The traffic statistics page for Robert’s new small business Web site begins to load. He scrolls down the page, dismayed. Only one or two visitors a day. Robert sits back and sighs. Most were probably curious friends and family. When his Internet-savvy nephew to support its small business encouraged on the Internet, Robert designed a simple but attractive five-page small business website. He added, meta tags and keywords, and waited for the search engines. Robert asks: “What now?” Robert’s experience started in the small company common arrival on the Internet. He has faced just the first great lesson for a small business website: the website is not enough. In contrast to the weekly advertising Robert seats in the local paper, he has to promote the site itself. In a sense, he has to advertise the promotion. What Robert does not realize that he can already use the most valuable asset of a small business online – knowledge and experience. Anyone who runs a small business off-line is to know an expert on something that other people want. Writing articles can turn this knowledge into targeted traffic. writing articles is to promote the ideal method for a free small businesses to be on the Internet. Each company has little experience in word 500-1000 bites can share. A landscape gardener could write about the possibilities for different kinds of lawn grass. A window installer can describe new types of energy efficient windows. A house cleaning service can provide cleaning tips. Customers repeatedly ask five questions Robert. It is easy to write five simple texts to answer it. Then he only has a “resource box” that promotes and add links to his website. Robert is also a couple of his website, the key words in each article and, if possible, within its resource box. Robert’s business depends on customers. Including his city’s name in stories in the articles, or in the resource box can help to display its products in the local search for this city. Robert would start by uploading his article on a new Web page. This offers visitors to read – and begins to establish Robert as an expert. More importantly, the article “Spider bait” for the Content-loving search engines to find and index. He could stop, but his new article gives a valuable opportunity to promote its Web site. can continue to offer Robert his articles to other websites. Most article directories accept submissions of articles. They offer these items for others to use in newsletters or on websites. A quick search for “Article Directory” will not accept a yield substantial list of websites for the article submissions. prepared with a simple text file ready to copy and paste, it only takes minutes to submit an article to an article directory site. Once posted, the article contains a link to Robert’s website. Other webmasters can reprint of his article, including links to his website. article marketing is viral, multiplying the left – and visitors – to the author’s website published an article every time. can attract only a popular article, a growing number of information-hungry visitors to the article published on the internet. Many article directories also new items in RSS feeds and e-mail messages on their lists. Robert does not even have his own e-mail list or feed to advertise his website for the readers of his article. Finally, if Robert has more time he can for “ezine directories” of newsletters that accept articles and offer his article directly to search to find them. If he is willing to spend some money, he could be the article submission services. Over time, can improve the growing number of links on a Web site link popularity and Page Rank. As the site rises in search engine rankings, it attracts even more visitors. article distributed the all important connections over the Internet without the lengthy process of sending out link exchange requests (often denied or ignored). Better yet, Webmaster, reprint articles rarely ask for reciprocal links back to their own sites. The benefits of writing an article over time builds that require no ongoing maintenance items as soon as they are written and submitted. Other options such as newsletters, blogs and forums can provide more care demand as a small company can. Best of all, items can remain on site until an indefinite time, driving free traffic immediately – and the long term. Most other types of advertising booked stay only as long as they are paid. An article in the “outlook”, “reprints” and “may increase click-through” – without an increase in advertising costs. Writing articles is a powerful way to take advantage of a small business know-how and turn them into traffic. The currency of the Internet, information, advertising makes a small business website affordable. The promotion can jump with Articles , start the online presence of a small company and continue to come for a long time the market. (c) 2006 Wendy Maki
May in e-mail newsletters and reprinted on websites. Must be uncut and includes the resource box. All other rights reserved.