| If you have a website, you want people to find it, | | | | standards for the articles they will accept, it's |
| especially if it's a commercial site. Search engine | | | | really the standards of the major search engines |
| optimization (SEO) is the practice of connecting | | | | that matter. Search engines are so technologically |
| your website to search engines. Searchers find | | | | sophisticated they can tell good articles from bad |
| websites on their topics by using keywords to | | | | ones; only articles that meet search engine |
| search the search engines. Since they usually click | | | | standards will drive traffic to your site. |
| on the first two pages of search engine results, | | | | Search engines look for articles that are well |
| the higher your website is on returns the more | | | | written, grammatically correct, full of interesting |
| likely it is that people will link to your site. There | | | | and useful content, and original (not plagiarized). |
| are many ways to improve the SEO of your | | | | Article directories are not only sites for publishing |
| website. Publishing content-rich articles on your site | | | | articles; they are also sites for buying articles or |
| - called article marketing -- is one way to improve | | | | finding free articles. If you have a website on |
| your ranking, add to your visitors, and grow your | | | | model trains, for example, you can find articles |
| business. You can find such articles in article | | | | related to model trains that you can publish on |
| directories. | | | | your website. Why would you want to do that? |
| Anyone can submit articles to article directories. | | | | Because it improves your SEO so people who |
| Website owners may write and submit articles or | | | | share your interest in model trains are more likely |
| they may hire professional writers to do so. | | | | to find your site. |
| Some article directories offer free article | | | | When you buy or get free content from article |
| submission. Article directories typically syndicate | | | | directories, it's important to make sure the articles |
| articles and submit them to search media sites | | | | meet the criteria listed about for search engine |
| such as Digg, Reddit, Delicious, and Technorati. | | | | articles. Plus, it is particularly important that articles |
| Once you submit an article, another website | | | | on your sites are relevant to the subject of your |
| owner may decide to publish it on her or his site. | | | | site. |
| That helps you because at the end of each article | | | | Article directories serve many purposes. For one, |
| there's a link to your site. If someone reads an | | | | they allow you to establish yourself as an author. |
| interesting article on antique swords, for example, | | | | They also provide content to publish on your |
| and wants to learn more, they can link to your | | | | website or in your ezine or newsletter. They help |
| antique sword site from the article. Not only do | | | | to improve the search ranking of your website. |
| you get a new visitor to your site, you also | | | | Article directories facilitate article marketing, which |
| improve your search engine ranking by adding to | | | | is a key technique for marketing your website |
| the number of inbound links. | | | | and your products and services on the Internet. |
| While different article directories have different | | | | |