Why Article Marketing Is Still Effective

In the recent past, especially following Google’s most recent algorithm updates, I’ve read blogs declaring that article marketing no longer works. This article explains why you’ll deny yourself access to timeless marketing rewards, if you accept such thinking.

In The Beginning

Between 2006 and Dec 2010, my active use of article marketing really boosted traffic to my website.

Back then “Googling” an article marketer’s name revealed websites that republished articles she had submitted to article directories providing the service.

Since the bylines inserted at the end of each article often included a URL pointing to the author’s website, she was able to build up a decent backlink profile that earned it high search engine visibility.

Content syndication and traffic were powerful benefits derivable from article marketing.

But it also delivered name recognition for the author, which over time helped her achieve authority or expert status.

In my case, I did my homework early on and decided my time would be best spent focussing my article submission efforts at Ezinearticles.com.

But Bad Guys Began Negatively Exploiting Article Marketing

However, from sometime in 2011, I began noticing significant drops in traffic (and leads) from my article marketing efforts, even though I kept writing.

In addition, I also began discovering “spun” versions of some of my popular articles on blogs which often had little or no information on their about pages!

The negative impression created by the association of my name, with the poorly written spun content soon made my enthusiasm for continuing with article marketing gradually drop.

Too many bad guys had joined the game. And internet users were getting a raw deal in terms of search engine results quality.

Google’s Algorithm Intervention Restores Some Sanity

It was therefore a blessing in disguise that Google eventually implemented a series of algorithm updates (most recent being Panda and Penguin).

The websites propagating spun content were soon taken out of relevance in search results.

But along with that change has also occurred a considerable drop in the overall effectiveness of article marketing.

This is due, among other things, to a drop in ranking accorded to article directories.
Consequently, the benefits of backlinks from them to author websites are all but lost.

The strict Google regime now makes online searches more productive.

It must be noted however that the bad guys have since begun exploiting loopholes in it, to launch Negative SEO attacks that get innocent websites wrongly penalised.

Hopefully Google will provide affected website owners a smarter means of self defense than the LINKS DISAVOW tool they’ve recently added to the Google Webmaster Tool interface.

Final Words: Article Marketing Still Works

Inspite of the above described setbacks suffered in the recent past by article marketing, this strategy still works.

And quite well too – especially for those who are prepared to play by the rules, and deliver quality content.

(NB: I’m apparently not alone in refusing to throw the article marketing baby out with the bathwater. An intelligently written September 2, 2012 post by a guy named Chad Klass, titled Does Article Marketing Still Work?, expresses sentiments similar to mine.)

Having said the above, to further enhance your chances of success in article marketing, you must choose the right articles syndication platform to use.

My preference for Ezinearticles.com has not changed.

They’ve remained well ahead of their competition, and have proven to be quite creative and adaptable in the face of the many changes that have occurred.

You may wish to start with them as well.

On a final note, the key to reaping continuous article marketing benefits – especially of traffic and name recognition – in the long term is that you must publish new, original and unique content on a regular basis.

However, to get the best results you must also abide by the article directory’s stated guidelines.

For instance Ezinearticles.com’s Chris Knight strongly recommends that authors stick to an article length of between 400 and 700 words.

This is to encourage as many as possible of the website publishers who visit the directory to republish YOUR content via their numerous email newsletter and website outlets.

You’ll get to build a loyal following from content publishers constantly in need of new writeups to serve their large and growing audiences.

And when your content gets read by more people, traffic to your website, name recognition, and the other benefits will naturally result.

The above will get – and keep – you in the good books of the search engines, making your website turn up more frequently in Search Engines Results Pages (SERPs) – which is afterall what everyone wants