AOTW: Important Things to Know When You Submit Your Articles to an Article Directory

Article writers are submitting their articles to hundreds of article directories to offer publishers free content and to provide themselves with a marketing tool for their website. As an administrator for one of the fastest growing article directories on the web, I review hundreds of articles submitted each day. I have the joy of both reading and approving quality articles, and the unfortunate task of declining those that do not meet site standards. I have noticed many mistakes by writers that wind themselves up with an ‘article denied’. It can be unfortunate because the articles can have rich content, but minor problems will result in a rejection. Let’s take a look at some of the very basic ways you can guarantee that your article gets approved and submitted to the article directory.

1. Unique Article Content - One of the most important things is to make sure your article is unique to the article directory. Article directories are looking for unique content. Do not submit duplicate articles. That is a sure way to get your article declined, but an even better way to get your account deactivated. Run a search before submitting your article to see what kind of content is being offered.

2. Choose a Descriptive Title – Along with writing a unique article, choose a title that describes your content well and targets your article keywords. Some articles I receive will include only one or two words. It is not a good idea to be vague. Be as specific and detailed as possible. Select a title that will draw your reader in! Another important thing to note is that a title marked in all capital letters is usually frowned upon by article directories.

3. Format Your Article Properly – Many article directories prefer that you do not use hard breaks. In other words, as you write your article lets your text automatically wrap to the next line instead of pressing ‘Enter’ after every line. Also, pay attention to what the article directory requires as far as coding goes. The key is to make it easy on your reader to read the article. A formatted article also portrays professionalism and quality. Part of professionalism and quality is to use the spell check. A poorly spelled article will result in a rejection and a delay in getting your article published.

4. Length – It is vital before you even think of submitting your article to an article directory to make sure your article is the appropriate length. It is a safe assumption that the article needs to be at least 500 words. In the process of making sure your article is a good length, do not spam the article with nonsense.

5. Keywords – Do make sure you choose appropriate keywords that relate to your article. Keywords are vital for your article. Keywords allow for your article to be found by users searching for those words in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search. Keywords are very important for gaining maximum exposure for your article.

Along with these five principles, take the time to read the submission guidelines for the article directory. This may seem like a very obvious principle, but I do not have the feeling many follow it. Usually the submission guidelines are not lengthy. The principles above are pretty much standard for gaining an inclusion into an article directory, but it is always wise to read the site rules so you are sure to meet the article directory’s standards.

Article Source: http://www.articles.com.my

Brett McQueen is freelance author, web designer and programmer, and the administrator for the Article Cat free article directory and catalog.

AOTW: Google Adwords Writing Secrets from the Master

Writing profitable ads for Google Adword Campaigns is not difficult if you follow a few copywriting secrets. The first key to successful advertising writing is to understand the concept of features and benefits. Features are qualities of the product or service. They are descriptive words like yellow, strong, big etc. Benefits tell the customer what’s in it for them. A benefit focused ad will mention phrases like will last long or easy to find when you need it.

When you begin writing an ad, write down a list of all of the features and then their corresponding benefits. Then put the major benefit of the product into a short sentence. Edit that sentence until you have a short phrase that conveys the same message. For example, if your product has a benefit of lasts a long time you can condense that same idea into the phrase long lasting. Delete unnecessary words in your ad like a, an, on and the.

Make sure to use the keywords in your headline. Google will put the keyword in boldface which will grab your reader’s attention. The headline of your ad should be about benefits to your customer and not the business name. In fact, if you use a business name as a headline your click-thru rate will be low and bid prices will be high. Your ad should focus on your customer and what they want. If you can, add keywords to the second and third line of the ad as well.

Use your space creatively. With only three lines in an ad, you can run the second and third lines together to create one statement. You can also use the headline with the second and third lines to make a longer sentence. Every word in your headline should be capitalized, but avoid using all caps. In the second and third lines, use normal capitalization. Avoid crazy punctuation and wild claims in your ads.

The following simple formulas can be used again and again to create winning headlines:
How to ________ and _________
What _______ doesn’t want you to know.
Get more _______ for less ______

Here’s a look at those headlines formulas in practice:
How to smoke and not suffer the consequences.
What the IRS doesn’t want you to know.
Get more fun for fewer dollars.

You must learn to “steal.” Look at other successful ads for inspiration. Study good examples from other advertisers and substitute your own wording. All the top copywriters do it. You can keep a collection of strong words and phrases that can be used for a variety of products.

Pay attention to your word choice. A single word change in your headline can make your click-thru rate go from .07% to 5%. Try using attention grabbing words (free, new, genuine) and call-to-action phrases (buy today, save 50%, download free trial, sale ends tomorrow, buy today and save 70%, offer ends soon, hurry before they’re gone). You can use action verbs (discover, retire, boost, increase, avoid, uncover, eliminate prevent), emotional words (cheap, sale, limited time, quick, easy, powerful, don’t, lose out), and motivational words (‘now is your chance,’ ‘you should know,’ ‘ discover your potential,’ ‘ make money now’).

You can also show how your product or service is unique with words like faster, wider variety, discount, most comprehensive and lowest price. Using 3rd party endorsements can also be helpful. For example, “blows away Toyota Camry” says Auto World.

