Links via submitting articles, issues & considerations

Get traffic, avoid bad rep and preserve your PR. Best approach?

[explorador]

Hi, I took the time to read several threads here about submitting articles also on the getting links thing, thus, this is not precisely a naive question but rather a list of general considerations & discussion at the end. Not sure about the right place to put it, but due to its nature, it has a lot more to do with links I guess...

I have only original content on my sites and 90% of the links came naturally. Link exchanges are becoming a pain for me as the incoming requests reveal more benefit for them than for me, even zero benefit for me so no thanks...

So, I have considered submitting articles to key sites with traffic within my topic. I read a lot of related threads here so lets review before discussing what I think can solve-prevent many issues:

1. Why submitting an article?
You submit an article to a site because it will be of benefit for you (traffic, links, pagerank). You might also submit an article to target an specific audience or niche (traffic you don't have yet but the site publishing your article does have). This practice can also help you to promote your brand. Obviously there must be a benefit for the site who publish your work...

2. There are two type of websites
The ones producing their own content and the other ones copying it, stealing it or allowing LOTS of article submitals (that means OTHERS beside you). I think this is a key issue opening the door for future problems if you don't realize this difference. A site might be worth something in PR or traffic TODAY, but you can't control it and some future articles submitting might hurt the page rank and reputation. Don't think other webmasters think twice before posting free content, some just don't. Also, consider that even if the article is yours, it would not be on your hands anymore... think of the implications, perhaps they will refuse to remove it in the future even if asked to.

3. Where to submit your content?
There are directories specially for this, but also "regular" sites where you can make a deal if you ask to.

4. Page Rank and reputation are worthless
I think not. A simple link (without no follow) express some support or white flag of trust. Bad links affect your site so the PR or bad reputation of the site where you submit is a key factor to consider. - Come on! this is pretty obvious, so why mention it? - Because a site can have great traffic, regular PR and bad reputation, or great reputation. You want the best of the best and as little of the bad things you can get.

Take per example some of the new tech-widget sites nowadays. FEW write their own content, most of them copy news from here and there and put a link "via [abc..."....] Sure, being a WebmasterWorld member you quickly notice the trick. GENERALLY (but not always) this kind of "second hand sites" might be old, but have ZERO pagerank, even if they have 5,000 unique visitors a day.

Here's an opportunity for some traffic, but not to directly relate your site with them. There is discussion around this (PR) some say a link is a link but after reading some posts here and personal experience, links to other sites do hurt... Some of us have seen the results of removing those links recovering our position on SE and getting our traffic back, So: You can't control the quality of a site that's now yours, so why still submit for a site with questionable reputation and very low pagerank? easy: traffic.

5. Rewrite, don't dissolve your site uniqueness
I know it takes time, but your content makes your site, so even as it's easy to send what you already have, rewrite. Avoid having your content duplicated on other sites. Some sites and webmasters are "very flexible" so, others grant permission on "their" material, included what you sent. Sending your original content will mean duplicated content on THEIR site and yours also being a reflection. If you rewrite, they will be the only ones with dup content.

6. Why so much care-work if other sites just copy my material? isn't the same at the end?
No. We can't control the incoming links (quality) or who copy what, but we must take care of what we CAN control. At least if someone copy your material WITHOUT your permission it would be less difficult to shut them down if problems grow, but in the case of submitting articles, it might be not that easy to turn off a deal. There is a difference with the newbies who just copy others material and whose site never really grows, but if you submit an article to a site is because it has some benefit for you (it must be big huh?). So, no, I don't think its the same.

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Now it would be great some discussion about links with and without the nofollow around submitting articles. feel free to discuss please:

• 1. Want to submit articles? rewrite, send original material (not what you already have).
  
• 2. Don't rely on search engines crawling to later prove you are the original poster, some sites aren't crawled frequently.
  
• 3. There is a site with questionable reputation or low-zero page rank but good traffic? still want to submit because you see a benefit there? submit your article but ask for a no follow link.
  
• 4. Ask for links without the no follow on sites with great PR or reputation.
  
• 5. I don't think sending the same article to several sites has the same result. Send only originals, different material.
  
• 6. THINK of the implications, send an email and agree by email on the terms. READ their terms before sending your material.
  
• 7. Don't invest too much time. Some might ask you to add this, remove that... remember, its an article submitting, you are NOT working for them.
  
• 8. Don't write gems for others and regular stuff for you. Keep a similar level, keep the best for your site.
  

Yes, as mentioned on another thread here, others might benefit with traffic with your content, but its a two way thing, you give them something because you get something in return. Consider that you might have a great article but not gaining the best exposure-traffic on YOUR site, so, it would be great to HAVE IT on yours and expose a little piece of it on another site with more exposure (bait).

People will visit your site if you agree with the poster site to include your visible credits at the end. This is involved on reading and discussing the terms on how your article will be published, discuss this BEFORE agreeing or sending your material.

[nealrodriguez]

i stopped doing mass article submissions after going on a submission binge of a few thousand "respected or trusted" article directories - i forgot the exact number - about a year and a half ago. i barely ever saw traffic from any; and i didn't move up in the serps after the submissions.

i only do guest posts on relevant blogs and websites; i try to aim for authority sites, but i'll hit a few solid noobs that are trying to do the right thing - posting original and compelling content. i find i drive more traffic from each link; even some new blogs drive a few hundred visitors. some blogs drive a few thousand.