Generally, article marketing sites neither require payment from authors nor pay them for their articles. Search engine users are looking for valuable content, and that is what authors seek to provide.
In exchange for such information, article marketing sites typically allow a couple of self-serving links to be placed in a section separated from the article — in a “resource box,” author information area, or sometimes profile. Typical convention is to write the author information in the 3rd person (he, she).
Links in the body of the article, whether self-serving or not, are usually frowned upon or allowed up to a maximum of one to three in number, usually excluding affiliate links (links that go directly to sales pages).
In many cases, authors may pay a fee for the service of wider or more prominent publication of articles. But this is not required.
Terms of service, submission guidelines, or other policies usually forbid articles which are merely self-serving, self-promoting, or blatant sales attempts. Other content restrictions usually apply, such as to pornography, libel, spam, and so on. English is usually the preferred or only language, at least to most of the sites below.
Usually the site requires a variable time frame before submitted articles are published, sometimes days or a week.
Also worthy of note is my exclusion of the article site with the highest traffic of all, namely about.com, because its limited number of authors are hired based on an existing track record of expertise in the niche in which they write. Comments on articles exclude links to websites and blogs.
The following article marketing sites are listed from those with the highest traffic to the least as of the time of this writing, but all are the highest traffic sites I could find, save one that ceased further publication some months ago (digital-web.com).
Notes to select sites are intended to be helpful, not comprehensive.
1) eHow.com
- The largest “How to” article site.
- Required article format is step-by-step in their categories.
- Compensation plan available and recommended, otherwise authors are free to submit with no compensation.
- “I Did It” format also allowed.
- Self-serving website allowed in profile.
- article statistics for readers and link clicks
- resource boxes can be customized to personalities or per individual article.
- minimum article length 250 words
- no affiliate links allowed, but authors can link to their sites that have affiliate links
- Create different author names for different areas of expertise. First name, last initial and first initial, last name are both allowed, for example.
- “You can find articles in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, and Portuguese on this site.”
- “You may include up to 3 hyperlinks in an article.”
- “You may include up to 3 hyperlinks in your Author Bio.”
- “All contact information should appear only in the author’s bio.”
- View/unique visitor statistics.
- “Articles about business, how to start a business or how to operate a business are considered commercial. Neither do we accept PLR (private label rights) articles.
- “May not contain more than 3 self-serving hyperlinks, including the links within the author bio, or 6 links total.”
- A network of sites.
- One can pay for articles to be written for oneself on the site.
- Topics:
- Success Skills
- Love & Relationships
- Health & Fitness
- Money & Careers
- Mental Health
- Spirituality
- Lifestyle
- This site is for self-improvement articles only.
- Automatic article approval
- resource boxes can be customized to personalities or per individual article.
- “When you sign up, you immediately begin earning 50% of the Adsense revenue that your articles generate.”
- A profile is allowed, but no resource box.
- 400 words is the minimum sized article allowed
- I have some question whether the terms of agreement include the author retaining copyright over his or her work or not.
12) Isnare.com
- English only
- The site has a classifieds sections for a fee, but no press releases are allowed.
- “Articles MUST HAVE at least 500 words and at most 2000 words.”
- “Keep your KEYWORD DENSITY BELOW 7%.”
- Resource boxes are unique to each article.
- There is no initial registration process, except of a sort for each article.
- Jurisdiction for legal affairs is the Republic of the Philippines
- Authors agree “Not intentionally or unintentionally [to] violate any applicable local, state, national or international law.”
- Video and audio publications, plus forum contributions, are available as well as article marketing.
- If an article is published first on Site-reference and for at least one week, extra publication bonuses apply or may apply.
- Ideal articles are between 700-1500 words.
- Articles submitted first to other sites may be categorized only as general, internet marketing, search engines, or web development.
Peter Rubel
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