Is Article Marketing a Good Traffic Source?

65 replies
Hey Guys

So I've been following the advice of Chris P Kent's method of gaining traffic to my squeeze page, and it's going reasonably well so far, I think!

Within his method, he recommends writing articles, relevant to what I'm selling, on low competition, but highly searched terms, and posting them on places like goarticles.com etc.

I followed the exact method advocated, yet my article is only at the bottom of page two of google (Eric Wong Strength and Conditioning - Sports - Martial Arts), having had only 2 views. Which leads me to wonder, is this method still worth it?

Of course, if anyone can point out any mistakes I've made, I will be very grateful for advice.

Thanks
#article #good #marketing #source #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author Oliver Williams
    Article marketing has taken a bit of a back step with googles recent updates that does not mean it is still not effective. I would not base my whole business on it though. Personally I recommend list building and direct response marketing for obvious reasons, I think most would agree.
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    • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
      Originally Posted by Oliver Williams View Post

      Article marketing has taken a bit of a back step with googles recent updates that does not mean it is still not effective. I would not base my whole business on it though. Personally I recommend list building and direct response marketing for obvious reasons, I think most would agree.
      Thanks for the advice!

      Sorry, I should have been more specific. I am building a list to market to, and focussing on methods to generate traffic to my squeeze page. One of the methods advocated for generating traffic is article marketing.

      I am also doing videos, uploaded to multiple sites via OneLoad and forum posting.

      Any other ideas of methods that are up to date, and effective?

      Thanks!
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Article marketing is an absolutely outstanding traffic source. It produces floods of non-SEO traffic which is already highly targeted, without your having to do the targeting yourself: it doesn't get much better than that.

      But what you're asking about isn't "article marketing": it's "article directory marketing", and that's a dreadful traffic source.

      This post and the links inside it (if you click to read them all) explain the differences pretty clearly, and will help you, I hope and trust.

      Post #6 of that same thread explains in detail why it would be a huge mistake to try to get traffic from article directories.

      You might notice that over the last year or so, there've been 100+ threads here with titles like "Article Marketing Is Dead" and "Article Marketing Doesn't Work Any More". What all those threads have in common is that they've been started off by people who've been doing exactly what you're asking about, above, in the mistaken belief that it's "article marketing" (whereas it's actually "article directory marketing"), so they're quite right about it being "dead", but actually entirely wrong about what it is.
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      • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        Article marketing is an absolutely outstanding traffic source. It produces floods of non-SEO traffic which is already highly targeted, without your having to do the targeting yourself: it doesn't get much better than that.

        But what you're asking about isn't "article marketing": it's "article directory marketing", and that's a dreadful traffic source.

        This post and the links inside it (if you click to read them all) explain the differences pretty clearly, and will help you, I hope and trust.

        Post #6 of that same thread explains in detail why it would be a huge mistake to try to get traffic from article directories.

        You might notice that over the last year or so, there've been 100+ threads here with titles like "Article Marketing Is Dead" and "Article Marketing Doesn't Work Any More". What all those threads have in common is that they've been started off by people who've been doing exactly what you're asking about, above, in the mistaken belief that it's "article marketing" (whereas it's actually "article directory marketing"), so they're quite right about it being "dead", but actually entirely wrong about what it is.
        AWESOME - thanks a lot for your advice. I'm slightly embarrassed to say that I'm excited that you replied to this post, as I've been following your comments for a while and see you are thought of very highly in WF! It was your advice I took, actually, when http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post2161932

        I will have a thorough read through of the post you mention.
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      • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        Article marketing is an absolutely outstanding traffic source. It produces floods of non-SEO traffic which is already highly targeted, without your having to do the targeting yourself: it doesn't get much better than that.

        But what you're asking about isn't "article marketing": it's "article directory marketing", and that's a dreadful traffic source.

        This post and the links inside it (if you click to read them all) explain the differences pretty clearly, and will help you, I hope and trust.

        Post #6 of that same thread explains in detail why it would be a huge mistake to try to get traffic from article directories.

        You might notice that over the last year or so, there've been 100+ threads here with titles like "Article Marketing Is Dead" and "Article Marketing Doesn't Work Any More". What all those threads have in common is that they've been started off by people who've been doing exactly what you're asking about, above, in the mistaken belief that it's "article marketing" (whereas it's actually "article directory marketing"), so they're quite right about it being "dead", but actually entirely wrong about what it is.
        Hi Alexa,

        So, I've just read ALL the threads you linked to. Crammed full of useful info! So thanks a lot for that I see this question has been asked many, many times before, so I appreciate your patience.

        I have a question: if I am to write high quality articles about MMA (mixed martial arts), surely one question that would arise from potential suitors would be, "why should we listen to this guy?". I mean, I have a fairly sound understanding of strength and conditioning for MMA, and I have plenty of useful information to read & use, but I'm by no means an expert. So, is a corrollary of this, and the previous threads, that I should only write articles for syndication on topics that I AM an expert on?
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        • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
          Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

          Hi Alexa,

          So, I've just read ALL the threads you linked to. Crammed full of useful info! So thanks a lot for that I see this question has been asked many, many times before, so I appreciate your patience.

