The Modern Online Content Program — It Just Ain’t What It Used to Be!

Written by: Angie Haggstrom | October 6, 2009

Ask anyone who owns an online business or website how to use content to generate links, and they’ll tell you to use article marketing and press releases. Why? Because it works, right? It’s worked for years. Well, it did work, and it does now, but not like it used to. Here’s what I mean:

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Traditional Article Marketing and Press Releases

We are all familiar with article marketing content. These basic, every day articles are found in places like Ezine Articles, Article Base, and hundreds of others. They are the everyday write-ups such as ‘how to choose a dentist’ or ‘how to lose weight’ that seem to have filled the Internet.

The process itself is quite simple. Write content that includes your website’s keywords in specific areas. Then, add URLs to your site content using those keywords as anchor text and submit that piece of content to one or more article distribution sites. You get a link for each place you submit it to, as well as an additional link every time someone picks up your content and uses it on another website (so long as they follow the rules and keep your URLs in tact).

Press releases work in much the same way, except that they’re written a little differently. To build links, you write up your news and submit it to one or more distribution sites. Then, as others pick up your content, it gives you more links. Plus, if you have great news, you get the added bonus of having others write about it too. This provides you with a link from the original distribution site, one for each site that redistributes it, and one link from each blogger or journalist who writes about your news.

The Problem With Traditional Content Link Building Methods

This method might still work, but it isn’t near as effective as it used to be. You see, Google isn’t stupid. It knows about this method, and as a result, Google has lessened the effect these links have on website rankings:

• Because these types of distribution sites have so many links coming from them, there simply isn’t enough juice to go around. Many of these links are also to spammy websites, which degrades the quality of the site. Therefore, the links you gain do help, but they’re not as effective as they once were.
• Duplicate content is a significant issue, particularly when submitting to a large number of distribution sites. Google looks at the various URLs, gives the ‘original’ article the most weight and the rest of them seem to disappear. This also lowers the link juice each copy passes on.

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There’s more to consider with this type of link building than just the effectiveness of the links. For example, say you’re trying to run a successful online shoe business, and one of your biggest selling points is your consistent quality and attention to detail.

Now, say that the first contact your customer has with your company is one of these quick articles you’ve thrown together and tossed into a bunch of distribution sites. Is that client going to make note of your quality and meticulous eye? Are they really going to be that enthralled enough to click through to your site? What do you think content like this does with your traffic, brand, and the general buzz surrounding your company?

Article Placement Programs and Modern Link Building

Instead of wasting time on methods that are becoming outdated and could very well be useless in another year or two, consider saving your time, money, and effort by putting it into an article placement program.

This type of program doesn’t start with the same old content. Not even close. Instead, you need to start with your goals. Do you want more traffic? Conversions? Links? This will ultimately determine the type of content you’ll create as well as the topic and style you’ll choose.

Once you’re ready to start writing, you’ll want to create something that’s fresh and new. This should either be some kind of link bait piece, which could be light-hearted and fun, or it could be an in-depth reference style post. In short, you want to create something that people want to link to. Don’t expect this to all to take an hour or two either. Instead of worrying about how long it’s taking you, concentrate on the quality of the piece and you’ll be fine.

Distribution of this content type is quite different from what you’d normally do. Instead of sticking it on various article marketing sites, publish it on your own website and use your social media and other connections to give it a bit of a push.

In return, you’ll look good, drive a large amount of traffic, and gain a number of good quality links. In fact, many people have been able to attract far more links using this method because the content does well in the search engines. People will continue to use it as a reference, and it will continue to generate links regularly.

Need a high quality link, but don’t want to spend large amounts of money on it and risk the wrath of Google? Look through the various blogs and websites in your industry as well as complimentary industries and select an ‘authority’ site. They’ll love the free, quality content (which they normally pay their writers for) and you’ll:

• get a link from the authority site.
• attract a large amount of traffic and be able to funnel it back to your website.
• build your authority and reputation.

Honestly, there’s no comparison between traditional article marketing or press releases and the article placement method. Try it for yourself and see.

Topics: Copywriting, SEO | View Comments