Perhaps the first thing to consider when learning about article marketing is that quality articles used by the correct Web sites and ezines are a perfect form of free advertising. Notice that key word "correct!" In the world of online selling and online buying it is crucial to reach the people who have similar interests and want the same things you do. Even if you are just sharing information for charitable reasons or you want people to know the facts about a certain subject, a great article won’t be much help if it reaches the wrong audience.

Of course, the important first step is to draw visitors to your site. The best way to do this is to be listed in reliable, focused directories. Assuming that someone has written a number of articles that contain solid information, it is necessary to make them available to the right directories and related sites. Articles can be submitted directly to someone who publishes an ezine (an online magazine or newsletter). These articles can also be submitted to sites that the ezine publisher goes to find the best new content. In simple terms, it is a world of share and share alike. If this is done well, everyone wins.

Remember, articles that find their way into quality ezines and similar Web sites will be read by people who choose to be associated with that area of interest. These people have the option of receiving the newsletter or ezine. They choose to be on the list. That target audience is the key reason article marketing can be successful for any business.

Some people have questioned the decision to provide carefully researched and accurate information for free. This may be especially true for someone who is working as a recognized expert in a particular field. But consider this: ezine articles are usually left in original form. The author can be quite sure that the subject is presented as submitted. Links and contact information are left as presented as well. That’s where the free advertising concept comes in.

A quality article that focuses on an area of special interest can find its way to hundreds, even thousands of people. Most people who use free article submission see surges in the number of visits to their own sites as articles find their way to the right readers. A key here is link popularity. If others are choosing to connect and your links are showing up in all the right places, search-engine rank improves. A few key points to remember when preparing articles: keep them at the correct length – between 200 and 500 words is a good range; use bullet points selectively; use shorter link methods instead of long URLs, code etc.

Most of the experts and truly successful article marketing folks urge article writers to create and submit at least four articles per day or per session. An occasional article sent to a site that you just happen to stumble on probably won’t create much of a stir. While it isn’t good to go to the other extreme either, the process of free article submission requires quantity as well as quality. Both are necessary to enhance credibility in a subject area. That credibility is a key to increasing traffic to your Web site with article marketing.