          I have a question: if I am to write high quality articles about MMA (mixed martial arts), surely one question that would arise from potential suitors would be, "why should we listen to this guy?". I mean, I have a fairly sound understanding of strength and conditioning for MMA, and I have plenty of useful information to read & use, but I'm by no means an expert. So, is a corrollary of this, and the previous threads, that I should only write articles for syndication on topics that I AM an expert on?
          Since there's no official designation that makes one an expert...

          I write for a couple of markets where credibility counts for a lot. But the first thing people notice is your writing and your information. I have some credentials in my markets but there are PLENTY of people with far more.

          And I don't care a bit. If you know what you're talking about people will read and you'll build credibility as you go. I'm not suggesting you make stuff up or pretend to be someone you're not. Get in the habit of starting with this phrase: In my experience, ___________. Then let 'er fly.

          Finally, take the experience you do have and create a compelling resource box. And in the meantime build your credibility by taking classes and courses. Being an expert is half mindset and half knowledge. Good luck.
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          • Profile picture of the author LifeIsGood
            Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

            Since there's no official designation that makes one an expert...

            I write for a couple of markets where credibility counts for a lot. But the first thing people notice is your writing and your information. I have some credentials in my markets but there are PLENTY of people with far more.

            And I don't care a bit. If you know what you're talking about people will read and you'll build credibility as you go. I'm not suggesting you make stuff up or pretend to be someone you're not. Get in the habit of starting with this phrase: In my experience, ___________. Then let 'er fly.

            Finally, take the experience you do have and create a compelling resource box. And in the meantime build your credibility by taking classes and courses. Being an expert is half mindset and half knowledge. Good luck.
            Thanks, Travlinguy ...
            In more ways than one.

            LifeIsGood ~ It's About To Get Even Better!
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          • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
            Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

            Since there's no official designation that makes one an expert...

            I write for a couple of markets where credibility counts for a lot. But the first thing people notice is your writing and your information. I have some credentials in my markets but there are PLENTY of people with far more.

            And I don't care a bit. If you know what you're talking about people will read and you'll build credibility as you go. I'm not suggesting you make stuff up or pretend to be someone you're not. Get in the habit of starting with this phrase: In my experience, ___________. Then let 'er fly.

            Finally, take the experience you do have and create a compelling resource box. And in the meantime build your credibility by taking classes and courses. Being an expert is half mindset and half knowledge. Good luck.
            Awesome. Thanks a lot - I really appreciate the advice!

            Final question - 'taking classes and courses' - do you mean taking classes and courses in MMA, for example, or affiliate / article marketing?

            Thanks
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            • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
              Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

              Awesome. Thanks a lot - I really appreciate the advice!

              Final question - 'taking classes and courses' - do you mean taking classes and courses in MMA, for example, or affiliate / article marketing?

              Thanks
              Okay, anyone who knows me here also knows I believe we do our best marketing by promoting stuff we know about. I'd even say that if you're really passionate about it the "work" isn't work at all because you're actually doing something you love.

              Some people approach things differently. They choose a market based on keywords and how simple they feel it might be to rank high in SEs. There's nothing wrong with that approach. But I still believe in doing what you love so if I were starting over I'd FIRST promote something I know and love and then venture into other markets with some experience under my belt. I learned this by doing things ass backwards to start so I know what I'm talking about. Anyway...

              When I mentioned taking classes I was talking about Karate or whatever you mentioned up front. I guess I might have assumed martial arts was your thing. If it's not your thing (or if you only have a mild interest) then it might be hard to ever come accross as an expert, though not impossible. Good luck.
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              • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
                Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

                Okay, anyone who knows me here also knows I believe we do our best marketing by promoting stuff we know about. I'd even say that if you're really passionate about it the "work" isn't work at all because you're actually doing something you love.

                Some people approach things differently. They choose a market based on keywords and how simple they feel it might be to rank high in SEs. There's nothing wrong with that approach. But I still believe in doing what you love so if I were starting over I'd FIRST promote something I know and love and then venture into other markets with some experience under my belt. I learned this by doing things ass backwards to start so I know what I'm talking about. Anyway...

                When I mentioned taking classes I was talking about Karate or whatever you mentioned up front. I guess I might have assumed martial arts was your thing. If it's not your thing (or if you only have a mild interest) then it might be hard to ever come accross as an expert, though not impossible. Good luck.
                Thanks a lot! Well, when I was younger, I did mixed martial arts for a few years, and I was pretty good. I got first place in a tournament! Up until quite recently, I was going to the bar with friends to wathc UFC, too. So I think that I know enough to come across as convincing
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

          Hi Alexa,

          So, I've just read ALL the threads you linked to.
          That's "kept you off the streets", anyway ...

          Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

          I have a question: if I am to write high quality articles about MMA (mixed martial arts), surely one question that would arise from potential suitors would be, "why should we listen to this guy?".
          Let me preface my comments by mentioning that I know nothing about your niche (except, of course, that it's an anagram of "Taxidermist Alarm").

          But yes, in general, this is "an issue", to varying extents - of course. And one has to try to deal with it just through "the quality of one's writing", in other words, you need to try to sound like enough of an expert either for that question not to arise in people's minds, or at least for it to answer itself, for them, as they're reading.

          Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

          So, is a corrollary of this, and the previous threads, that I should only write articles for syndication on topics that I AM an expert on?
          Well, that makes it easier, but still, my answer is "not necessarily". For example, sometimes you can ...

          (i) Write for the lower end of the market in terms of the knowledge-scale, to minimise how much that matters (if there are products for that end of the market?), and/or ...

          (ii) Write in a way that people can identify with your relative lack of knowledge ("Like many people who are enthusiastic about this subject, I haven't been studying it for years, but I've noticed two or three really interesting things recently ... and here they are ..."), and/or ...

          (iii) Make it a stage more remote and say stuff along the lines of "I was interested in learning about this subject, and discussed the whole thing with a few experts, who all told me that ...", and approaches like this(?), and/or ...

          (iv) Get information - one way or another - from the vendors of the products you're promoting, for this specific purpose, and re-write it in your own words, and/or ...

          (v) Learn quickly!

          But generally, I think it's unrealistic not to acknowledge that the more you do know about the subject, the better it'll be for your marketing efforts.

          I'm certainly not in the "choose niches about which you're passionate yourself and the money will follow" school, and I think that's basically foolish advice. But somehow, nevertheless, one has to combine "niches about which one can write some stuff" with "niches which have a real existing market and available traffic".

          Edited to add: Travlinguy, just above, posted while I was typing, and makes great and more helpful points!
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          • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            That's "kept you off the streets", anyway ...



            Let me preface my comments by mentioning that I know nothing about your niche (except, of course, that it's an anagram of "Taxidermist Alarm").

            But yes, in general, this is "an issue", to varying extents - of course. And one has to try to deal with it just through "the quality of one's writing", in other words, you need to try to sound like enough of an expert either for that question not to arise in people's minds, or at least for it to answer itself, for them, as they're reading.



            Well, that makes it easier, but still, my answer is "not necessarily". For example, sometimes you can ...

            (i) Write for the lower end of the market in terms of the knowledge-scale, to minimise how much that matters (if there are products for that end of the market?), and/or ...

            (ii) Write in a way that people can identify with your relative lack of knowledge ("Like many people who are enthusiastic about this subject, I haven't been studying it for years, but I've noticed two or three really interesting things recently ... and here they are ..."), and/or ...

            (iii) Make it a stage more remote and say stuff along the lines of "I was interested in learning about this subject, and discussed the whole thing with a few experts, who all told me that ...", and approaches like this(?), and/or ...

            (iv) Get information - one way or another - from the vendors of the products you're promoting, for this specific purpose, and re-write it in your own words, and/or ...

            (v) Learn quickly!

            But generally, I think it's unrealistic not to acknowledge that the more you do know about the subject, the better it'll be for your marketing efforts.

            I'm certainly not in the "choose niches about which you're passionate yourself and the money will follow" school, and I think that's basically foolish advice. But somehow, nevertheless, one has to combine "niches about which one can write some stuff" with "niches which have a real existing market and available traffic".

            Edited to add: Travlinguy, just above, posted while I was typing, and makes great and more helpful points!
            Firstly - great anogram. You should be on Countdown (a tv show in UK: Countdown - Channel 4). My bro was on it and taught me - I'm now hooked on them!

            Secondly, fantastic advice again, thanks!

            I've received so much useful guidance here - I'm very grateful. Will be so happy once I eventually start making money from this
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  • Profile picture of the author JeremiahSay
    Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

    Hey Guys

    So I've been following the advice of Chris P Kent's method of gaining traffic to my squeeze page, and it's going reasonably well so far, I think!

    Within his method, he recommends writing articles, relevant to what I'm selling, on low competition, but highly searched terms, and posting them on places like goarticles.com etc.

    I followed the exact method advocated, yet my article is only at the bottom of page two of google (Eric Wong Strength and Conditioning - Sports - Martial Arts), having had only 2 views. Which leads me to wonder, is this method still worth it?

    Of course, if anyone can point out any mistakes I've made, I will be very grateful for advice.

    Thanks
    Sure article writing still works for me.. I always post unique article on my website first (even if it's a squeeze page) and have it indexed by google before posting it anywhere else..

    I have a squeeze page in the MMO niche that's already rank in page 1 within 3 months because I've included unique content in it.. FREE Video - It's Time to Work Smart Instead of Just Working Hardautomated-passive-income.com <-- Only 6 articles

    Hope this help,
    Jeremiah
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  • Profile picture of the author Exel
    Article marketing is one of the best traffic sources and it will always be. The reason
    people are saying it doesn't work is because the article directories have declined recently.

