it similar to the headline by using the same keywords. Again, this tells readers exactly what they will be getting.

Don’t forget to follow the headline and the lead paragraph when writing the rest of the article. Try not to switch subjects midstream.

Do use at least one link to your website within the article and perhaps those to other useful websites. It is one way your article draws attention to you and your business.

Don’t forget your reader. Keep in mind what your reader is looking for. Give them what they need.

Do use keywords and lots of them within the article. When people use a search engine, they type in keywords. Search engines rank content partially on the number of keywords they find in an article.

Don’t, however, just repeat keywords just to build up the number of them. Make sure the keyword you use has a legitimate place in your article.

Do remember to keep your sentences and paragraphs short. One way to do this is by using a list format: Use dos and don’ts, or try to create a list of ten things your readers should know about a topic.

Don’t use “$20 words” just to prove you know your subject. Vocabulary words were great in elementary school but pretentious in a marketing article. It is better to be simple and easily understood. For example, “use” is better than “utilize”.

Do review the guidelines of the free article directory and make sure your article follows its instructions. Revise your article if you need to.

Don’t submit your article without doing the following first: Proofreading it, using a spellchecker and having a colleague read it. Each step is important and can keep you from making embarrassing and costly mistakes.

Do use your bio box as a sales tool. “Bill Jones is a business owner and an expert in health insurance. Visit www.billjonesinsurance.com and find 10 more tips for evaluating your health insurance plan.

Don’t overload your bio box with dull information: For example, “Bill Jones is the owner of Bill Jones Co. and grand-high poo-bah of the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos. He and his dog Spike live in Ottumwa, Iowa.” tells the reader nothing about why they should trust your information and gives them nothing to remember your name once they click over to another website.

Do have fun writing your free articles. Don’t ignore the enormous potential article marketing has to promote your business.