| Introduction | | | | Less widely acknowledged in the SEO stakes -- yet |
| The wide range of PR packages available to online | | | | arguably, more effective -- is article marketing. Why |
| marketers will enable you to achieve an even wider | | | | this should be so is difficult to assess, although the |
| range of objectives. This series of articles by Mike | | | | sheer amount of time and effort involved in writing and |
| Beeson outlines the most effective ways of combining | | | | submitting quality articles on a regular basis to online |
| proven techniques to achieve outstanding results. | | | | article directories may dissuade many. Add to this the |
| Easy SEO With Online PR and Article Marketing | | | | cost of hiring a copywriter and the conundrum is |
| One of the most effective (and overlooked) tools in | | | | explained. Or is it? |
| the search engine optimisation (SEO) armoury is article | | | | Is there a comparable awareness of the SEO benefits |
| marketing (sometimes known as article submission or | | | | of article marketing as opposed to the more |
| article PR). | | | | established press release route? The demands of |
| As a means of generating inbound links to your | | | | writing authoritative and useful articles may be beyond |
| website, it has the perfect complement in online PR. | | | | the scope of many marketing people whose focus is |
| Both these hugely powerful disciplines were, of course, | | | | on achieving as much as possible within strict time |
| unheard of just a few years ago. It should be said, | | | | constraints. |
| however, that their effectiveness outside the world of | | | | Spending three hours or more planning and writing an |
| SEO has always been beyond question. | | | | article may not be seen as a cost-effective use of a |
| In terms of generating awareness and 'spreading the | | | | marketing manager's time. To be seen to be doing this |
| word', the humble press release had no equal. Similarly, | | | | three or four times a month would be tantamount to |
| having your article or editorial published in a relevant | | | | madness in some corporate circles. |
| newspaper or magazine was always seen as a | | | | The case for investing in an article marketing specialist |
| marketing coup. | | | | becomes even stronger when the SEO benefits are |
| The advent of online marketing has given both these | | | | spelt out. These centre on the inbound-link generating |
| disciplines a new significance. Online PR can still be | | | | power of each article. By writing regular articles and |
| seen as a perfect vehicle for disseminating news and | | | | submitting each one to a range of online directories, the |
| information. Its additional appeal nowadays lies in the | | | | number of links created will be impressive enough. Add |
| power it has to electrify the online news channels | | | | to this the power of well-written, topical or highly |
| around the world with a speed and immediacy which | | | | instructive articles to be taken up by e-zine and |
| no-one could have foreseen even a decade ago. | | | | newsletter editors across the web and the potential |
| Most marketing professionals acknowledge and | | | | for an almost viral effect becomes clear. |
| understand the power of PR on the web. Quite simply, | | | | When you also consider the long life-span of online |
| news can be transported at the speed of light with | | | | articles -- and their ability to disseminate quality |
| comparatively little effort. Once the release has been | | | | information and position the author (and his company) |
| written and a suitable image selected to accompany it, | | | | as an 'expert' in that particular field -- you'll begin to see |
| all that remains is the automated process of electronic | | | | that article marketing is far more cost-effective than |
| distribution. | | | | most people realise. |
| The SEO returns from online PR are equally | | | | When online PR and article marketing are used |
| immediate. And once a story is on the web it can stay | | | | together as part of a long-term link-building strategy, |
| around for weeks, or even months. Optimising | | | | their power is unstoppable. Not only are they powerful |
| releases for specific keywords is easy enough, and | | | | instruments in their own right, providing broad exposure |
| providing a relevant landing page URL can give pages | | | | of a company, its products and services. They also |
| -- even deep within a website -- the links which | | | | demonstrate the SEO benefits of this effective PR |
| 'orphan' pages crave. | | | | package. |