    The right way is publish your articles on your blog, get them indexed, and then you
    can post them in other places.

    That way you bring all the traffic to your blog and not the article directory, building an
    authority website, and getting high ranking.
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    • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
      Originally Posted by Exel View Post

      Article marketing is one of the best traffic sources and it will always be. The reason
      people are saying it doesn't work is because the article directories have declined recently.

      The right way is publish your articles on your blog, get them indexed, and then you
      can post them in other places.

      That way you bring all the traffic to your blog and not the article directory, building an
      authority website, and getting high ranking.
      Awesome, thanks. This forum is so useful and the members are so helpful!

      I've been participating in some Mixed Martial Arts forums recently, and one in particular, sherdog.net, is SOOO aggressive! The guys on there are just like playground bullies
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      • Profile picture of the author Exel
        Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

        Awesome, thanks. This forum is so useful and the members are so helpful!

        I've been participating in some Mixed Martial Arts forums recently, and one in particular, sherdog.net, is SOOO aggressive! The guys on there are just like playground bullies
        I'm also an mma fan, and drop by sherdog occasionally.

        Little off-topic, but you must be excited by the upcoming UFC title bouts as I am
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        • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
          Originally Posted by Exel View Post

          I'm also an mma fan, and drop by sherdog occasionally.

          Little off-topic, but you must be excited by the upcoming UFC title bouts as I am
          Ha, well, I'm in the UK, and watching UFC fights is pretty difficult / expensive! Who's on the card? The last UFC I saw was when I was living in The Canadian Rockies, and watched Anderson Silva v Chael Sonnen. What a fight!
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          • Profile picture of the author Exel
            Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

            Ha, well, I'm in the UK, and watching UFC fights is pretty difficult / expensive! Who's on the card? The last UFC I saw was when I was living in The Canadian Rockies, and watched Anderson Silva v Chael Sonnen. What a fight!
            Ahh, too bad to hear that. Funny that you mentioned Silva vs Sonnen, cause
            their rematch is scheduled for June. Also Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans and
            Alistair Overeem vs Junior Dos Santos later this year.

            And no more off topic please, they will delete our posts
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    • Profile picture of the author RickyAren
      Thanks Guys,

      I think I need to setup a blog. Can someone let me know the best way of doing this?

      I am a newbie when it comes to Wordpress. Is there some kind of software that can help me to estup a blog?

      Cheers,
      Ricky.
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      • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
        Originally Posted by RickyAren View Post

        Thanks Guys,

        I think I need to setup a blog. Can someone let me know the best way of doing this?

        I am a newbie when it comes to Wordpress. Is there some kind of software that can help me to estup a blog?

        Cheers,
        Ricky.
        Setting up a blog is incredibly easy! I think the best platforms are Blogger, by Google, or Wordpress.com. Just write articles or posts about what you're interested in / what's relevant to your industry, of between 300 - 500 words, making sure that your key words appear approx every 100 - 150 words, and in the title.

        Alternatively, you could buy your own domain, then build your website through Wordpress, and make it in the style of a blog. That way, your website will have more authority, and rank better, I believe.
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  • Profile picture of the author IM Lover
    I was going to comment on here, then I read Alexa's comment. There is not much more to be said just follow the advice she gave you.

    -Lee
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    I don't recommend using article to drive traffic to my site 100%. If i am submitting content to article directories there is always more than one reason.

    You don't own the directories besides more than halve of your traffic/effort will go to the directory and their ads.

    Build your own site instead when you can.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryan Parker
    Article marketing can be a great source of traffic, if executed properly. Your content needs to be high-quality and unique. If you have several high-quality, unique articles at your disposal, you can submit them to article directories or news feeds while linking back to your main site.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      But yes, in general, this is "an issue", to varying extents - of course. And one has to try to deal with it just through "the quality of one's writing", in other words, you need to try to sound like enough of an expert either for that question not to arise in people's minds, or at least for it to answer itself, for them, as they're reading.
      You've had some excellent advice, so I just want to touch on this point a bit more.

      If you are writing to complete novices, a solid grasp of the basic terminology might be enough to establish an at least superior level of expertise to their own.

      As you climb the ladder, the devil is in the details. The broad brush strokes don't change, but the small stuff does.

      Take something like hitting a baseball. At the simplest, most basic end, you hand someone a bat and tell them to hold the little end and try to hit the ball with the big end. At it's most complex, you'll be talking about things like grip, pressure, set to the plate, weight distribution, timing and I don't know what else. But a true expert will.

      If I'm talking to another fishing nut, we might spend considerable time debating what hook size and style to use, which knot to attach it to the line with in different situations, and on and on. I would never presume to bury a beginner under that much info. I'd give advice on one style, knot, whatever that I know works and send them out to do their best.

