Do you realize that first quarter is gone? Did you achieve your goals for article writing? If not, it’s time to get smart with article distribution. How do we do that, though? Let’s take a look.

First of all, it’s a good idea to implement an overall action plan for your writing. Write down your goals for 2nd quarter, if you haven’t already done so. You don’t want to lose any more time than you already have. Then get busy writing.

Once a virtual assistant has the articles written, what is the best way to distribute them far and wide on the Internet. My recommendation would be to use a proven model for your article distribution. This model should be comprehensive, as well as being easy to use. The one that I’ve recently read about that I really like is the SmartDistribution PlatformTM that has been developed by Distribute Your Articles (DYA).

DYA has developed a model that incorporates all the finer points of ensuring that virtual assistants get smart with article distribution. Below I’m going to break it down for you.

To Spin or Not To Spin

Now before you bring up that I said before that spinning was not a good thing to do, I’ve since found out that spinning can actually have its uses — if you do it the right way. If you use the SmartDistribution Platform™, then you will have just the tool you need to spin your articles effectively. The beauty of SmartSpin™ is that you make the decision on whether to use it or not, depending on how comfortable you are with it. You hold the power to spin or not to spin.

Preparation Tools

There are many things we should do to make sure we not only get smart with article distribution, but also stay smart. One way we can do that is by careful preparation. Now DYA provides resources to you to do this in three different ways:

1) SmartFlow™ – When do you want your content to be distributed?

2) SmartCheck™ – It never hurts to be extra careful that your content is fit for publishing. Have it checked against a series of ad/spam filters, format checkers, link tests, and thin-content detectors.

3) SmartMatch™ – Have your content compared against the overwhelming sea of content out there on the Internet and evaluated for relevancy.

Distribution and Reporting

What wouldn’t we all give to have our articles show up as a feature article on well-known sites. Don’t think it’s possible? I can attest that it is possible with SmartFlow™. This happens with continuity in bite-size morsels – a little bit at a time.

But wait; what good is all this if a virtual assistant can’t determine the success rate of their article campaigns? Distribute Your Articles has taken care of that, as well. Called SmartTrack™, VAs can get all the information they need to know where the articles have been distributed, as well as when remaining articles are still left in the queue awaiting distribution.

Good Matches Yield Superior Results

SmartMatch™ is the very essence of SmartDistribution. Beyond a simple article marketing system, SmartMatch™ organizes your content into precise, individually- owned niche sites over time. With Google and other search engines tightening up their relevance requirements, it only makes sense to include this into your arsenal of article-writing tools.

Good article distribution can drive traffic to your website or blog site. Now more than ever, virtual assistants need to get smart with article distribution and implement a well-thought-out plan of action to get the best results. This process within this article is just one way. Whatever method you use, you need to start now. What are you waiting for?

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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. She is co-owner of Borlok Virtual Assistants, the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Improve your chances of having your articles receive the recognition they deserve. Maximize!

You’re probably thinking “what is search engine optimization?” Here’s the official answer according to Wikipedia: “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results.” Say what!

Here is my definition of what these words mean: maximize your search engine ranking. That’s it. That wasn’t hard, was it? Let’s take it out a little further. You want to have your blog site or website appear first when someone searches for you. It doesn’t have to be just Google; it can be Bing, Yahoo!, Ask, etc. You want to become so popular that your site(s) appear at the head of the list.

Now there are different ways that you can maximize your search engine ranking, but one of the ones that I would recommend for virtual assistants is by writing. There are many types of writing that you can do to increase your visibility. Pick one type or several; I’ll leave that to you. Let’s take a look at some areas that you can write while bringing new clients to your sites.

Articles

Articles are an excellent area to focus on. You don’t have to be an accomplished writer. Just write what you consider yourself to be an expert in. Then take those articles and submit them to article distribution sites that will send out your content to hungry publishers and content site owners.

