What is Article Submission in SEO?
Article submission is a significant aspect of off-page SEO that involves creating high-quality, relevant content and publishing it on third-party websites or article directories. This practice helps businesses and content creators increase their brand visibility and drive traffic to their websites. By strategically placing links within these articles, it can help improve a website’s search engine ranking. Article submission allows you to establish yourself as an 
authority in your niche, contribute valuable content to the web, and create backlinks that search engines like Google consider as part of their ranking algorithms.
When a site has a variety of high-quality backlinks, it signals to search engines that the content is trustworthy and valuable. This can lead to better indexing and an increase in domain authority over time. However, for article submission to be effective, the content must be unique, informative, and not overly promotional, as low-quality or spammy submissions can hurt your SEO efforts.
Benefits/Purposes of Article Submission
1. Boosts Website Traffic: One of the main benefits of article submission is increased web traffic. When you publish informative and engaging content on popular platforms, it attracts readers who may click on your links to visit your site for more information. This not only boosts direct traffic but also fosters a sense of trust and loyalty among readers.
2. Quality Backlinks: Article submission is a tried-and-tested method for generating quality backlinks. High-quality backlinks are essential for improving search engine rankings. When you publish articles with do-follow links, search engines interpret this as a positive signal that your site is credible and worth referencing.
3. Enhances Brand Visibility and Authority: Regularly contributing valuable articles to well-respected sites helps establish your brand as an industry authority. This increased exposure can strengthen brand awareness and attract new audiences who might not have encountered your business otherwise.
4. Improves Domain and Page Authority: Consistent article submissions to high-authority sites contribute to improving your domain and page authority scores. These metrics are crucial for search engines in determining your website’s credibility and ranking position.
5. Generates Leads: With the right calls-to-action and content strategy, article submission can help generate leads. Informative and compelling articles encourage readers to learn more about your business, ultimately guiding them to take further action, such as signing up for a newsletter or exploring your services.
6. Social Media Sharing: Articles published on popular platforms often have sharing buttons, enabling users to share your content on social media. This boosts the potential reach and can result in increased traffic, engagement, and backlinks.
How Do We Do Article Submission?
The process of article submission requires careful planning and execution. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to successfully carry out this strategy:
1. Identify Your Target Audience and Objectives: Before writing your article, it’s crucial to identify the target audience and determine the objectives of your submission. This helps in creating content that appeals to the intended readers and aligns with your business goals.
2. Create High-Quality Content: The backbone of successful article submission is high-quality content. Ensure that your article is well-researched, informative, and offers real value to readers. It should be free from grammatical errors and plagiarism, and it should be optimized with relevant keywords.
3. Optimize Your Article: Use on-page SEO techniques within your article. This includes using primary and secondary keywords naturally throughout the content, adding relevant images with alt text, and structuring your article with subheadings and bullet points to improve readability.
4. Include Appropriate Links: Embed contextual links within the article. Ensure that the anchor text is relevant and that you use a mix of do-follow and no-follow links as necessary to maintain a natural link profile.
5. Choose the Right Article Submission Sites: Selecting reputable and high-authority websites or article directories is key. Low-quality sites or link farms can damage your SEO efforts and potentially lead to penalties from search engines.
6. Submit and Monitor: After submission, monitor the performance of your article. This includes tracking metrics like traffic generated, social shares, and the quality of the backlinks obtained. Use tools such as Google Analytics and SEO software to measure the effectiveness.
7. Update and Re-submit When Needed: SEO is dynamic, so revisiting and updating older articles with fresh information and new links can prolong their relevance and effectiveness.
Popular Article Submission Sites
While there are numerous article submission sites available, some have gained prominence due to their credibility and wide reach. Here are some popular platforms for article submission:
1. Medium: Known for its user-friendly interface and large reader base, Medium is an excellent platform for publishing well-written, insightful articles. It allows backlinks and attracts high-quality traffic.
2. HubPages: This site is ideal for sharing articles that can reach a broader audience. HubPages is part of Maven, which helps your content gain additional visibility.
3. LinkedIn Pulse: LinkedIn is a leading platform for professional content, and its Pulse feature allows you to publish articles that can be shared within your network and beyond. This is particularly useful for B2B businesses looking to increase their reach and credibility.
4. EzineArticles: One of the oldest and most reputable article directories, EzineArticles is widely respected for its stringent quality control. Submitting here can lend authority to your content.
5. Article Alley: Article Alley is another popular platform for SEO enthusiasts and marketers looking to submit articles and gain backlinks.
6. Buzzle: This site focuses on providing informative and engaging content. Articles submitted to Buzzle are carefully reviewed, ensuring quality submissions.
7. Quora: While not a traditional article submission site, Quora can be an effective platform to share insights and link back to your content. Answering questions and linking to relevant articles can drive targeted traffic to your site.
Important Tips for Effective Article Submission
- Follow Site Guidelines: Each article submission site has its own set of rules and guidelines for publication. Following these ensures your article is accepted and published without any issues.
- Avoid Duplicate Content: Make sure each article is unique and not published elsewhere. Search engines penalize duplicate content, which can affect your ranking.
- Keep Content Informative: Overly promotional articles are less likely to be published and shared. Focus on delivering value to readers, which will, in turn, improve trust and engagement.
Conclusion
Article submission is an effective off-page SEO strategy that, when executed properly, can greatly boost your online presence, generate high-quality backlinks, and attract targeted traffic to your website. By understanding how to create, optimize, and submit articles effectively, businesses and marketers can leverage this strategy to stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape.