What Posting Articles Online Did For My Google Page Rank In 90 Days

Article Marketing Builds Momentum and Traffic

When I started submitting articles to ezines and directoriesI was happy just to get an occasional article written andwidely posted online. I assumed that was the point. But I'vesince learned about equally important considerations--likethe Page Rank of the site where it appears.

Each article was written to inform and appeal to the humanreaders. Search engines were incidental in my mind. I wasn'tsystematic about submitting new ones on a regular basis sothey built momentum. Nor was I careful to emphasize mywebsite's keywords and principal theme. But I do now--itmatters. Despite that, the articles already posted have beenhard at work for me.

My list of places for submitting keeps expanding. And it'sfurther refined with every article posted. After a year anda half, that's a large list (nearly a thousand). And I'm aknown quantity with sites and ezines that consistently postmy contributions. My best-received article to date shows 181Google mentions (with their related incoming links).

Starting from Zero Online Visibility

I launched a new website mid-June, 2004, using articlemarketing as the primary traffic-building strategy (YellowPage Sage, getting your Yellow Page ad and website workingtogether). The first article was a strong one, getting 135Google cites.

Over the next three months I wrote and posted seven articlesrelated to Yellow Pages or Local Search. The website alsoprovided extensive information about Yellow Page advertisingby other authors--making it very sticky and content-rich.

Creating an Article 12-pack

After they were submitted to my list, I combined those sevenarticles with five of my prior marketing articles - twelvein all (with a link to each article). Instead of offeringthem as onesees, I now send the whole batch (letting thereceiver pick what they want).

I prepared a letter offering the 12-pack, asking if they wantto receive similar future ones. That letter is only sent towebsites I've visited. I'd never offer it to a site unlessthere's a good fit. Sending out the 12-pack is an ongoingactivity, and another way to expand my list. Some websiteshave posted the whole set - twelve return links from oneletter!

Surprise! Google Noticed me!

Since I was busy getting the site polished and launched, itcaught me by surprise that in two months my Google Page Rankwas 3/10 (the first time I checked). And the following monthit had climbed to PR 4/10 - without doing anything but postseven articles. I didn't yet realize it was getting extramileage because of the strength of my list. So moving to PR5/10 can't be too far off, can it?

Then I started paying serious attention to Page Rank--theposting site's AND mine. Page Rank shows the extraimportance that Google gives to the number and popularity ofwebsites linking to yours. Links from higher Page Rank pageselevate your Page Rank.

Two Things I didn't Know When I Started Posting Articles

First - I posted my articles to get website traffic andincoming links (via the Sig at the end of each article). Itreated every article appearance as equivalent. But Googledoesn't. All those articles appearing in high-Page-Rankdirectories were giving an extra boost to my score.

So I've re-assessed my list. Websites with higher Page Rankare now my "A List." Articles that they publish are doing myPage Rank way more good than other places. Of course, Istill need to post widely and pursue both types of links.

Second - I didn't realize that the "Page Rank of a website"doesn't exist. Every page on a site has its own Page Rank.(Although there are ways to make every page on the websiteshare the same Page Rank, it's not widely done.) So a homepage with PR 7/10 that links to mine from a PR 3/10 interiorpage only provides a PR 3/10 link. That awareness influenceswho and how I link with other websites anymore. And itdictates the way I organize external links on my ownwebsites.

Get a Free a Page Rank Tool

To assess other sites, you need a Page Rank tool. You cancompare multiple sites at

http://www.phplivesupport.com/google_pagerank.php

Lilengine.com provides a free Page Rank Tool. Use theirs, oryou can post it on your own website.

http://www.lilengine.com/tools/pagerank-tool.php

Articles Give your Ideas a High Profile all Over theInternet

The benefits of article marketing are well documented. Andif it can build your Page Rank as well, it's even a betteruse of your time. Start writing and posting articles thatshow your expertise. And start getting the traffic andattention you'd been wishing for.

--Dr. Lynella Grant http://www.promotewitharticles.com Use posted articles to build your business Expert in the "body language of printed materials" Author, The Business Card Book and Yellow Page Smarts grant@promotewitharticles.com (719) 395-9450