By Bonnie Jo Davis

Individual article submission sites are websites, blogs, forums and e-zines that accept article submissions.  Each site seeks articles on a particular topic or a narrow range of topics.  Accepting articles directly saves the publisher from having to search newsgroups or directories for fresh content.  Each site has its own set of guidelines that authors must read and understand before they can submit their article.

Some of the primary benefits of submitting articles to individual submission sites include:

• Direct Delivery – Articles go directly to the publisher who is interested in their particular topic, saving publishers hours searching for the perfect article.
• Improved Response – Because authors screen submission sites before submitting their articles, they have a better idea of what a publisher wants.
• Editorial Suggestions – Some publishers offer valuable feedback on articles to help you improve submissions.
• Expedited Publishing – Direct submissions, if on topic and compliant with guidelines, often are published much faster through individual submission sites than through other channels.
• Strategic Relationships – Authors can and should create a relationship with each individual site’s publisher, letting him or her know that they can provide original articles or a customized version.
• Return Link – A reputable website that publishes an article will provide its author with a one-way active link to his website.  If this is not provided the author has the option to have the article removed from the site.
• Direct Control – If an article isn’t published according to its author’s wishes, he’ll know how to contact the publisher directly for corrections.
• Submission Tracking – Article marketers rarely know who has reprinted their article.  Submitting articles directly to an individual site enables them to track their submissions easily.
• Negotiate Terms – Because authors create a strategic relationship with their publisher, they can negotiate the terms of future submissions.

As with article directories, editorial guidelines often are provided for authors, which requires them to submit only their own original work or work that they paid a writer to create; offer only articles that include proper grammar, spelling and punctuation; allow their articles to be published anywhere on the submission site, and possibly on partner sites; and agree that an article can be edited.  They also might be told that the link in their byline is the only payment they will receive.

You should submit articles to individual article submission sites only when they can comply with the rules, and not waste their or the publisher’s time by ignoring those rules.

There are so many specific article submission sites that it’s overwhelming to consider them all.  To build a list and find topic-appropriate sites, go to Google.com and search “topic + articles” or “topic + article submission.”  Either of these terms, combined with a particular topic, should net plenty potential submission sites.

Article contributed by:
Bonnie Jo Davis is an article marketing expert and prolific writer who created Article Submission Sites to teach others how to profit from the Internet marketing strategy.  Visit http://www.articlesubmissionsites.com for a free copy of “Writing for Publicity” and her Article Submission Summary Sheet.

First, the best free blog directories: (the very best are in bold)

• Blog Search
• Blogarama
• Blog Catalog
• Blog Explosion
• Blog Flux
• blogged
• Bloggernity
• BlogHop
• BlogHub
• Bloglines
• Blog Listing
• Blog Rankings
• Blog Top List
• Globe of Blogs
• iBlog Business
• MyBlog2U
• MyBlogLog
• Technorati
• We Blog Alot

A few quality paid blog directories:

• BigGuide/blogs
• BOTW/blogs
• Bloggeries
• Blog Universe
• Joe Ant/blogs

Happy blogging! Please send a message with the good ones I missed.

What is Search Engine Marketing?

• Search engine marketing is the methodology we use to get our Websites more visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
• There are variety of methods that can be used to achieve better visibility in search engines, which include search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), paid-inclusion and link building techniques.
• The ultimate goal of your search engine marketing campaigns should be to increase traffic from search engines listings. I’ve read that the value of first page results on Google searches can be valued into the multiple thousands of dollars. The more traffic you can drive to your site through search engines the less you’ll have to rely on paid advertising.
• In order to succeed at this, search engine marketing campaigns are usually focused on a users search query as a starting point. For example, if a potential customer enters “newborn baby clothes”, and you sell baby clothing from an online shop, you’ll want that prospect to find your site, or a subpage within your site, ahead of other online shops selling baby clothes. “newborn baby clothes” is an example of a keyword term.
• Keyword terms make search marketing a powerful advertising vehicle. It’s the most targeted form of marketing available bar none. What better time to be in front of a potential buyer then when they’re online searching for an online shop that sells “newborn baby clothes”?
• Once this mom arrives in your shop you have to try and turn her into a customer, if not now, in the future and hopefully for years to come. That’s another lesson….
• Determining which keyword terms your target audience are using for their searches is a key concept in search marketing.

I’ve added some links below to help you determine which search terms might generate enough volume to warrant your efforts in building a search engine marketing campaign:

I use Overture’s Keyword Tool to help spot keywords and search terms that generate loads of traffic. Overture is owned by Yahoo! so while it’s not Google it’ll give you a good idea of where to go looking for gold.