      Write for the audience for which you can competently add value. As you study and learn, that audience will grow - both in size and sophistication.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lightlysalted
    For me article marketing has been less effective over the last few years, but I find ezine articles by far the best site for getting targetted traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author iyke20024
      Originally Posted by Paid Surveys View Post

      For me article marketing has been less effective over the last few years, but I find ezine articles by far the best site for getting targetted traffic.
      Article marketing will continue and always be one of the consistent way of generating traffic even when you are sleeping or lost..

      Article marketing also involves blog posting....

      In my own experience, submiting to article directories... in one way is better..

      Consider a scenerio where you have a new site or blog and wants traffic...and another scenerio when you really want to rank well in google and have all the time, money and patient to do so..

      In the first instance...article marketing in the form of submitting to article directories is best and effective for immediate result and profit..

      While in the long run... though article directories posting it is still usefull, you can instead get the benefit for unique content from google for creating your own blog..

      You will agree with me that ranking high takes a lot of resources and time especially for a newbie so you decide which is best for you.

      I will advice if you have a business presense you should use the initial scenerio then as you get more profit you can as well..use both (thats after posting the content to your site or blog and google get it indexed.)

      On the contrary.. if you have the time and resources you can build your way through marketing your blog...to improve your google ranking..hehhe

      I hope this helps...

      Jonathan
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  • Profile picture of the author Bigfoot1
    Forum traffic is wayyy better in terms of ROI compared to Article Marketing, although the latter is good for SEO.

    You can easily get 140-150 views a day through forums and blog comments and it can be targeted traffic to your squeeze page. If you work overtime you can easily get 2-3x that.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Ryan Parker View Post

      Article marketing can be a great source of traffic, if executed properly. Your content needs to be high-quality and unique. If you have several high-quality, unique articles at your disposal, you can submit them to article directories or news feeds while linking back to your main site.
      Oh yeah? How is that working out for you?


      Originally Posted by Paid Surveys View Post

      For me article marketing has been less effective over the last few years, but I find ezine articles by far the best site for getting targetted traffic.
      Really? How much money are you making from those Ezinearticles leads you are getting?



      Originally Posted by Bigfoot1 View Post

      Forum traffic is wayyy better in terms of ROI compared to Article Marketing, although the latter is good for SEO.

      You can easily get 140-150 views a day through forums and blog comments and it can be targeted traffic to your squeeze page. If you work overtime you can easily get 2-3x that.
      Interesting. How many views are you getting to your squeezepage per day? How many are signing-up? How many are actually buying from you with that method?

      I only ask because it seems a little silly to you know, take people from a platform where it is very easy to have open conversations and build relationships (like a forum) and transfer them to a platform where it is much more difficult to build a relationship and get them to even read the things you write (like an email list)?

      Also, how are those articles helping with SEO? And why would you use articles, which can attract very high quality buyers to you, in the hopes that you might get some slightly targeted, low quality traffic from Google?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jimmy Mailhot
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Jimmy Mailhot View Post

      I personnally ''Loved'' article marketing. Now it's pretty much dead. For sure it will bring some traffic but still... There are many other ways to bring targeted and converting traffic even faster and for longer time. Such as guest blogging :p
      Thank you, I will quit wasting my time with articles then. Perhaps I should quit forum marketing, too?

      ***


      By the way afilmarket, I have a couple of Wong's books and they are superb. I love his strength conditioning methods without too many heavy weights, which is great for joints and ligaments. (Because what is the point of having hulking muscles and weakened joints? LOL)

      But I have to ask, what are you trying to sell? Because if you are selling those books
      through affiliate links or something, it isn't going to make you very much. Unless you are
      using it to build a buyer's list and market more expensive products, you should really
      choose something that will make you a lot more money.
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      The bartender says: "We don't serve faster-than-light particles here."

      ...A tachyon enters a bar.

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      • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
        Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

        Thank you, I will quit wasting my time with articles then. Perhaps I should quit forum marketing, too?

        ***


        By the way afilmarket, I have a couple of Wong's books and they are superb. I love his strength conditioning methods without too many heavy weights, which is great for joints and ligaments. (Because what is the point of having hulking muscles and weakened joints? LOL)

        But I have to ask, what are you trying to sell? Because if you are selling those books
        through affiliate links or something, it isn't going to make you very much. Unless you are
        using it to build a buyer's list and market more expensive products, you should really
        choose something that will make you a lot more money.
        Wow, I'm really grateful for all the excellent responses I've had!

        Well, yes my plan at the moment is to build a list, through giving away his free Ebook, then send them relevant and useful information, then every 4th/5th e-mail, try to sell them something. At present, the only product I have to sell is his Strength and Conditioning eBook. I am very new to this game, so just want to get the hang of list building through squeeze pages, then setting up a good sequence of folllow up e-mails.

        But, I have to say, I'm struggling to think of other things to offer my list. Are there any other products/services you could recommend?

        p.s. great to hear you like his books - I only want to sell high quality stuff
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        • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
          Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

          Wow, I'm really grateful for all the excellent responses I've had!

