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Do Ezinearticles have any value anymore?

by Emailrevealer
22 replies
I used to get a ton of targeted traffic. Should I give it a shot or are they worthless now?
#anymore #ezinearticles
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Emailrevealer View Post

    Do Ezinearticles have any value anymore?
    Yes, it does, but only for "passive syndication" purposes (the reason for which it really exists, of course).

    Originally Posted by Emailrevealer View Post

    I used to get a ton of targeted traffic.
    You can get some traffic from it, maybe, but "at the expense of your own site", and since all those Panda updates decimated the SEO potential of article directories, that's really not a good way to use it. For traffic, you're far better off getting it straight to your own site, and not losing a percentage (maybe a very big percentage) of that traffic in the process.

    All explained in this thread: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5068872

    Specifically, for all the reasons explained in this post, no article marketer nowadays would want to try to use EZA as a traffic-source in its own right (which was never its intended purpose anyway, to be fair).

    Article directory marketing (i.e. trying to generate potential customer traffic via an article directory) has become a hopeless cause. Article marketing itself, of course, is a different matter altogether (and it's true that EZA can sensibly be used - in a very different way - as a small, afterthought, part of that).

    Originally Posted by Emailrevealer View Post

    Should I give it a shot or are they worthless now?
    Far from worthless for their intended purpose. But for "getting potential customer traffic" they're semi-worthless or even completely worthless, and actually in the long run even counter-productive. So they're good for some marketers, useless or even damaging to others. Like so many things in IM, it all depends on what you're trying to use it for, and how you go about it. That thread I linked to just above explains a lot more, and answers a lot of subsidiary questions.

    It's a widely misunderstood subject. Beware of people saying "article marketing doesn't work any more" (there are many of them, especially in forums!): they're invariably referring to "article directory marketing" (but calling it "article marketing" by mistake, not quite appreciating the difference between the two), and they're all actually quite right that that doesn't work any more.
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  • Profile picture of the author ContentWritingPhD
    Banned
    Is Ezinearticles worth giving a shot? You can try it but personally, I think it's losing its charm day after day and while it's trying to regain its power by way of providing quality articles, it doesn't seem to me like their efforts are working. It's best to just come up with your unique article and post it to your website.
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  • Profile picture of the author mianfarhanraza
    the traffic is very low now but u still use it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Moneymaker2012
    It was very useful for the traffic purpose in the past. The response is not that bad at all now but it still have some value.
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  • Profile picture of the author Abitha
    You really need to write unique article there. It is quite difficult to get the approval
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Abitha View Post

      You really need to write unique article there.
      This is completely wrong. Just a little tip for you, Abitha, but sometimes it helps to read the thread before replying to learn it: you might learn something.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author RickyBobby
      I don't understand why using Ezinearticles would be worthless? If you are getting people to read the articles and gaining exposure for your website, wouldn't that lead to more traffic?
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

        I don't understand why using Ezinearticles would be worthless?
        It depends how you use it.

        It can even be worse than just "worthless", if you try to use it for the wrong purposes.

        Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

        If you are getting people to read the articles and gaining exposure for your website, wouldn't that lead to more traffic?
        No, not necessarily, RickyBobby. Sadly, the reality is that it's not quite as simple as that superficially pefectly logical and reasonable impression would suggest.

        I think you'll perhaps start to see why, if you read this post and/or this thread.

        It's pretty counterintuitive, but short-term gains can lead to long-term losses, damage and limitations on future income. It's sometimes called "the descending ceiling syndrome": there are things you can do quickly and easily to raise the floor a little, but they may not be so well-advised, if they're also lowering the ceiling without your realizing, as that can - in the long run - put a low limit on your future income prospects. It's far from immediately apparent, which is of course part of the reason so many people manage to go wrong with it, and make the mistake of trying to use Ezine Articles to attract customer traffic to their sites (not what it's there for, at all, of course). In the long run that can actually be quite a bad mistake to make. Don't imagine that "anything that brings a bit of quick extra traffic can only be beneficial", attractive though it sounds.
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        • Profile picture of the author RickyBobby
          Alexa,

          I sort of understand what you are saying about article marketing, but I still have one question. If you get your articles syndicated on websites of the same niche, how are you going to get that targeted traffic back to your own website and converted into potential customers? You must need some sort of a back linking correct?

          I am about to start submitting some content to EZA, but I want to make sure I am doing it the right way and not wasting my time. It kind of gives me some anxiety because of how much time and effort I have put into writing this content.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

            If you get your articles syndicated on websites of the same niche, how are you going to get that targeted traffic back to your own website and converted into potential customers? You must need some sort of a back linking correct?
            Yes ... typically at the end of the article. People who syndicate content are used to this, and know that effectively this is the price they're paying for the content.

            In the Ezine Articles copy, that's the part called the "resource box". Don't make it "salesy" or it will put people off publishing it.

            http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post3188316

            Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

            I am about to start submitting some content to EZA, but I want to make sure I am doing it the right way and not wasting my time. It kind of gives me some anxiety because of how much time and effort I have put into writing this content.
            I wish you good luck with it.

            There's no reason not to do it, of course, and it may benefit you, but be aware that in content syndication terms, Ezine Articles is really a "last stage afterthought", aiming only the potential for some additional passive syndication. It's slow-moving, hugely variable, unreliable and not in itself a "business model" at all. Still, there's no downside, and it's free.
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            • Profile picture of the author RickyBobby
              Why would you say it is a "last stage afterthought"? Are there better alternatives for article marketing than EZA?
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              • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
                Banned
                Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

                Why would you say it is a "last stage afterthought"?
                Because it is. Sorry - not the most helpful of comments, I appreciate, but reading through the many threads linked to in responses to the threads you posted in yesterday will explain this in some detail.

                All you can achieve by putting your articles in EZA is the possibility that some publishers needing content for their ezines/websites/whatever will happen to look there, happen to select yours, and happen to re-publish in front of their already-targeted audience so that you'll attract some of that traffic. (If they look anywhere, EZA will be the place they look, so it's "the place to be"). But approaching them directly, yourself, with your "available content" is far superior. Passive syndication is only an afterthought to active syndication.

                There are no other benefits from having your content in EZA.

                And for all the reasons explained in this post no article marketer would want to try to attract potential customer traffic to their site via an article directory: that's all downside and net loss. (That isn't what article directories are there for, anyway, of course).

                Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

                Are there better alternatives for article marketing than EZA?
                EZA is not really an "alternative for article marketing" at all. It's simply a last-stage, additional afterthought. All it can produce is a little bit of extra "passive syndication".

                Article directory marketing and article marketing are two very different things. (EZA can, admittedly, have a role in article marketing - and I use it myself and benefit from it occasionally - but it's very much an "afterthought role".)

                http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5068872

                http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5035794
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                • Profile picture of the author RickyBobby
                  Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

                  Because it is. Sorry - not the most helpful of comments, I appreciate, but reading through the many threads linked to in responses to the threads you posted in yesterday will explain this in some detail.

                  All you can achieve by putting your articles in EZA is the possibility that some publishers needing content for their ezines/websites/whatever will happen to look there, happen to select yours, and happen to re-publish in front of their already-targeted audience so that you'll attract some of that traffic. (If they look anywhere, EZA will be the place they look, so it's "the place to be"). But approaching them directly, yourself, with your "available content" is far superior. Passive syndication is only an afterthought to active syndication.

                  There are no other benefits from having your content in EZA.

                  And for all the reasons explained in this post no article marketer would want to try to attract potential customer traffic to their site via an article directory: that's all downside and net loss. (That isn't what article directories are there for, anyway, of course).



                  EZA is not really an "alternative for article marketing" at all. It's simply a last-stage, additional afterthought. All it can produce is a little bit of extra "passive syndication".

                  Article directory marketing and article marketing are two very different things. (EZA can, admittedly, have a role in article marketing - and I use it myself and benefit from it occasionally - but it's very much an "afterthought role".)

                  http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5068872

                  http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5035794
                  Okay, so that answers my question. I wasn't sure if there were better websites to submit articles to, but now I see that you deal directly with the publisher.

                  Sorry for being such a pain and "newbie" with all these questions!! But would you be able to direct me to a thread that would give me some advice on how to go about finding and contacting publishers for article submission? Is publisher contact information even that available? I would imagine they would get swarmed with emails from people like me!

                  Thank you!!
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                  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
                    Banned
                    Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

                    would you be able to direct me to a thread that would give me some advice on how to go about finding and contacting publishers for article submission? Is publisher contact information even that available? I would imagine they would get swarmed with emails from people like me!
                    A little less than you'd think, is my guess. And many are probably not of a standard (even of email, let alone of article) that merits replies. :p

                    I see Paul ("myob") has kindly replied to you, anyway.

                    If these help any further ...

                    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post6575732

                    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post7475055
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  • Profile picture of the author Omiro
    I know I personally ignore Ezine Articles when they come up in searches, but then I'm an affiliate marketer and know too much

    I'm not sure how Google looks on your domain(s) when it sees your site in places like that, but if it doesn't hurt you at least get links for your domains
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by RickyBobby View Post

      I am about to start submitting some content to EZA, but I want to make sure I am doing it the right way and not wasting my time. It kind of gives me some anxiety because of how much time and effort I have put into writing this content.

