Article marketing is a great way to promote your website. The best part about it is that just about anyone can do it so long as they have half way decent writing skills and the willingness to put in the effort required. Here is a basic overview of how an absolute beginner can get started with article marketing.

Understanding Article Marketing’s Benefits

There are two main benefits you get from article marketing. The first benefit is raw traffic that the articles send over to your intended target page. The second benefit comes from the links that the articles leave pointing back at whatever web page you are targeting. There are other more subtle benefits that articles can provide also. Articles can introduce a new brand to people as well as help to pre-qualify a target reader before he or she visits your website.

Before You Begin Your Article Marketing Campaign

Before you begin your article marketing campaign be sure to think about what your real motive is behind using article marketing. It might seem like that is a painfully obvious step. But, if you don’t stop and think about it for a minute beforehand you will not end up with as good of results as you are hoping for. The reason behind the articles will dictate your writing style as well as the specific subject you are writing about.

Rules To Follow With Your First Set Of Articles

• Pick a specific target audience to speak to.

• Write article titles in the form of questions or answers to questions.

• Write about things that you find interesting that are also related to the website you are promoting.

• Link out to your website promising the reader something more that he or she is probably looking for such as even more detailed information about that particular topic.

You need to pick a specific target audience to speak to when you are writing your articles. In your mind’s eye, imagine one particular person who is in your ideal target audience. Your writing will come across much better if you write as if you are having a conversation with that one person. Your writing will hold their attention much better. You will get more traffic to your website from the article as a result.

I highly recommend that you write articles using titles that explain the answer to something that your target audience member is seeking the answer to. The reason that you do this is so that those people find your articles when searching on the major search engines.

Try to tie your writing into something that you are very knowledgeable about or very interested in. That way the articles will be much easier to write. The words will flow naturally and easily. If you try to force yourself to write about certain very specific topics you might find that article marketing is too hard for you.

Most places that allow you to publish your articles will limit your links to the resource box only. Don’t just drop any old link to your website. Try to link to your website or landing page while explaining some benefit that the reader will get by visiting there. Remember that readers will basically act in their own self interest. If you don’t tell them about what benefit they stand to gain from visiting your website then they aren’t likely to come visit your website at all.

If at all possible, try to get your articles published at a popular website that is in the same industry as your area of expertise. That will help you get more targeted traffic than you otherwise would. It also makes the articles provide more Search Engine Optimization benefit.