Free Traffic by David Watson

Writing articles is one of the easiest and most effective ways of
generating free traffic to your website and getting free
advertising, but it's not just a question of creating any article -
you have to create quality articles.

You have to make sure that you design your article in a way that
will impress the reader with both the article, and more
importantly, with you, the author.

So, how are you going to design a "Quality Article" ?

You have to make sure that you grab your readers' attention, so
make sure that you create a compelling headline.

Make sure that the headline is targeted for the type of reader you
want to attract. That might seem like common-sense, but it has been
proven that you only have a few seconds to grab your prospects
attention, so you have to make sure that the headline SPEAKS TO
THEM.

Make sure that the headline tells the reader what is in it for them
- that's really the burning question in everyone's mind whenever
they are reading ANYTHING online - "What's in it for me?"

There is a secret to making your article interesting, and this is
to make sure that you give away enough basic information to help
solve one piece of the reader's problem, but to keep back some
information and leave at least one piece of their problem unsolved.

This makes sure that they want more information on the topic you
have been discussing, and as you have already provided a partial
solution to their problem, they will look to you as an expert in
the field, and come to you for more information.

Tests have shown that the human mind needs "closure".

Think of a waiter at a restaurant.

It has been shown that, while the waiter is dealing with their
table, they can remember every individual item of the order. BUT,
within minutes of having delivered the completed order to the
table, they can no longer remember any details of the order - the
human mind has discarded the order data, because the order is
complete.

Build this technique into your articles. Make them informative, but
leave the reader asking for more.

This gives you an opportunity to offer them even more information
via your resource box on your article.

Once they have followed the link in your resource box, make sure
that you capture their name and email address, so that you can
continue marketing to them once they have completed their initial
visit to your site.

Follow up by email with additional information that they will find
interesting, and you will be able to create a bond of trust with
them, that will allow you to build a long-term relationship.

Although you want to leave the reader wanting more information, you
have to balance this against giving too little information.

If you don't give any useful information within your article, the
reader is not going to be enticed into visiting your site.

So make sure that your article contains a certain amount of good
quality content that you leave a favourable impression on the
reader, and make them believe you are a useful source of
information about their problem - AND, even more importantly, that
you have THE SOLUTION that they are looking for.

Once you have completed your article, submit it to several article
directories, and start building up your credibility as an author.

Best regards,

David Watson