      If you're putting "much time and effort" into writing articles, consider using EZA as a marketing tool for showcasing your articles to potential publishers. Rather than being a "last stage afterthought" (LOL Alexa!), EZA does provide a perceived sense of credibility among publishers. It is well established for sourcing articles.

      Even though minimum standards for article acceptance are quite low, having an author status of "platinum" or "diamond" (reserved for only the top experts ) gets attention. It can be effective when querying prospective publishers to include a link to your EZA articles.
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      • Profile picture of the author RickyBobby
        Thank you myob! You have definitely given me some more confidence to submit my work onto EZA. My problem is that I feel like I have wasted a lot of time over the past year or so following all this "advice" out there only to be disappointed. I want to make sure that I am doing things the right way now and people like you and Alexa seem to be very credible and knowledgeable sources. I really wish I had been on this forum sooner. There is nothing worse than a wasted effort, unless it becomes a valuable learning experience.
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        • Profile picture of the author myob
          The easiest way to get your articles syndicated is to first write articles worthy of syndication. I'm not being facetious here. You must write not only within the expectations of your targeted readers but also up to the standards required by publishers.

          Secondly, active marketing of your articles is an essential component in article marketing. For any given viable niche there are easily hundreds and perhaps hundreds of thousands of potential publishers.

          Submit your articles to EZA and begin building up a portfolio. Also, have a complete profile of your expertise and accomplishments on EZA as well. This is important for reasons given below.

          It may seem trite, but many online publishers do pay attention to these details and weight their choices significantly on author profile and status along with article quality and relevance. Using EZA as a showcase for your writing ability, you are prepared to approach potential syndicators.

          Keep in mind, there are lots of publishers looking for quality content just as you are looking for publishers. It's not essential to submit articles to EZA, but I highly recommend it especially when first starting out. My EZA articles usually get picked up regularly by new syndication sources on average about once or twice a week per niche.

          For prospecting ezine publishers, it works best for beginners to read the archived ezines and get familiar with the type of articles that get published. Then it's usually just a matter of emailing the publisher with something like this;

          "Dear {ezine publisher's name or "Editor"}, After reading some of your previous issues, I see that you have published articles relating to underwater basketweaving. This is my specialty, and I think your readers may be interested in some articles I have published on this topic. Below is my latest article for your consideration for insertion in the next available issue:

          {text of article body, with resource box}

          Please advise if you would consider regular weekly or other periodic contributions. For your further review, some of my syndicated articles can be seen on Ezine Articles:
          http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Wally_Weaver

          Regards,
          Wally Weaver
          wally@waterworld.com"

          Approaching authority type websites is comparatively more difficult, but can be done with an impressive EZA portfolio and published articles in a few established ezines. Generally, contact information can be found on the website, and the approach is similar. This would never be a good time to be humble; you really need to show and tell them what you've got, ie Master Underwater Basketweaver, Diamond Expert at Ezinearticles (oooh, yeah!).

          Offline magazines are a different animal, and the submission and article requirements vary widely depending upon the publication. As a rule, however, the writing quality standards are much higher than seen online. A source I use frequently is "Writers' Market", which does list thousands of magazines and regional newspapers including how to query the editors and their writing style requirements.

          It is good practice to obtain a few recent copies to get an idea of their topic slant. What's great about offline publications is most of them actually "pay" for your work in addition to generally a much wider exposure. Most of them also have online components which does often contribute high PR backlinks. Most online article marketers are not using these very powerful offline publisher outlets.
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        • Profile picture of the author DABK
          The thrust of the advice was:

          eza is for passive syndication (or other reasons)
          active syndication beats passive syndication

          Active syndication is when you locate some websites that already get decent/great amount of traffic and the traffic is people who are likely buyers of whatever it is you are selling/promoting.

          You contact the site owner and propose to provide posts/articles for them.

          If they say, yes, you provide articles and get to say something about yourself and link to your site.

          If your content is good, some of the visitors to your guest blog post will check you out. If your site is useful to them, convincing, etc., they'll buy something or come back a few times or come back a few times and buy something the 4th or the 7th time. Or they buy something the 4th and the 7th time they come.

          It's not quick but works better than using EZA for getting live ones to your site.
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    I'm still getting a lot of traffic from my articles at EZA because I had published many articles, almost 2000.

    Mainly the old articles are driving traffic to my websites. The new ones send them traffic only in the beginning.
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