Blogs

Here is where you can write content in your specific niche. Before you know it, readers will begin to recognize you as someone they can refer to if they have questions they need answers to. Your blog does not have to be some big, elaborate blog site, and you don’t need to know programming in order to have a blog. There are several free ones out there like Blogger or WordPress that will do just fine. Once you get going with your posts, you can become a member of blog directories.

Forums

Do you feel you have important information that you feel you could share? Do you like to take part in discussions? Then joining forums are an excellent way for you to do this. If you’re a virtual assistant like I am, you have a wide arena of topics that you can contribute worthwhile information; I can even point people to articles that I’ve written on my website or blog site. Hmmm…traffic – yummy delicious. I’m sure I see my ratings go up.

Press Releases

Do you have a newsworthy event happening at your virtual assistant business? Or perhaps you’ve reached a major milestone. Write about it and submit it to press release directories and help to increase your search engine visibility and ranking. Not only can you reach people globally, but you’ll be doing it through SEO.

Social Networking

Social media networking allows you to interact or socialize with lots of other people who share the same interests and activities as you. Consider being a member of a social network as being part of a close-knit community that you can share information with.

There are many places out there that allow you to socialize comfortably while maximizing your ranking on the Internet. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace are just a few of the more popular ones.

I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg for ways that you can write to increase your visibility. As a virtual assistant, you need to seize the opportunity to become well-known in the business and become more visible on the Internet. While you’re looking into the ways that I’ve mentioned in this article, keep your eyes open for other effective methods that you can increase the traffic to your sites, as well as maximize your search engine ranking. Good luck; I know you can do it.

There are quite a few article distribution sites out there that will allow you to submit your articles, and they will send your articles out wide and far. What are some questions you should ask yourself prior to signing up and entrusting your valuable written content to them?

Who will your articles be sent to?

One of the first things you want to know is what type of a publisher list they have. Do they have many, many publishers that they will send your articles out to, or just a few? Do their publishers have good Alexa or Google pagerank? It would be wise to check out some of the sites to ensure your articles will be sent to reputable, well-known companies.

What type of membership plans do they have?

Prior to becoming a member of an article distribution company, do a little homework and see what type of memberships or subscription plans they have. Do they have free memberships? If so, what type of benefits does a free membership entail you? Be sure to read the terms of agreement to see how they will bill you if you have to pay for a subscription. Many of them will use a specific payment processor, and the billing will be on recurring billing. Be sure you understand the terms of agreement; then print it and keep it.

What kind of distribution plan do they have?

Are your articles going to be distributed for a long time, or short spurts? Does the company you decide on allow your articles to be sent to new publishers as they sign on, or are they going to be sent to a static, non-changing list? The ideal solution would be to have your content go out to new publishers and content site owners as they sign up.

Will your articles be reviewed prior to being sent out?

Should you be fortunate enough to find a website that has live human review of articles once you submit them, I highly recommend utilizing this valuable feature. A major disadvantage of trying to manually submit articles to a wide variety of article submission places is trying to keep all of their requirements and guidelines straight in your head. A company that has reviewers spot check your articles for you will know all the guidelines and be able to give you professional feedback on how to improve your articles so they speed through the review process.

Can you schedule your articles to be sent out at a specific time?

Wouldn’t it be a blessing if you could write and submit your articles ahead of time and then be able to schedule their distribution for a certain day? There are content distribution places out there that will allow you to do this. Check this option out; it’s well worth being able to advance schedule.

Whatever website you decide to go with, make sure you do your homework in checking out the company with BBB and other consumer sites that will rate companies based on their service level, integrity, and other measures prior to making that all important leap, especially if you are going to get a paid subscription.

Is there a content distribution marketing company that I use that I would recommend? Yes, I personally use Content Crooner, and am very happy with them. They have excellent customer service, economical paid subscriptions, an extensive distribution list of publishers, and a knowledgeable review staff. Don’t just take my word for it, however. Do your own research and feel comfortable with your decision.