          Well, yes my plan at the moment is to build a list, through giving away his free Ebook, then send them relevant and useful information, then every 4th/5th e-mail, try to sell them something. At present, the only product I have to sell is his Strength and Conditioning eBook. I am very new to this game, so just want to get the hang of list building through squeeze pages, then setting up a good sequence of folllow up e-mails.

          But, I have to say, I'm struggling to think of other things to offer my list. Are there any other products/services you could recommend?

          p.s. great to hear you like his books - I only want to sell high quality stuff
          OK I have a lot of questions but for now I'll keep this short.

          1. Do you have Giveaway Rights to distribute his eBook like that?

          2. You can use a squeezepage if you want to, although a blog
          with an opt-in form will get you higher quality leads (rather than
          mere freebie seekers)

          3. Are you specifically targeting MMA fighters?

          4. I could not have said this better myself:


          Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

          When I mentioned taking classes I was talking about Karate or whatever you mentioned up front. I guess I might have assumed martial arts was your thing. If it's not your thing (or if you only have a mild interest) then it might be hard to ever come accross as an expert, though not impossible. Good luck.
          Martial Artists tend to have very big egos,
          and go on the attack against people who
          they think are faking it.
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          ...A tachyon enters a bar.

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          • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
            Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

            OK I have a lot of questions but for now I'll keep this short.

            1. Do you have Giveaway Rights to distribute his eBook like that?

            2. You can use a squeezepage if you want to, although a blog
            with an opt-in form will get you higher quality leads (rather than
            mere freebie seekers)

            3. Are you specifically targeting MMA fighters?

            4. I could not have said this better myself:




            Martial Artists tend to have very big egos,
            and go on the attack against people who
            they think are faking it.
            1.) Yep, he says it's fine to give away his eBook.

            2.) Thanks for the tip. I'm building a blog around it, as we speak.

            3.) Yes, specifically targeting MMA fighters.

            4.) I found this out to my detriment! I have been going on Sherdog forum, and actually giving advice to people with the best intentions, in areas that I know a fair amount (nutrition, sports injuries). Some of the guys are VERY hostile, if you appear to disagree with them!
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            • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
              Originally Posted by afilmarket View Post

              1.) Yep, he says it's fine to give away his eBook.

              2.) Thanks for the tip. I'm building a blog around it, as we speak.

              3.) Yes, specifically targeting MMA fighters.

              4.) I found this out to my detriment! I have been going on Sherdog forum, and actually giving advice to people with the best intentions, in areas that I know a fair amount (nutrition, sports injuries). Some of the guys are VERY hostile, if you appear to disagree with them!

              1. Very interesting, I should get in touch with him as well. A lot of the "old timers" are allowing giveaways now, everyone from Ashida Kim to Mike Stone. It's great because it promotes them as well, and most of them have video series now they want to sell.

              2. Good, I really believe you'll have more success with your opt-in list if you build it from a good blog.

              3. Ah, well I specialize in classical and military martial arts, most of these guys are not interested in MMA at all. But, MMA is very popular right now so you should find plenty of people to buy Solo Ads from.

              4. Yeah, I don't waste my time with places like Sherdog, Bullshido, and sammyfranco... There are guys who live in those forums and don't do anything else (and most of them probably need to go out and train so they can back-up all that trash-talking, LOL) You're better off sticking with the smaller forums where people are much more polite. You can even join a group of more traditional martial artists and establish yourself as the MMA "expert".

              I've had massive success with forum marketing in martial arts niches, but as myob said articles are superb as well. Keep in mind that, for the most part, those martial artists who know how to read tend to be very intellectual and theory-based, while the other half just want to look at the pictures/videos.

              Best of luck.
              Signature

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              ...A tachyon enters a bar.

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              • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
                Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

                1. Very interesting, I should get in touch with him as well. A lot of the "old timers" are allowing giveaways now, everyone from Ashida Kim to Mike Stone. It's great because it promotes them as well, and most of them have video series now they want to sell.

                2. Good, I really believe you'll have more success with your opt-in list if you build it from a good blog.

                3. Ah, well I specialize in classical and military martial arts, most of these guys are not interested in MMA at all. But, MMA is very popular right now so you should find plenty of people to buy Solo Ads from.

                4. Yeah, I don't waste my time with places like Sherdog, Bullshido, and sammyfranco... There are guys who live in those forums and don't do anything else (and most of them probably need to go out and train so they can back-up all that trash-talking, LOL) You're better off sticking with the smaller forums where people are much more polite. You can even join a group of more traditional martial artists and establish yourself as the MMA "expert".

                I've had massive success with forum marketing in martial arts niches, but as myob said articles are superb as well. Keep in mind that, for the most part, those martial artists who know how to read tend to be very intellectual and theory-based, while the other half just want to look at the pictures/videos.

                Best of luck.
                Awesome, thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author JCamp
    UAW and Article Syndication is the way to go
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  • Profile picture of the author OmarNegron
    Article marketing is always going to be alive.

    Why?

