by Todd Hicks

Created on: April 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 27, 2009

Are you somebody who plans to submit articles to a multitude of article submission sites? Is it correct that you have already heard of article directories and consequently possess the desire to utilize them? If your preference is to invest your time in submitting your articles to article directories, there are some things you will have to consider before starting the process. You will learn the things you should take into account before submitting your articles to article directories.

One thing you should take into account is the category of articles. Once you discover a particular directory of article submission sites, it is incumbent upon you to take the time to see if this article directory provides a category that is a great fit for you. For example, if you are writing articles to promote your business or attract your desired target audience of prospects to your web site or blog, you must be provided a category of article submission options that pertains to your business or area of expertise. If you only want to write articles for money, only use a directory for paid article submission sites.

Another thing you must take into account is the author guidelines and terms of service. Any article directory you use should mostly provide quality article submission sites that let you know what you should do and what you cannot do. An article submission site that does not provide guidelines or its terms of service is giving you a sign that it is worthless.

Focus on where each article submission site is posted when you view an article directory. Is a particular article submission site listed on the main part of the web page where sites are ranked by search engines or is it listed through an ad? A lot of sites that are posted through an ad rank poorly in the search engine rankings and do not provide quality. Ignore the article submission sites that post their services through an advertisement.

Focus on the ranking. When you use an article directory, you should only consider perhaps the first twenty to forty sites. The further you go, the more the quality shrinks concerning the article submission sites.

Focus on the level of site traffic. When you reach an article submission site, try to research how much traffic that site receives to see if using that site will be worth your time. Alexa can help you find the site's traffic level.

Only use article submission sites that let you provide a bio concerning your business. You will waste your time submitting articles to a site that will not let you list the link to your web site.

Focus on the rate of return you get when you use sites listed on a directory. If you have access to a report that tells you the kind of traffic your web site has, do not continue to use article submission sites that do not provide you much human traffic. You might also think twice about continuing to use sites that take months to publish your articles.

Be careful about using software that lets you submit articles to various article directories at once. Test to see that the software will truly submit original content for you and that search engines will not penalize you for spamming. If you have any doubt, write all of your articles without software.

Follow these steps to use article directories wisely!

Learn more about this author, Todd Hicks.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.