Here's a depressing fact if you sell anything on the web: the #1 reason people go online is not to buy things but to find free information.

But that's great news - if you write free articles. It means you have a technique you can plug in and use whenever you need more traffic.

Writing articles is still one of the quickest and easiest ways of bringing targeted traffic to your website. Articles will bring you traffic from three sources:

• Newsletters - very few ezine publishers write their own content. They need free articles from people like you.
  

• Websites - webmasters want content-rich websites. They also need your articles.
  

• Search Engines - the URL in your resource box increases your link popularity, resulting in higher search engine rankings for your website
  

Here are some tips for getting more traffic from your articles:

1. Start your article with a sentence that grabs your reader's attention. People are bombarded with information on the Internet - they'll decide whether to read your article in the first sentence. If it intrigues them, if it startles them, if it excites them, if it engages them, if it challenges them, they'll keep reading.
   

2. Submit your articles to the article announcement lists. Here are the lists I submit to:
   

   
   http://www.ezine-writer.com/article-lists.html
   

3. Submit your articles to the online article banks. Here are the top 10 article banks:
   

   
   http://www.ezine-writer.com/top10.html
   

4. Create a 'New Articles' list for people who want to receive your latest articles. Put a sign-up form on your website and invite your visitors to join. When you submit articles to the article announcement lists, include the email address for joining your 'New Articles' list.
   

5. Don't put a date in your article copyright - articles you wrote 2 years ago may still be relevant but if the copyright says 2001, publishers will assume the information is out-of-date.
   

6. Create a zip file containing all your previous articles as text files - include the download link on your website, in your sig file, in your autoresponders, and in your Ezine 'Welcome Message'.
   

7. Check your articles with SpamAssassin by sending your article to this address with 'TEST' in the subject field: mailto:spamcheck-flash1@sitesell.net Then include a note that says "this article was checked by SpamAssassin and is spam-safe".
   

8. Write your Resource Box in the third person and not in the form an ad - Ezine Publishers may like your article but object to your Resource Box.
   

9. When you submit your articles to the article lists, include URLs for your article and your photo:
   

   
   http://www.ezine-writer.com/article62.html
   

   
   http://www.ezine-writer.com/photo-ms.jpg
   

10. Likewise, include your article's autoresponder address:
    

    
    article62@ezine-writer.com
    

Well, that's it - all the info you need to get more traffic from your articles!

Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3 years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this simple technique to build a successful online business. Free Mini Course: ept-subscribe@aweber.com

Website: http://www.ezine-writer.com/