    Well because the internet and yes GOOGLE revolves around fresh content. As long as your articles make sense and are helping someones issue, then yes article marketing will work just fine for you.

    It does not work as good as it did say 2 years ago, but people will still visit article directories (The popular ones) and even if you want to build backlinks with them, its not a bad idea either.

    -Omar
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  • Profile picture of the author loads16017
    Article Marketing can boost your rankings too.
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  • Profile picture of the author samlouiseroberts
    Article marketing is a sure-fire way of increasing your web site traffic. So far, it is one of the tactics that is able to stand with time.

    S. Roberts
    Empower Network Review
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  • Profile picture of the author gasman
    It can be a great traffic source with good keyword research and well written articles. I will tell you that it used to be a much more valuable traffic resource before Google decided to go crazy with all the updating and dropping large article directories in the rankings.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      In my experience, there is perhaps no better traffic source than article marketing; over 90% of all my traffic and sales within some of the most "saturated" niches are the result of readers of my articles.

      To put this in more perspective, article marketing in its highest form - article syndication, can be an extremely powerful tool in its own right, independent of Google or any SEO consideration. For example, within any given viable niche there may be millions of possible candidates for publication of articles.

      Because of this very powerful principle of leverage, using article syndication, it does not take many articles at all to just completely bypass the most intense competition for keywords and ranking.
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      • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        In my experience, there is perhaps no better traffic source than article marketing; over 90% of all my traffic and sales within some of the most "saturated" niches are the result of readers of my articles.

        To put this in more perspective, article marketing in its highest form - article syndication, can be an extremely powerful tool in its own right, independent of Google or any SEO consideration. For example, within any given viable niche there may be millions of possible candidates for publication of articles.

        Because of this very powerful principle of leverage, using article syndication, it does not take many articles at all to just completely bypass the most intense competition for keywords and ranking.
        Thanks for the great advice! I will do some more research on article syndication, and how I can make it work for me. Seems successful article marketing = marketing syndication!
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  • Profile picture of the author webcheapservices
    of course its a good source of traffic,for me i think its all depend on the source box if you just make a good source box you will get hot traffic and i used to follow craig maco fast seo attack wso and its really works.
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    myob is right, alot of our traffic is coming from PPC and articles syndicated in the right spots.

    Why? well because this is highly targeted and you do not really have to worry about ranking and seo much at all.
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    • Profile picture of the author celente
      Originally Posted by shireen View Post

      you don't really see great results by submitting one or two articles.
      You will not see good results from articles if you are spamming directories, yes especially with panda updates abound.

      But with the right syndication you can literally get a flood of sales and subscribers with one article. We have done this numerous times.

      Just depends on which outlets you are targeting and their reach.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by shireen View Post

      you don't really see great results by submitting one or two articles.
      Not if you're submitting to multiple article directories, no.

      But as explained in so many threads here, that's just article directory marketing, not "article marketing".

      On the other hand, if you publish one or two high quality articles on your own site and then syndicate them as widely as possible to relevant sites of quality, you can easily attract floods of highly targeted traffic from them. Even in "competitive niches", with very small numbers of articles.

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

        Not if you're submitting to multiple article directories, no.

        But as explained in so many threads here, that's just article directory marketing, not "article marketing".

        On the other hand, if you publish one or two high quality articles on your own site and then syndicate them as widely as possible to relevant sites of quality, you can easily attract floods of highly targeted traffic from them. Even in "competitive niches", with very small numbers of articles.

        http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5035794
        Is your article likely to get published by a high quality directory if it's already found elsewhere on the web (like your website)? Unless they've changed their policies in the last few months, I know that Ezine Articles won't allow dupe articles and if you aren't a diamond author (which get preferential treatment in terms of approval timeframe of articles) or have a paid membership it can take up to (and past sometimes) a week before they approve or deny your article (Actually timetable not so bad for a platinum author that submits regularly) and by then google would most likely have crawled your website and already indexed your article from your website making it dupe content anywhere else which would ultimately get rejected at a quality article directory. These quality article directories want to be the 1st to publish your quality content so even if your work is very good, if they find it somewhere else, won't that make grounds for rejection? So my question is where can one find relevant sites of quality where dupe content gets approved?
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          Is your article likely to get published by a high quality directory if it's already found elsewhere on the web (like your website)?
          Yes - article directories don't require previously unpublished content.

          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          Unless they've changed their policies in the last few months, I know that Ezine Articles won't allow dupe articles
          This is incorrect.

          They haven't changed their policy on this point at all. They've always accepted previously published articles, and they still do.

          Explained in detail in this post: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post4309204

          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          it can take up to (and past sometimes) a week before they approve or deny your article (Actually timetable not so bad for a platinum author that submits regularly) and by then google would most likely have crawled your website and already indexed your article from your website making it dupe content
          This is incorrect. It isn't "duplicate content". It's "syndicated content". The difference is explained here: Article Marketers – Lay the Duplicate Content Myth To Rest Once and For All - Internet Marketing and Publishing

          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          anywhere else which would ultimately get rejected at a quality article directory.
          This is all incorrect, Cecil. Article directories don't require previously unpublished content.

