Are you looking for the most powerful way to generate traffic to your web site? Then look no further than writing and submitting articles. This would have to be the number one strategy of internet marketing for your online home business. Best of all, this traffic is FREE (or at least very cheap).

There are 3 ways to get articles. You can hire someone else to write it for you (this cost can soon add up). Or you can purchase and submit PLR (Private Label Reprint) articles. Problem is, you'll have to modify PLR articles (by as much as 25%) or you'll have these being rejected by article directories for being too similar to other articles.

The third way is to write your own articles, which in my opinion is the best way. Why? Because it doesn't cost a cent; it's written with your heart, soul and personality; it gives you more credibility as an expert on the topic; and it's far more satisfying producing your own work.

So what's so good about articles anyway? Well, the benefit is that once you submit to all the directories, your articles will be getting picked up by e-zine publishers and webmasters all over the internet. They may be added to other websites permanently. These articles are going to be read by thousands of people for years to come. You will be seen as an expert on this particular subject and people will click on your link in the author's resource box at the bottom of your article. So you'll be generating traffic and sales from this for a long time. Not only that, the search engines will pick-up on all the links pointing back to your site, which increases your page ranking.

Now if you think you couldn't possibly write an article, you're dead wrong. You just don't know it yet. When I first started out, I was reading what all the internet gurus were saying, and their number 1 suggestion for internet marketing was article writing. I was very disappointed at the time, saying to myself, "That's impossible for me; I don't have the knowledge or skills for that". One day I decided to just sit down and try to write an article. As soon as I decided to take action, and started typing on my keyboard, the words just flowed. It was easier than I thought it would be and I haven't looked back since.

Ok. So where do you start? First of all, you need to come up with some topics. Get in the habit of carrying pen and paper with you. Whenever you get an idea, write it down straight away. Now choose one of the topics you have written down and create the title. Just remember that the title is your headline, so use it to generate curiosity and interest.

Next step is to write an outline for your article. This outline will be the template for all of your articles. It consists of the intro, the body of the article (containing 3 to 5 main points), the conclusion and the author's resource box. So just roughly jot down an opening sentence and then a few points and ideas for the article.

Now expand on the opening sentence to produce your intro paragraph. This intro will describe what you're about to say in the body of the article. It's important to maintain the reader's interest here and compel them to stay with you.

Next, you have the main points already written down so just expand on each of those points in your own words. Sometimes it's hard to think of things to write (writers' block) but you'll find that as soon as you start writing (anything at all, it doesn't have to be perfect) the words just come to you fairly easily.

Write your articles with the aim of providing info to really help people. Put your personality and heart into it. This will really pay off as your readers will come to trust you and you will make more sales. So aim to help people, don't just try to sell to them.

Finish up the article with a couple of concluding sentences that sums up what you said in the main body of the article. Check all spelling and grammar and give it a final polishing. I usually wait a couple of days and come back to my article with fresh eyes and then tweak it as required. And only then do I submit it to the article directories.

Yes, writing articles does take some effort. But the results and satisfaction more than make it very worthwhile. Give it a try.

Andrew Jones
http://www.easycash-at-home.com/