Changes are inevitable in the world, be it real or virtual. However, certain changes shake our worlds so much so that they will not be the same again. In 2011 the world of web was shaken, shaken to the roots, by one such change – Google’s algorithm update named dearly as Panda.
For many web masters, even to this day, the word Panda conjures images not of those cute-looking, bamboo-eating animals facing extinction; to them it symbolizes a monster that brought their worlds to near extinction.
Web masters have been crying out that this update killed many then existed SEO practices, the most important of them being article marketing. In one of my blogs titled The Article Marketing Murder Mystery, I have discussed the truth about the death of directories and article marketing.
For those who haven’t read the article, let me offer some context. Certain bad practices in article marketing were shown the door with the Panda update; certain directories got penalized by Panda for housing extremely low quality content.
Go home, go as a guest and go public
One of the best ways to go about in the post-Panda age is to stop counting outbound links, but focus on building brand awareness and credibility through articles. So we need to have a different marketing approach in order to bring visibility through articles. My formula for article marketing post Panda is three-fold
- Go home
- Go as a guest
- Go public
Let me explain what each of these means and how this formula works:
Let the revolution start from home
They say every revolution should begin from home. If so, let us start our article marketing revolution from the home page of our websites. Here is what you should do:
- Build a blog for the product or service you offer
- Integrate the blog/article section in the header menu of your homepage.
- Start writing and publishing articles that are relevant to your industry.
Why an onsite blog/article section
That said, the purpose of your blog should not be to merely increase the number of pages pointed towards your domain; on the other hand, you should use your onsite blog as a platform to share the insights and thoughts you have about your industry.
In other words, the articles you publish on your blog should be relevant to your industry. It goes without saying that a fair amount of research and industry-specific information should go into each article you publish. If carefully and regularly done over a period of time, your onsite blog will become a repository of well-researched, user-oriented, industry specific articles, which in turn will crown you as an industry expert.
You can use this strategy for both products and services, and establish yourself as an authority in the field. All industries, especially E-come sites, can benefit a lot from onsite blogs or articles.
Here are two articles on why you should have an onsite blog:
Why Your Small Business Needs A Blog?
Why Should Your Business Have A Blog?
3 points to keep in mind
However, if this article marketing practice has to succeed, there are three important factors you should pay attention to, namely:
- Understand your audience
- The information they are looking for
- The changing trends of your industry
Always keep in mind that we all like it when we get everything in one platter, without having to search for multiple platforms and sites. Here is an example:
You have taken a liking to terrace gardening and decide to grow a vegetable garden on your terrace. Like most of us do these days, you go to an e-come site that sells gardening tools and accessories and place an order for soil, pots, compost, etc. The seller delivers your order promptly and you are all set to start your gardening endeavors.
However, as a newbie, it is natural that you have lots of doubts regarding the process and you will soon find yourself searching online for related information. Wouldn’t it be better if the seller’s site has a blog that tells you how to germinate the seeds or replant them once they sprout or how to make a growing medium for your plants? If they did have a blog that comprehensively covers all aspects of terrace gardening, wouldn’t you feel that they are an authority in the area? I bet you would!
And that is the power onsite blogs possess. They underline your authority; they augment brand awareness; they steadily build a group of royal customers or readers. If more sales happen as a part of this increased awareness, take it as a bonus.
Services such as website design companies or players that offer a combination of products and services can also benefit from onsite blogs. The bottom line is when you offer users useful information, they will value your site as the final word in your domain.
We will discuss go as a guest and go public in the 2nd part of the blog- Go Home, Go as a Guest and Go Public: Article Marketing Post Panda-Part 2
