Article Marketing Strategies: Does Your Resource Box Have Star Quality?
The author bio box is such a small space compared to the article, but that little box has amazing potential.
Here are 5 practices that elevate a resource box from so-so to stellar: 1 - The resource box offers this basic information: *Your author name.
It is not required that you include your name in your author bio, but it adds a personal touch and increases your credibility.
*Some biographical background information that inspires reader confidence in your advice.
The person who has just read your article is wondering, "Why in the world should I listen to this person?" If the reader is confident that the source of the information is credible, then he will place more value on your article.
*Tell readers what to do.
Would you like your readers to visit your website? Give them some instruction--tell them to visit your website.
*Tell the reader why he should go to your site.
It's not enough just to tell the reader what to do.
You need to give him some motivation.
What is waiting for him at your website? Why should he take the effort to click the link in your bio box? Your resource box incentive could be a free e-book, a newsletter, a site with excellent content, a much needed service, or something else that would appeal to your audience.
*And of course you should always include a link to your website (you already know that!).
2 - Be sure that the links in your author bio box are related to the topic of the article.
The topic of your website determines the topic of your articles.
If you will always write articles on the general topic of your site, then the link in your resource box will make sense to readers and to search engines.
3 - Experiment with ways to engage your reader to respond or take action.
For example, asking a simple question in your resource box like "Would you like to learn more about [your topic]?" can be a tool for bringing your resource box to life.
Your article is your first communication with your reader.
Looking at an article on a computer screen can be a pretty remote, impersonal way to meet.
When you ask the reader a question in the bio box, you are reaching out to them and indicating an interest in their thoughts.
By showing an interest in the reader outside of your article, you can make a person feel more comfortable and inclined to contact you.
4 - Engage in "deep linking".
When you are trying to build links to your website, it makes more of a statement to Google if there are links going to a variety of pages on your website, rather than just the front page.
This shows that your website as a whole contains valuable content.
Most people link to the main page of their website in their bio box, and that is fine.
If you want to step things up a bit, try also including an appropriate link to one of the interior pages of your site.
5 - Use an anchor text link for your keywords, as well as a link that shows your written out URL.
Why the two types of links? The link that is formed by your keywords has special significance in Google's eyes--a link that is formed by your keywords helps Google and the other search engines to associate those keywords with the topic of your website, which can help your search engine ranking.
The link that appears as your written out URL helps readers remember your website address.
If a person can remember your website address, then they are more likely to visit your site, even when they are not looking at your article.
Sometimes the tiniest changes make the biggest impact.
Which of these tips will you incorporate into your next article submission?
Here are 5 practices that elevate a resource box from so-so to stellar: 1 - The resource box offers this basic information: *Your author name.
It is not required that you include your name in your author bio, but it adds a personal touch and increases your credibility.
*Some biographical background information that inspires reader confidence in your advice.
The person who has just read your article is wondering, "Why in the world should I listen to this person?" If the reader is confident that the source of the information is credible, then he will place more value on your article.
*Tell readers what to do.
Would you like your readers to visit your website? Give them some instruction--tell them to visit your website.
*Tell the reader why he should go to your site.
It's not enough just to tell the reader what to do.
You need to give him some motivation.
What is waiting for him at your website? Why should he take the effort to click the link in your bio box? Your resource box incentive could be a free e-book, a newsletter, a site with excellent content, a much needed service, or something else that would appeal to your audience.
*And of course you should always include a link to your website (you already know that!).
2 - Be sure that the links in your author bio box are related to the topic of the article.
The topic of your website determines the topic of your articles.
If you will always write articles on the general topic of your site, then the link in your resource box will make sense to readers and to search engines.
3 - Experiment with ways to engage your reader to respond or take action.
For example, asking a simple question in your resource box like "Would you like to learn more about [your topic]?" can be a tool for bringing your resource box to life.
Your article is your first communication with your reader.
Looking at an article on a computer screen can be a pretty remote, impersonal way to meet.
When you ask the reader a question in the bio box, you are reaching out to them and indicating an interest in their thoughts.
By showing an interest in the reader outside of your article, you can make a person feel more comfortable and inclined to contact you.
4 - Engage in "deep linking".
When you are trying to build links to your website, it makes more of a statement to Google if there are links going to a variety of pages on your website, rather than just the front page.
This shows that your website as a whole contains valuable content.
Most people link to the main page of their website in their bio box, and that is fine.
If you want to step things up a bit, try also including an appropriate link to one of the interior pages of your site.
5 - Use an anchor text link for your keywords, as well as a link that shows your written out URL.
Why the two types of links? The link that is formed by your keywords has special significance in Google's eyes--a link that is formed by your keywords helps Google and the other search engines to associate those keywords with the topic of your website, which can help your search engine ranking.
The link that appears as your written out URL helps readers remember your website address.
If a person can remember your website address, then they are more likely to visit your site, even when they are not looking at your article.
Sometimes the tiniest changes make the biggest impact.
Which of these tips will you incorporate into your next article submission?
