I think that as long as the links you replace them with are relevant to the topic and theme of the article. It also depends on the terms and conditions of the website on which the article is published.

I think at least I should be able to delete those articles !?

i believe it depends from directory to directory...all the article directories i have been submitting my articles to do allow this feature...

Yes, it does depend on the article site whether you can fiddle around/edit once it's been posted.

But for future info-- here's something I've done to avoid the situation you're in with your deadbeat company links:

Always post URLs that you own. Forward the URL to whatever site you are promoting. If you need to change it, simply redirect the forwarding at your registrar.
(I use Go-daddy and redirecting is very simple.)

All article directories will let you edit the article after approval, but the article will need to be re-approved after editing it.

When all else fails, you will be able to delete the article.


p.s. Another poster suggested you could change the links, so long as they remain related to the article. Not true.

That is only important to maximize the SEO value, but that will not be a requirement of any article directory manager.

As you've just discovered, it's absolutely essential to be able to do this.

Article directories vary, in this regard (as in many others).

For example, at Ezine Articles, they've changed their system: it's now possible to edit the resource-box/links without the article becoming "non-live" during the process, and they re-approve the changes within 1 business day.

But there's a way round this "problem", anyway: if you use your own redirecting service (which you own and control yourself, not a "url-shortener" like bit.ly or tinyurl, which are unreliable and dangerous, as many Warriors have found to their cost), then you can effectively redirect any links, any time in future, yourself, even without necessarily having access to the articles. One good, quick, reliable, easy way to do that is simply to use a $1 .info domain-name as your "redirecting device" (no hosting needed) and redirect it wherever you like from the registrar. It means buying some .info domain-names, but that buys a lot of future security. (There are other, slightly more complicated ways, too).

All of the above suggestions and comments are valid and true.

So long as you're only looking to change the links within the articles for which you haven't received payment, and not in the ones for which you've already been paid, of course. The latter would obviously be wrong, and may not go down too well with your client.