Write a Keyword-Rich Article to Increase Site Traffic

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Want to increase traffic, build credibility, improve your search engine rankings and get people talking about your business--at no cost? Then open up your word processor, and start writing. By determining your best search keywords, writing an article that includes those keywords and getting it distributed online, you'll be putting yourself on the radar of people looking for what you provide.

Step 1: Set up your site for maximum "searchability."
Your site has to feature the keywords your potential customers use to search for your product if you want them to find you. To determine your keywords, type a word or term you think people in your market might search for into Yahoo! Search Marketing's Keyword Selector Tool to find out how many people searched for that particular term over the past month. It'll also show you a list of related words and phrases and how often they were searched over the last month, too.

Once you’ve generated a list of useful keyword ideas, you can do some more serious research. Wordtracker goes into more depth to show you not only what people are searching for online but also how many other sites are competing for the same audience. You're looking for search terms that are popular but don't have too many sites competing for them. Wordtracker is a paid service, but you can sign up for a day for less than $8 and for a week for less than $27.

Now that you have some great keywords for your market, find as many places as you can to plug them into your site. Use them in your title tags, source code, page copy, headers and subheads, and your opt-in.

Step 2: Create a keyword-rich article.
Write a keyword-rich article that relates to what you sell, then give it away to other sites--for free. Believe it or not, this is one of the best ways to drive a steady stream of eager customers to your site.

Why does it work? Well, people basically come online for one of two reasons: to check their e-mail or to look for information. Sure, some of them end up making purchases, but this isn't generally the reason they log on. They want the answer to a question or the solution to a problem--and you can provide that in a short article.

Make sure that each article you write contains rare, valuable or hard-to-find information. Not only will this increase the chances that other site owners or managers will post your article, it'll also increase the number of visitors who click through to your site after reading it.

For example, if you have a site that sells used golf equipment, you could write an article about three things to look for in a good, pre-owned putter. Or if you sell an e-book about setting up your own home computer network, why not write an article about common problems people have in setting up a wireless router?

Look for article ideas in the questions people ask you all the time or in the things you often see people doing wrong. Share hot new tips on how to use the products you sell, or talk about trends you've spotted in your industry. Your quick piece should:

• Be no longer than 400 words (not even a whole page in Microsoft Word)
• Contain a relevant keyword in the first 90 characters
• Contain the keyword in the first and last paragraphs
• Have a short, credibility-building bio with a link to your site at the end. For instance, "Joe Smith is a recognized authority on the subject of widgets. His site, www.JoesWidgets.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about widgets."

Step 3: Get your content headed everywhere on the web.
Once you've taken the time to write one or two articles, head to one of these top online content distribution sites. Upload your keyword-rich content to:

• www.contentdesk.com
• www.ezinearticles.com
• www.freesticky.com
• www.goarticles.com
• www.ideamarketers.com
• www.findsticky.com

These sites carry hundreds (some carry thousands) of articles on a range of topics. If someone's looking for content for their site, they can download or copy an article from the distribution site without paying a dime to use it. They can't change the text of the article, and they must publish it with the author's name and information intact.

Now people plugging your keywords into search engines will be directed to your content at these highly ranked sites, and site owners looking for fresh, search engine-attracting content will download your article--along with your bio and link--and put it up on their pages. And once visitors see that you know what you're talking about, they'll click on the link in your bio and head straight to your site.

Some content distribution sites also offer "send to a friend" links next to articles posted on their sites, so make sure you're uploading your articles to sites with this kind of capability. Every time someone enjoys your article enough to pass it on, your audience grows. And since people don't forward bad content to their friends, they're basically recommending you as a credible source just by passing it on.

The best thing about this strategy is these visitors are quality, targeted traffic--they actually want what you're selling because you're meeting a need or giving them help with the problem they came online to solve.

Derek Gehl is Entrepreneur.com's "E-Business" columnist and the CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, an internet marketing firm that has helped thousands of people learn to start and run their own online businesses.

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An observer might say Ellie Genuardi and Rena Puebla act a lot like a married couple. Having known each other for years, they even finish each other’s sentences and bicker playfully. In 2004, this pair of longtime friends and business associates said “I do” to a marriage-related business: Puebla and Genuardi wed their entrepreneurial ideas to form Renellie International.

