How a single article can increase your web site traffic by 100% -- or more

A reader named Jerry recently wrote an email asking,

"There is a lot of advice about the important of having good article content on a website. Other advice says to submit articles to sites like eZineArticles.com, and refer readers to your site. Which is most effective for driving traffic to a site?
Also, would it be advantageous and proper to do both with the same article?"

Jerry, the short answer to your question is yes. Posting good article content on your site -- and submitting articles to online article directories with a PageRank of 4 or higher -- are key SEO techniques that will drive more qualified traffic to your website. And both can be done at the same time -- provided you go about it the right way.

Here's what you need to do...
Use a keyword research tool like Wordtracker to discover your top-performing keywords
They're the search terms that send you the most visitors that are likely to make a purchase. You can learn more about Wordtracker here: http://imc.wordtracker.com

Optimize your key salespage for your top keywords (two-three maximum)
This means you've got to insert those keywords in your web copy as well as in strategic places in your coding -- such as your title tags, your headline tags, your meta tags, and your image alt tags.

Choose your best keyword -- and then write an article around it
For example, if you sell doghouse plans and your top keyword is, "Build your own doghouse," then you're going to want to include it in the following places:

- The title of the article
- The first paragraph (within the first 200 characters is best)
- The last paragraph;
- At least 2-3 times in the middle paragraphs

If you can, try to include slight variations of that phrase, as well. For example: "build my own doghouse," "building your own doghouse," and "built the doghouse."

You don't have to write a novel! Try to keep your articles to 400-500 words maximum.

Finally, make sure you include a short, credibility-building "bio" with link to your site at the end.

Here's an example: "ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joe Smith is a recognized authority on the subject of widgets. His web site, www.JoesWidgets.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about widgets."

Link the article to your main salespage
The best way to do this -- so you don't distract your visitors from your sales message -- is to include a subtle link at the very bottom of your salespage. Make sure the link's anchor text includes the main keyword in the article. (That's important for SEO reasons.)

You've just made your first step toward building a content-rich site. Congratulations! The more keyword-loaded articles that point toward your site, the more the search engines will love you. Now it's time to send that article out into the world at large, and use it to drive even more visitors to your salespage!

You need to link the article to your site first because it helps the search engines spiders recognize your site as the original "owner" of the article. That way, you'll never get slammed for posting duplicate content on your site, no matter how many sites end up publishing your article.

But once you have that first article posted, you shouldn't stop there! Your next step is to...

Submit your article to the 'Net's top online content distribution sites
I'm talking about places such as...

www.contentdesk.com
www.ezinearticles.com
www.freesticky.com
www.goarticles.com
www.ideamarketers.com
www.findsticky.com

These sites carry hundred or thousands of articles on a range of topics. If someone is looking for content for their web site, they can download or copy an article from the distribution site without paying a dime to use it!

Now people who are plugging your keywords into search engines will be directed to your content at these highly-ranked sites, and web site owners who are looking for fresh, search engine-attracting content will download your article -- along with your bio and link! -- and put it up on their pages.

And once visitors see that you know what you're talking about, they'll click on the link in your bio, and head straight to your web site.

Submit your article to content sites that target your customers
Simply type "your keyword + articles" into the 'Net's top search engines and see what comes up. If you find a site that has a PageRank of 4 or higher and is accepting submissions, then definitely send them your article.

The more links that point to your site from high PageRank webpages that target your audience, the more relevant your site will be in the search engines' eyes.

And that will drive your site even higher in the search engine rankings!

Say "hello" to all those new visitors pouring into your site!

Not only will people be able to find you through the articles you've submitted to all those different content sites... They'll also find your salespage listed near the top of the search engine results.

And all these visitors are QUALITY, TARGETED traffic -- they actually WANT what you're selling, because you are meeting a need or giving them help with the problem they actually came online to solve!

Once you've done your keyword research, you might feel a bit intimidated by the idea of writing something yourself for the 'Net. Or maybe you don't feel like you have the time to do it justice. You can always hire a writer from a freelance web site like Elance to write your articles for you (with a bit basic information from you, of course). Expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $35 an hour for their time.

But I recommend that you try to write something yourself first. You definitely don't need to be a professional writer to create something readable and interesting... (I sure don't have a degree in creative writing myself!)

Just try to think like your audience -- what do they want to know, and how much do they know already? Then tell them simply and clearly. You don't have to write like Shakespeare to give them content they find valuable.

And then, once that content is written, you can use it over and over again to put your site in front of hungry buyers and lead them straight to your salespage!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Derek Gehl specializes in teaching real people how to start profitable Internet businesses that make $100,000 to $2.5 Million (or more) per year. To get instant access to all his most profitable marketing campaigns, strategies, tools, and resources that he's used to grow $25 into over $60 Million in online sales, visit: http://www.marketingtips.com/sr/t.x/908492