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What use do article directories have anymore if any?

by pheonix44
9 replies
Article directories are still around and I fine them useful at times. The problem is if they don't show up in search results because of Google changes then what's the value in them? I'm pretty sure there's still some value, but I can't figure out what it is. The traffic the articles get I have to believe comes from other marketers, so you can't even trust that.

My question is what's the strategy for using article directories these days? Should you focus on some other medium and if so what? I have a list of dozens of article directories, but I believe I'm wasting my efforts on them.
#anymore #article #directories
  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Use them to find content for reports to give away as incentives to subscribe to a mailing list, as well as content for email newsletters.


    For writers, probably not much value. I'd probably try a site like Quora if I wanted to use writing for marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    I have been using one article directory quite extensively over the years - EzineArticles. It is still well regarded by publishers for sourcing content. My primary marketing strategy has always been to drive traffic directly from articles published in offline/online outlets, and using EZA as a portfolio showcase, this has proven to be a significant source for this type of exposure.
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  • Profile picture of the author jipolis7
    Article directories are still useful and Ezine is one of the most recommended for reliable content and driving traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author rayaniair
    we can still get traffic from them?
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by rayaniair View Post

      we can still get traffic from them?
      Any direct traffic is likely to be minimal. People just don't open a browser and go to an article directory for frontline content.

      The only one I still use at all is EzineArticles.com. As MYOB wrote, it makes for a good showcase for your writing, somewhere you can send people to see that you are legit. Most of those who check this out see the "Expert Author" tag or the platinum badge and assume that it means more than having a certain number of articles approved.

      I used to use them to source content, as Kurt mentioned. Now i mostly use them to scout for talent. If I find a writer that knows their stuff and writes at a quality level I can accept, I'll contact them about guest opportunities, or for content that isn't on EZA, unless I'm planning to use it in a medium like email.

      I'm not worried about any kind of "duplicate content" penalty, but if multiple copies of the same article are available online I don't want to be dumped in with the run of the mill autoblogs that typically scrape feeds and publish anything with the right keyword regardless of quality.
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  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    I would be very careful about associating your URL with article sites. If you are getting links from sites with poor content, it starts to weigh on your site's reputation. There are so many other ways you can get people to look at your site, but look for niche specific, and stay away from sites where people can submit just about anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author Useful Survival Tools
    I agree with most Warrior who posted here. My choice is also Ezine, mainly because it has a good reputation and the articles are of good quality. Also, some people do check on Ezine for content. Though justifiable, I also agree on one point that Google sometimes changes its algorithm. What might be considered okay now, might be detrimental to your backlinks in the future.

    I suggest you put in a lot of effort elsewhere rather than concentrating all your efforts on posting in article directories. Besides, people nowadays stick to social media in order to access content, and not much on directories
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  • Profile picture of the author essmeier
    I use them for SEO. If I need to link to an external Web page using my keyword in the anchor text, and I don't want my site visitors to click on it and go somewhere else where they might spend money, I'll find an old article at EzineArticles that has a dead link in the bio box and link to that.

    That's about all I use them for these days.

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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Well for *some* niches, the article directory EzineArticles is still good. Even after Panda i used to sell a $7 penis enlargement book. I used to get a ton of sales from and traffic from EZA with that. For some people it's good for selling and getting what you need out of it. For other's like ezine publishers, they use the content on there to fuel their email/ezine newsletter - or blog or site.
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