Another way to increase clicks on your ad is to use numbers whenever possible. Instead of using Make Lots of Money try using Make $847 per week. The more specific you can be the better. You can also be specific in the price. Mentioning the price in an ad discourages freebie hunters. However, if you have a free sample to offer that will eventually lead to a sale, use free but make sure to avoid capitalizing all of the letters or using an exclamation point (ie: FREE!!!).

It is essential to remember that the goal is not to be #1 on the ads page. Ideally, you want to be on the first page in position #2-#8. Why? There are lots of “tire kickers” who click the #1 ad spot just to click it and have no real intention of buying. Fewer people do that to #2-#8. Shoot for being on the first page, just not in the first spot. Anything below the first page is a waste of your advertising dollars.

Since Google doesn’t require you to list affiliate status anymore, you don’t have to designate that you are an affiliate. You’ll increase sales by removing your affiliate indicator, if you have one in an existing ad.

Finally, it is extremely important to test 2 ads simultaneously. Google will automatically rotate the 2 versions of the ad so you can tell which writing gets more clicks. When you have an ad that really works, try to beat it with another version of the ad. This technique is called “beating the control” in the advertising world. The goal is to strive for better and better sales copy and winning ads.

To increase your Google Adwords campaigns’ profitability use the above advice. You’ll be presently surprised by the results.

Article Source: http://www.articles.com.my

Why are some people getting rich working from home on the internet? For Tips and information on how to make money online visit Chris's website. Click Here: affiliatejackpot.com/pr.htm

AOTW: 5 Tips to Write Crowd-Pleasing Page Content for your Website

If you have spent any time online in the last ten years, I am sure you have heard the phrase “content is king.” I first heard the phrase myself in 1996 during an undergraduate computer class at my beloved alma mater, Cornell College, (GO RAMS!). We were discussing a recent speech given by Microsoft founder Bill Gates titled of all things “content is king.” During the speech Mr. Gates made one, of what would become many, prescient predictions about the Internet, when he stated that “content is where I expect most of the real money on the Internet will be made (Gates).”

As any reliable, competent SEO practitioner will tell you today, the content used to write a site is one of the single greatest factors in obtaining high-quality search rankings across a variety of engines. Sites with detailed product or service information covering their specific niche are more successful online. What do they have in common? All of them realize that content drives the web and thus their site. The most successful sites focus on a multi-pronged “successful content strategy” that makes use of most, if not all, of the following simple content strategies:

1. Write content that is tailored to your audience, not to you.

If you read your site copy and find lots of self-focused verbiage (us, our, we) as opposed to more customer friendly language (you, your), then your content isn’t being written with your audience in mind. This is by far the single most common mistake editors make when writing their site marketing copy. Don’t forget your audience. Site content needs to speak to the site visitor, and you can’t do that in first-person.

2. Focus on building useful research and information content.

A client of mine had a comics-related retail website that contained all of 4 pages. He pretty much threw up a page of items for sale with an “about us” page, and a plea to contact him for more product info, and waited for the orders to come in. Three months and two orders later, he finally realized something was wrong. After scrapping his entire site and having Media Wyse design a new site around detailed product info, and content rich pages covering the current comics-related landscape, the site is well on its way to being profitable. Don’t make his mistakes. Add plenty of product content and on-point research to your site right out of the gate and update it regularly. Your audience will thank you for it.

3. Write your content for the site visitor, not for the search engine.

Obviously the goal for your site and for each of its pages is to rank high in the search engines by optimizing your pages with select keywords whenever possible. However, very seldom will you be successful if you attempt to optimize your site content while writing it for your visitors at the same time. To accomplish both goals, follow this simple tip; search engines index as many as 500 words on each page they spider. Make sure your pages have a minimum of 500 words of content and appeal to your reader. Then go back and “mildly” optimize your pages around 1-2 keyword phrases each.

4. Write your content to elicit an emotional response.

Are you passionate about your web site? Does your site content communicate this to your audience? If not, you’re missing out on a valuable tool to market your product or service. Make sure to write your site content with strong “call-to-actions” whenever possible. “Buy me now;” “contact me for more information;” “ask me a question.” Don’t leave any doubt in your audience what you expect from them. If you don’t tell them what you want them to do on your site, they won’t do it.

5. Vary your content choices to heighten visitor site interaction.

Each page of your site is a unique entry and exit point for visitors to view your content. Thus, each page of your content-rich site should be varied and engaging to the reader. Using different forms of content throughout your site is an extremely effective way to encourage repeat visits and benefit from word-of-month marketing from satisfied users. To accomplish this, design pages containing FAQ’s, step-by-step product tutorials, interactive video content, online tools, and/or site specific content links. Mix these pages up and watch your site referrals skyrocket.

Any and all of these content choices, used with the interests of your audience clearly in mind, will go a long way to ensuring the success of your content strategy and your site in general. In the words of Bill Gates, “those sites that succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products….a marketplace of content (Gates).”

Gates, Bill. "Content is King" 03 1996. 17 Apr 2006

Article Source: http://www.articles.com.my

Casey Markee is president of San Diego SEO firm Media Wyse. He has over 7 yrs. of experience within the online marketing arena and holds graduate degrees in Marketing & E-Commerce. Contact him today at www.MediaWyse.com with your SEO questions or help on your upcoming campaign.