Are You Infuriating Your Readers?

When marketing your articles, there are certain actions that will infuriate your readers to the umpteenth degree. Not understanding these actions will thrust you into the writer’s bottomless pit filled with web traffic serial killers, Google keyword gobblers and Alexa ranking suppressors. What are these fury fuelers? Here they are… learn them well.

1). Not Being Clear On Your Target Audience
Too many authors and publishers make the common error of not defining their target market before crafting their content. This sets them apart from the more successful article marketers who have a clear idea on who their niche market is. Choose an audience and then craft your words around their needs and interests.

4). Not Thinking of Your Readers First and Foremost
In article marketing, you are not writing for yourself; you are writing for your readers. Their needs, wants and interests should be at the forefront of your thinking -at all times. Writers often fail because they are attempting to write based upon their personal needs and thoughts and not their readers. To be an effective article marketer you must give your audience what they want.

2). Spamming Potential Readers
Everyone with a web presence, if they’re smart, wants increased web traffic. How they acquire traffic determines if they are going to incite their readers to anger or make reading their articles an enjoyable experience. The worst possible way to obtain readers is by spamming. Whether it is by sending unsolicited e-mails or injudiciously spamming websites, newsletters, ezines, forums or chat rooms.

In the long run, this tactic will come back to haunt you. Aside from losing your credibility, you could face being blacklisted by certain ISPs and web hosting companies, altogether banned by search engines and possibly face charges.

3). Using Trick Keywords
What is a trick keyword? This is when someone uses keywords that have absolutely nothing to do with the article or web page in question. The keyword is used as bait to get people to read the article or visit the web page. On the surface it seems like a brilliant scheme, but as I stated in my intro, this angers readers to no end. Duly note: using trick keywords is forbidden by almost all search engines. Avoid this infuriating action altogether.

4). Not Performing a Spelling or Grammar Check
Ok, you’ve just written one of the hottest articles ever on becoming a successful Ebay enterpreneur. Yet, you didn’t notice that the word “entrepreneur” was misspelled throughout your article. Not only that, you have glaring grammatical issues.

Once your readers spot this, all confidence, trust and admiration they have for you will be erased instantaneously and you will probably be classified as an amateur schoolboy writer. If you do not want your articles to be disposed of with cause, have them spell checked and grammar screened before publishing.

5). Using Misleading Titles
A misleading title is one that, like trick keywords has nothing to do with the article whatsoever. For example, the article is clearly about the benefits of becoming an affiliate for Bracken Jack Widgets. But the title of the article is: Finding The Love of Your Life. If I click on that link, I want to read about finding the love of my life, not how to become a distributor for some jacked up, no-name widget manufacturer. Your titles should always coincide with the content of your articles.

6). Not Employing The 3 Second Rule
There is a little known rule taught in virtually every Marketing 101 class. It is, “Get your message across in three seconds or no one will read it. We can all agree, we live in a busy world; PDA’s, voice mail, Blackberries, e-mail, cellular phones, land lines, Instant Messenger, corporate gigs, school, spouses, kids and more. With the numerous time constraints, authors have to make every second count.

That being said, market research has proven that you have 3 seconds to grab the attention of potential readers. Consequently, your titles and headlines must be: alluring, captivating and/or hard hitting. Using punchless headlines and powerless titles is like using salt to attract bees.

If your headlines don’t instantly grab the attention of your readers, it won’t matter if you are one of the most prolific authors in the history of mankind, you will end up with little or no web traffic or business. If you have to, take a course on generating spectacular titles and headlines.

Once you understand the essence of article marketing, you’ll be on your way to increased web traffic, higher conversions and more opportunities to write for others on a contract basis.

To your success,

Joe Elliot

© Copyright 1998 - 2011 by Joe Elliot. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author
Joe Elliot is Managing Editor of www.articleexperts.info. He currently manages 30 high-ranking websites and has written over 300 articles related to monetizing your Internet and home based businesses.