Would you like to have access to an infinite number of “free” backlinks?  What if I told you that you already do?  It’s been around for a long time now, but you’re probably not taking advantage of it.  What is it?  Article submissions.

Now, the true value of links from article submissions can certainly be debated.  They’re not the kind of high quality links that (alone) will get you to the top ranks of Google.  But the fact still remains, that they are links, and are definitely good for SEO in some/many instances.  If, for example, your website is brand new and you’re looking to get some quick and free links in order to get your site indexed, article submissions are a great way to start.

So just how “free” are links from articles directories?  Well in terms of actual money, they are completely free.  In terms of time and effort, however, they are not free at all.  You’ll usualy find that writing quality articles for article directories can actually take a good deal of time.  Whether or not that time is worth it is a decision that you’ll have to make on your own.  Of course, if you’re willing to trade time for money, you can always pay someone to write your articles for you.

While the link juice that these articles bring to your site may not be best, the traffic that they can bring sometimes can be.  In your article marketing efforts, make sure that  you write very high quality content that people will get value from when they read it.  If they like it, chances are they’ll actually click on your link and visit your site.  After all, isn’t this the whole goal of SEO?  To bring more visitors to your website?

As I see it, article marketing can be effective for these two reasons: 1.  They do count as backlinks to your site and do cary some link juice for your SEO purposes, and 2. They can provide another opportunity for real people to find your information and, in turn, find your website.