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I can totally understand that when folks first get the idea to do article marketing that initially there is a "deer in the headlights" sort of feeling of:
"Oh no–now I'm supposed to write articles. Where do I even start?"
A lot of folks just aren't used to writing–after all, when is the last time you were required to write a professional sounding article?
Depending on what type of work you do, you may not have had any reason to write anything of any length since leaving school.
I even have a background in English and knew I would love writing articles once I got the hang of it, but when I first started article marketing I did have an adjustment period where I was trying to get into the article writing groove.
So, if you're considering starting article marketing or if you've already started and are still trying to get your sea legs, please know that what you're experiencing is normal–any time we start doing something we're not used to doing it's a bit awkward at first! 
You can rest easy that writing an article is not brain surgery–it is very simple when you break it down into steps, which is what I'm going to do for you. If you follow these basic steps, you will be well on your way to writing a very respectable first article!
A little warning though–this is by no means the "definitive" way to write an article–I just think this is a very easy way to get started writing your first article. (I also follow this method even though I've written tons of articles).
Here we go…
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 29th, 2008 | Comments (7)
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From time to time I'll get an email from a person saying, "I've submitted several articles and I'm still not seeing results."
My first questions to them are always–
- What type of results are you looking for?
- What is your means of measuring your results?
- How long have you been article marketing and how many articles a month have you been submitting?
Sometimes the person's answer is,
"I don't think I'm getting any results because I haven't had very much of an increase in sales on my website, which is why I'm doing article marketing. I submitted 5 articles the first month, then I got busy the second month and didn't submit any, and this month (my third month) I've submitted a couple."
At this point I'm wishing that I had the ability to turn back the hands of time so that I could tell this person some very helpful tips before she started that would have eased her mind, helped her measure her results more accurately, and increased her success rate.
For anyone who has just stared doing article marketing, or is on the verge of starting, or who is considering starting, I've got 5 tips for you that will make your life easier.
Oh, and even if you've been submitting articles for a while now and didn't have these tips when you started–it is never to late to do these!
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 23rd, 2008 | Comments (7)
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Have you ever gone into a shop that was so welcoming and comfortable that you just wanted to spend all day there?
It had relaxed, friendly, knowledgeable sales people you could actually relate to who were focussed on helping customers rather than making sales.
There were big comfy chairs that just beckoned you to take a load off and relax for a while.
Perhaps there was even some complimentary coffee or tea and an offering of snacks to enjoy while you walked around the store. When you went into that store, you kind of felt like you’d found a home away from home, a place where you could be yourself and shop in total comfort.
Many times stores like this that offer specialized attention are Mom & Pop stores, those independently run gems where the folks who are working there take pride in what they do because the business is a representation of them and their family.
I’ve been in numerous stores like this, and do you know what? Not only did I buy whatever I needed, but I also couldn’t wait to come back again!
To top it off I also ended up telling everyone I knew about the cool store with the wonderful ambiance and helpful staff. Stores like that stick in my mind, and I’m sure it’s the same for you.
What does this have to do with article marketing, you may be wondering?
Believe it or not, this has everything to do with marketing your website with articles!
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 21st, 2008 | Comments (9)
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Oh, the resource box!
That little box at the end of your article has such potential to skyrocket your results, but for many folks it's also the stumbling block that keeps them from achieving their goals.
The resource box is the article marketer's potential pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the one spot in your submission where you can try to convince the reader to sashay on over to your website.
I look at a gazillion articles a day (well maybe not that many 
–but A LOT!), so I know that many folks are slamming the door in Opportunity's face, either totally neglecting that resource box area and just popping in a lonely link with no bio info, or pointlessly cramming link after link after link in the box with no effort made to get folks to click.
Do yourself a favor and stop singing the Resource Box Blues and start paying attention to the Resource Box Do's!
Here's a list of 5 definite 'Do's' to keep in mind when crafting your resource box…
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 17th, 2008 | Comments (7)
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When you're submitting your articles, either manually through the directories themselves or automatically through SubmitYOURArticle.com, you may have noticed a field in the "enter article" page that asks you to insert your keywords.
What exactly is done with the keywords that you type into the keywords box when you're entering your article?
Great question!
The keywords you type in are used on many sites where some keywords are wanted for the meta keywords tags for the page where the article is published. In plain English, meta keyword tags are a technical thing to help Google and the other search engines determine what your article is about. Additionally, these keywords also help search functions on some article directories.
And here's another thing–If you've been submitting articles through SubmitYOURArticle.com, you can look at our own article directory and look up some of your articles.
Find one of your articles and click through to the full article page–look at the URL (the web page address) for the page that your article is on.
Notice anything interesting?
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 14th, 2008 | Comments (0)
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I know what you're thinking–"I thought I was doing article marketing to market my website, and now I need to market my articles? Sheesh!"
Well, it's not a must, but it certainly does help
Don't worry that there's too much involved–if you're a member of SubmitYOURArticle.com, we've got a really easy way for your to market your articles with your own personal author RSS feed.
What's an RSS feed?
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. If someone ever decided that they wanted to receive all of your articles, they could subscribe to your RSS feed, which they can find through our article directory. You could also share your RSS feed on your site and encourage folks to subscribe.
There are a few different things you can do with an RSS feed, but for our marketing purposes here, basically there is a link that you can insert in your website, or on your blog or into any other sort of web page, that makes it so that a list of your articles will appear linking back to your full article in our directory. Every time you publish a new article, the list on the site where your feed is automatically gets updated.
How to find the RSS feed for your articles:
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 10th, 2008 | Comments (0)
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Recently we've talked about what keywords are and how to do keyword research, but when you've finally decided what keywords you'll be using on your website, how do you use that knowledge in your article marketing campaign?
Great question!
Keywords are useful to Google and the other search engines because they help categorize what your web page (or the web page that your article appears on) is about. There are a few areas that Google pays extra attention to when trying to establish what your web page is about, and your title is one of them.
I would suggest trying to naturally work your keywords into your titles, if possible.
Notice I said "naturally"–as we've discussed before, your title is like curb appeal for your article.
First and foremost you want to craft an attention grabbing title that will draw readers in, but I think you'll find that you can also use your keywords most or some of the time when you're crafting titles.
Here's what NOT to do…
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at July 7th, 2008 | Comments (7)
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