Renellie is a line of elegantly handcrafted, multiethnic wedding cake figurines. Made out of polyresin stone, the interchangeable brides and grooms are offered in Asian, black, Hispanic and white versions.

“There are so many interracial marriages,” says Gen-uardi. “We felt there was a definite need for this type of product.”

“When I got married the first time, I had two white people on my cake,” says Puebla. “No one had choices.” It was Puebla’s second marriage--to an Asian man--that inspired Renellie’s mix-and-match cake toppers. Puebla and her husband, Ron, are one of more than 2 million interracial couples in the U.S. That growing market, combined with a $72 billion-per-year wedding industry, provides an endless customer base for Renellie, which projects 2007 sales of $400,000.

Renellie also caters to same-sex couples. The company currently offers a bride with a tailored skirt and jacket, and it may introduce a bride with flowing pants. These versatile options could also be used for an anniversary cake, a second marriage or an older bride, Genuardi says.

Prior to Renellie’s unveiling in Janu-ary 2005, interracial and same-sex couples had pretty much resorted to putting either flowers or nothing at all on their cakes, Puebla says. “We want to go back to tradition, while representing those who are marrying.”

With an attractive alternative to plastic and a product in tune with modern-day values, Renellie lets couples have their cake and eat it, too.
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As we start a new year, it's always helpful to take some time to slow down, look back and evaluate the year gone by. Examining the past year's e-mail marketing efforts and results can help you uncover new ways you can improve going forward.

To get started, take a moment to review the results of your e-mail campaigns from the past 12 months (this is where the reporting features of an e-mail marketing service really come in handy). Then, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What was I trying to accomplish with e-mail marketing, and did I do it? What was your goal for your e-mail marketing efforts? Did you achieve what you set out to do? Did you measure the results? Is your e-mail marketing adding significant value to your organization? Did you uncover other useful purposes for e-mail marketing? Asking these questions can help you set your goals for the upcoming year.

2. Did I grow my list, and is it better segmented? There are many great opportunities to grow a list. Looking back, how did you do? Did you collect e-mail addresses whenever you got the chance--at events, during networking, at point of sale and on your website? Does everyone in your organization ask for e-mail addresses? What can you do differently to grow your list even more this year? What about segmenting? Did you divide your list into groups so you could send more targeted e-mail campaigns? How can you further segment your list forwarding the future?

3. Did I send consistent, high-value e-mail communications? With e-mail marketing, you have a great opportunity to stay connected with your list members. Did you communicate with them as often as you intended to? Or on the flip side, did you contact them too often? What about the quality of your campaigns? Did you spend the time you needed to create compelling content that included images and well-written copy? Did you put thought into offering your list members information they'd value and find useful? (Hint: Your open and click-through rates can help you figure out their interest level.) How can you improve your communications next year?

4. Which of my e-mail campaigns got the best or worst results and why? Look at your e-mail campaigns and identify the winners and the losers. What can you learn from them? What topics were your readers most interested in or not interested in at all? What did you do (promotions, subject matter, etc.) that, judging by the response, you should do again? What day and time worked best? You can take this information and modify future campaigns based on it. Create a new e-mail marketing plan that includes what you want to do more of and what you won't do again.

5. What did I do to become a better e-mail marketer? Did you ask friends and colleagues for their input on your e-mails? Did you ask your list members for feedback and incorporate their suggestions? Did you take advantage of some of the free e-mail marketing resources available online, like webinars and articles? Did you read a book about e-mail marketing? Did you review campaigns from other companies for ideas? It might be overwhelming to think of doing all these things, but why not set a goal for this year that you'll pick one or two of these activities? You'll be glad you did.

By taking a moment to ask yourself "How did I do?" you can make positive changes to your e-mail marketing efforts that'll help you get even better results. After you answer the questions above, you'll be well on your way to having your best e-mail marketing year yet.

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Gail F. Goodman is the"E-Mail Marketing" coach at Entrepreneur.com and is CEO ofConstant Contact, a web-based e-mail marketing service for small businesses. She's also a recognized small-business expert and speaker.

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