Posted by Ray White on December 6, 2009 Comments (1)

Article directories are websites that organize and showcase submissions of articles. Who writes these articles? Just about anybody: authors, freelance writers, and webmasters like you and me. Why would webmasters write articles and put them on someone else’s site? Fortune and fame, of course, to be general about it.

What? You want specifics? Fine, here are 5 benefits to submitting articles to article directories.

• Get your site linked and url seen in high-traffic areas. All article submissions include a resource box where you put your name and url. That resource box MUST be published along with your article for anyone else to use it on their site. Invite the reader to visit your hyperlinked site. If she liked your article, chances are good that she will click the link and visit your website.
• Drive targeted traffic to your website. Articles are organized by topic. People interested in your niche will be drawn to your article. The article directory does the filtering for you. Instant targetting of potential traffic!
• Make yourself known to others webmasters in your niche. Webmasters often use article directories to find quality articles related to their niche to publish on their own site. When they see your name over and over again, they will become curious about you and want to network. You never know when an opportunity for a cross-promotion could happen.
• Develop your brand and reputation as an expert. The more articles you write, the more knowledgeable you will seem. Your brand becomes more positive. You will be noted as someone who knows what he is talking about.
• Find freelance work as a ghost writer. If you are really good at writing, you might get hired by other webmasters to write more in-depth, specialized articles. You could find yourself with a new career, or at least some extra money in your pocket.

You never know what you can achieve until you give it a try.