          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          These quality article directories want to be the 1st to publish your quality content
          Simply not so.

          Well, they might like it ... but they neither request nor require it.

          It's all a myth, from the Urban Myth School of Internet Marketing.

          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          so even if your work is very good, if they find it somewhere else, won't that make grounds for rejection?
          Absolutely not. This has never been grounds for rejection. Article directories do not require previously unplublished content.

          Originally Posted by Cecil Dee View Post

          So my question is where can one find relevant sites of quality where dupe content gets approved?
          I strongly suspect that all your confusion comes from a fundamental misunderstanding about what "duplicate content" means. The identical article submitted to various different places is not "duplicate content". Not according to Google (who go to great lengths to clarify this for people), and not according to any article directory. The words "duplicate content" refer to multiple copies of the same text-file within one domain. If an article directory rejects an article as being "duplicate content", that means they already have a copy of it on their site. Otherwise it wouldn't be "duplicate", just "syndicated", which they welcome. "Unique" does not mean the same thing as "original". If they say it's "not original", it's not the fact that it's been previously published to which they're objecting: it's the fact that its tone/content are too derivative - a qualitative assessment, in other words. The links above will clarify all, and reveal all.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryuchi
    Article marketing is still a good traffic source. Google has been deindexing not-so-helpful sites so adding in better content is a great idea. Don't be disheartened by not having views after only a few articles.

    Try uploading articles in different categories and you might just hit the jackpot.

    Good luck!
    Ryuchi
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  • Profile picture of the author johnlee5757
    Yes Article Marketing a Good Traffic Source but We need to follow some rules before publishing the Article like How good quality your Article Is and How much Informative.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMHunter
    Article Marketing is one of the best resources for ultra targeted traffic. Quality articles always ranks and gets me a good traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Artwm
    Try creating quality, informative articles on your topic and create a YouTube video about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbrownmarketing
    I think it is still very effective. I think the major changes google recently made will directly effect those already with a million backlinks. You will be ok, but it wouldn't hurt to try other forms of marketing also.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hamida Harland
      Article marketing the way we used to do it isn't such a good traffic source any more (submitting to the directories like EZA etc).

      You can get alot more traffic these days just by posting your article on your own blog or site, building some backlinks to it and getting it ranked in the search engines.

      I've had some good success with guest posting. Depending on your niche you should be able to find some popular, high traffic sites that accept guest posts. You can get a huge short term influx of traffic from these.
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      • Profile picture of the author mortgagemaniac
        Are there any good article submitters any of you would recommend?

        And, to AFLmarketing, I own a blog farm of MMA sites and I own the MMA Big Show. Maybe we can help eachother.
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        • Profile picture of the author afilmarket
          Originally Posted by mortgagemaniac View Post

          Are there any good article submitters any of you would recommend?

          And, to AFLmarketing, I own a blog farm of MMA sites and I own the MMA Big Show. Maybe we can help eachother.
          Ooh, this sounds awesome! Yes that would be great if we could help each other out. I'll PM you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
    It's not as good as video marketing or SEO.
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  • Profile picture of the author ThereIsAlwaysHOPE
    I agree on what Alexa said here. Get to know the difference between Article Marketing and Article directory Marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author affiliateg
    It's definitely better writing interesting articles for your own website and not for other websites like article directories. If someone is looking for some info, he's not looking into article directories, but on search engines. I think is better to find the article on your site than finding it on other sites, hoping they will click on a link and visit yours.
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  • Profile picture of the author sundown16
    as long as the big,bad search engines continue to do what they do best ... "search for
    content" article writing will ALWAYS be relevant with online marketing
    take your ORIGINAL articles and create videos out of them and send them video
    submission sites (Traffic Geyser)
    or how about publishing your article content with Ezine newsletters
    remember.. content is king
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  • Profile picture of the author JstewartPiBR
    There are various techniques to grab attention of web traffic. One of them is article marketing. Why not try this? I have received positive response for my website. There are many who have not. But there is no harm to try. What I feel that when opting for article marketing, you should make sure all the articles you publish online are content rich, grammatically correct and carry relevant information related to your business, services or products.
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  • Profile picture of the author AussieIan
    This subject seems to have been around for a while and will probably be around for a bit longer yet I think.

    I have learnt so much from following Alexas posts and the best part is I have acted on what I have learnt and guess what - it works! very quick, noticable increases in ALexa rankings, backlinks and most importantly traffic!

    I think it's simple, follow someone who knows what they are doing. Don't reinvent the wheel.
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  • Profile picture of the author oysheee
    Article marketing is my second choice in my marketing career. Ezine directory, squidoo gave me a great success.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cecil Dee
    Very insightful Alexa. Good knowledge by you. Of course it comes down to testing and configuring what works for you. With that in mind I shall apply some of your insight to my efforts and see where it goes.
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