Article directories are websites that encourage writers to submit researched, well written articles on a variety of topics. These directories are a good source of information for those surfing the internet. These directories can also help you gain exposure for your site or service, and some well-known article directories are, Yahoo Contributor Network, Bukisa, and Ezinearticles.
When looking to improve your website’s page rank or to drive additional traffic to your site, article directories can be a valuable resource. Most article directories are free to use, and some even compensate the authors for the content they submit; however, those offering compensation may not allow links in the content. It is important to be able to insert links to your web page, or web site, when submitting articles for SEO or traffic purposes.
A link in the body of the article or in the authors’ biography section could steer visitors and search engines towards your site, and that equals more traffic. Not all article directory submissions will increase back links, since an article directory has to have ‘do-follow’ links enabled to count as a back link. Some sites use ‘no-follow’ links to discourage users from abusing the sites to gain higher page ranks.
The main difference between a ‘no-follow’ and a ‘do-follow’ link is that a ‘no-follow’ link still leads back to the site, but it cannot be followed by search engines. If a search engine cannot follow a link, it cannot validate it. This means that a ‘no-follow’ link cannot be counted as a valid back link for a site. ‘Do-follow’ links allow both users and search engines to reach your site, and so can increase your online exposure, your traffic levels, and your back links.
Page ranks should be considered as well when using article directories. Search engines evaluate the quality of a site’s back links in order to calculate its page rank. Some article directories have higher page ranks, and when building back links these are the directories you should focus on first. It is possible to submit to hundreds of low page rank directories, but you will be better off to submit to fewer, high ranking directories.
Most article directories will accept articles on a variety of topics, but the requirements or submission guidelines will differ from one to the next. Some of the most common guidelines are to steer clear of illegal topics, or anything that could be considered hate speech. Some directories will also penalize content that they consider to be overly promotional.
When submitting content to different article directories you’ll find that the requirements and rules vary greatly. One site may require a minimum word count of 250 words, while another requires at least 500. There are also different rules regarding the amount of links allowed, and which areas of the article can be linked to. It is important to always check the guidelines before submitting to any article directory, as this will help prevent possible rejections. Repeated offenses may lead to a banning of the account in question, so sticking to the guidelines will work in your favour in the long run. Persistence is important when using article directories to build back links or to drive traffic to a web site. Some submissions may take up to three weeks to be approved, but if your efforts are consistent it should lead to an increase in traffic, and back links, over time.