Lammo.net: Affiliate Marketing Blog

Very little affects rankings more than link building. Link building is thus a vital method for promoting a website because most modern search engines attribute a great deal to a site’s link equity. The holy grail of link building is a relevant link from a good quality site given from within a content rather than a links page.

Can using article websites be a route to achieving this?
Arguably the greatest advantage in using article websites to build links is simplicity. No negotiation. No pleading. These sites are designed specifically for this purpose. You produce an article, create an account, log in and publish the article. In doing so, you have the ability to create an author biography, signature or similar which can include one (or sometimes more) links of your choice and which will appear when the article is published.

Shockingly, some article websites actually have traffic and a readership, with the added advantage that people may actually click a link while reading an article - especially if the site being linked to is related to the subject of the article (which clearly it should be!).

Article websites are certainly a two way relationship. The article site relies upon fresh, constantly added content in order to achieve sustainable rankings. In return, it provides those who produce the content with link equity. Perfect!

Or is it?
The simple reality is that as recently as 2006, there were hundreds of articles sites that enjoyed good rankings and were able to confer link equity upon contributors. However, as search volumes and search engine algorithm sophistication grew, most article sites saw their rankings begin to diminish. This was in no small measure due to their woeful inability to adequately police the content being posted. Although many of the better article sites (and almost certainly the few that have survived the ravages of the last couple of years) would review material before it was posted, the review process was, shall we say, ‘variable’. Since most article sites funded themselves through AdSense, resources and staff were minimal and quality suffered as a result, with many being little more than repositories for low rent offshore re-jigged content and automated Articlebot junk.

Worse still, in the online world you are defined by the sites to which you link. Once again, the absence of decent policing hit home and many article sites suffered the fate of any site linking to ‘bad neighbourhoods’, with rankings plummeting. This was compounded by the fact that seemingly 90% of article sites used a standard engine which may have provided slick administration and management facilities and the ability to ’skin’ the site but screamed ‘article site template’ at the search engines.

The article site world today is a chastened and much slimmed version of its former self. A number of high value article sites remain and enjoy good search engine rankings. Many now require some form of annual fee — this not only funds staff and quality management but it excludes the low rent offshore contributors. A quick search for ‘good quality article sites’ should reveal up to date resources, allowing you to identify the worthy few. Sadly, aside from niche sectors, few are relevant to the UK geography. When identifying those worth using, don’t simply rely on recommended lists. Type in relevant search terms into the search engines for recently posted articles on their site in your sector and see if they rank. If they don’t, forget them. In practice, for most site owners in the UK, there will probably be less than 20-30 article sites worth using and of course only one article per site is actually worthwhile although you may decide to post once every six months as your article fades down through their archives (another issue with article sites!).

However, all is not lost!
Article sites are not the only ones desperate for decent content. The vast majority of site owners are all too aware as to the importance of content from a search engine perspective but lack the time or resources to produce it. Many will welcome the offer of content in return for a link with open arms: you write the content; you include one relevant link (after all only one link per domain counts in any case); you control the landing page and anchor text for that link. The site in question then publishes your content (with, of course, your link intact or you’ll need to ‘ave a word guv’!).

Now in most cases, they will take quite a while to publish it, with pleas of ‘I’ve got to get my web guy to do it’ but once it is live and the search engines have indexed it, there are fewer forms of stronger link equity. In sharp contrast with many link exchanges where you risk being on page one billion of some amorphous grey bar directory, the partner is actually motivated to publish and internally link to the page in a high profile manner in order for the content to materially help their own rankings.

The world is your oyster.
Clearly you need to identify appropriate sites - relevant yet complimentary rather than competitive. You need to approach them professionally and you need to deliver the content you have promised, once agreed. If this all sounds rather daunting, there are firms who specialise in just such a process. This is potentially the ultimate form of article marketing with the end result conveying strong, content-page based link equity and both parties benefiting from a fair exchange of value. Enjoy!

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