Article Marketing: 3 Reasons I’m Glad I Created My Own Directory – Especially Post-Penguin

Aug. 21, 2013 - PRLog -- In January 2012, I started my own article marketing directory. One of the reasons is, I was sick and tired of jumping through hoops to get my content accepted by some sites, and having other sites that I’d been submitting to disappear and/or change their focus. 

As I create a lot of online content, I wanted to take control over it once and for all. I’ve never regretted this decision – especially post-Penguin 2.0 – for the following reasons. 

1. Content Library

I write and distribute anywhere from 100 to 150 new articles per year. And, it’s all organized, ie, when I write a piece, I put headers on it that outline when it was written, where it was distributed and a link to where it's been published.

Having all of my content in one place gives me a defined place to go to when I need to access it; it’s my content library. This allows me to earn more money, which brings me to my next reason.

2. Increases Earning Potential 

I use article marketing to promote everything from ebooks, to e-classes and seminars, to affiliate products. One of the things I do is auto-tweet content from my article directory. I put the AddtoAny.com share button on my site, which allows me to quickly create a link to each article on my site. All you have to do is click the “Share/Save” button. 

Using this app, I usually set up between 6 and 12 tweets to go out per day -- and it only takes a few minutes. This keeps my products firmly in front of thousands of Twitter users every day. 

3. Builds Credibility 

Many eventual buyers of my products find me first via one of the articles I’ve written. And, when they land on the site, they see tons of content (all written by me), which positions me as an expert in my niches of freelance / SEO writing and self-publishing. 

When web surfers read article, after article after article written by you, it cements in their mind that you must know what you’re talking about. Hence, they come to trust you. Once trust is built, sales are much easier to come by. 

For all of these reasons, I think every online marketer should start their own article directory. 

Warning! In light of the changes brought on by Google’s Penguin 2.0 algorithm update, following is one thing you SHOULDN’T rely on an article directory for. 

Forget Using Article Marketing for SEO Purposes 

Pre-Penguin, many online marketers (including me) used article marketing for SEO purposes; ie, as a linkbuilding strategy.  This is one of the things that Google cracked down on with its Penguin 2.0 update. Hence, article marketing is not nearly as effective as it used to be for that. 

So my advice is, instead of focusing so much on the SEO value of article marketing, use this content really inform and engage prospects. FYI, this should have been true all along. After all, article marketing is just another form of content marketing – and we know how effective that is now, don’t we?

Learn more about article marketing, how to use it and why I started my own directory (http://inkwelleditorial.com/why-im-starting-my-own-articl...).
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About the Author: Yuwanda Black heads New Media Words, an SEO writing company, and is the publisher of Inkwell Editorial, a blog devoted to helping others start successful, home-based writing careers. She's also the author of over 50 ebooks, most of which cover some aspect of freelance / SEO writing. They can be found on major outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She’s used internet article marketing (http://inkwelleditorial.com/what-is-article-marketing) to generate thousands of dollars in sales of her ebooks and e-classes. You can too!