If you are new to article marketing, you have probably heard
about the resource box (aka: author bio). I talk to a lot of people who
are taking their first baby steps into the article marketing field, and
I've heard some people say that the idea of the resource box intimidates
them, while others are just plain clueless as to what to do with that
field on the article submission page.
For
anyone who is a beginner to submitting articles, I'd like to teach you
what a resource box is and how to make the most of it.
What is it? For such a small area, it manages to be many things:
1 - It is the spot where you can put your name.
You don't have to include your name, but it's recommended. People want to know who wrote the stunning article they're reading, and they'll look to the author bio for that information. Adding your name also gives the article an air of credibility--you have taken responsibility for the content you have created.
2 - It is the spot where you can talk about yourself and give some brief biographical information.
You have seen book jackets on hard cover books. On the back inside cover, they will often have an "About the author" section.
You can think of the resource box as being a little like that "about the author" page.
In the article you won't provide much (if any) information about yourself, but in the resource box you can--go ahead and tell the reader some bits from your history that lend to your credibility.
3 - It is the spot where you can talk about your business and products.
You cannot talk about that sort of information in the article body (that could be seen as being promotional or sales-oriented), but you most certainly can and should talk about your business and website in the resource box.
4 - It is where you can refer people to your website.
When you were writing the article, you may have wondered, "So, how is this article supposed to send traffic to my website if I can't put a link to my site in the article body?".
The answer is through the author bio. Give the reader a really good reason why he or she should visit your website and then provide the link.
How To Be Sure That Your Links Work...
It's a heartbreaking situation. You have worked really hard to write an article that you're proud of. You have spent extra time on your resource box and as far as you can tell, your article submission is perfect. You submit the article, and then a week or two later, you notice something unsettling. The link that you included in your resource box is broken. "Ugh! This isn't happening!" you think.
Most people make this mistake once, and the pain of it is enough to make them vow, "Never again!".
To help you avoid broken links in your author bio area, here are some tips:
*Include your full URL, including the http at the beginning.
*Don't try to put your URL in bold, color, or italics.
*Don't put punctuation immediately after your URL.
*Keep your URL to be 60 characters or fewer. Longer URLs have a better chance of getting broken, if they wrap from one line to the next.
*Try to put your URL on its own line in the resource box.
*Preview your article and click the links in the resource box to test that they are going to the right place!
The resource box is relatively small compared to the article, but it is the key to using your article to generate traffic to your website and to getting a higher search engine ranking. It requires some thought and attention, but if you follow the tips in this article, your resource box will be living up to its full potential and leveraging your article to benefit your website as much as possible.
What is it? For such a small area, it manages to be many things:
1 - It is the spot where you can put your name.
You don't have to include your name, but it's recommended. People want to know who wrote the stunning article they're reading, and they'll look to the author bio for that information. Adding your name also gives the article an air of credibility--you have taken responsibility for the content you have created.
2 - It is the spot where you can talk about yourself and give some brief biographical information.
You have seen book jackets on hard cover books. On the back inside cover, they will often have an "About the author" section.
You can think of the resource box as being a little like that "about the author" page.
In the article you won't provide much (if any) information about yourself, but in the resource box you can--go ahead and tell the reader some bits from your history that lend to your credibility.
3 - It is the spot where you can talk about your business and products.
You cannot talk about that sort of information in the article body (that could be seen as being promotional or sales-oriented), but you most certainly can and should talk about your business and website in the resource box.
4 - It is where you can refer people to your website.
When you were writing the article, you may have wondered, "So, how is this article supposed to send traffic to my website if I can't put a link to my site in the article body?".
The answer is through the author bio. Give the reader a really good reason why he or she should visit your website and then provide the link.
How To Be Sure That Your Links Work...
It's a heartbreaking situation. You have worked really hard to write an article that you're proud of. You have spent extra time on your resource box and as far as you can tell, your article submission is perfect. You submit the article, and then a week or two later, you notice something unsettling. The link that you included in your resource box is broken. "Ugh! This isn't happening!" you think.
Most people make this mistake once, and the pain of it is enough to make them vow, "Never again!".
To help you avoid broken links in your author bio area, here are some tips:
*Include your full URL, including the http at the beginning.
*Don't try to put your URL in bold, color, or italics.
*Don't put punctuation immediately after your URL.
*Keep your URL to be 60 characters or fewer. Longer URLs have a better chance of getting broken, if they wrap from one line to the next.
*Try to put your URL on its own line in the resource box.
*Preview your article and click the links in the resource box to test that they are going to the right place!
The resource box is relatively small compared to the article, but it is the key to using your article to generate traffic to your website and to getting a higher search engine ranking. It requires some thought and attention, but if you follow the tips in this article, your resource box will be living up to its full potential and leveraging your article to benefit your website as much as possible.
Steve Shaw is an article marketing expert, and founder of the popular blog Creative Article Marketing, which teaches people how to submit articles.
Discover how to use the power of article marketing to reach tens of
thousands of potential prospects for your website - download a powerful
free report on successful article marketing from http://www.submityourarticle.com/report
Article Source:
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