The amount of time, energy and talent that goes into creating content for an online marketer’s article marketing and distribution convinces some to contract with a writing and spinning professional. I recognize that other marketers prefer to do their the writing themselves, so I offer these suggestions to better maximize the return on the investment of time.

* Set aside time every week to write articles for distribution. This is usually a several hours during the weekend and possibly a couple of hours each working week depending upon my schedule. With other writing commitments including my website, this sometimes is quite a stretch for me.

* Create an easy format that you can easily copy and paste your efforts into those sites where you regularly contribute. Record the following: (1) A title that meets the site’s policies such as www.ezinearticles.com of 100 characters (2) Word Count (3) Copyright Statement (4) Bio or Signature statement that meets the character guidelines (1101 for Ezine Articles) (5) key words (100 characters for Ezine Articles) (6) A table for key words to be used within the article and as search words.

The table is probably the most beneficial element within this format. As I write the article, I plug in phrases that I believe have high key word value. The table can be easily copied and pasted into a new article with similar key words. These key words then can be prioritized from highest to lowest and used as the keywords within the article submission site. By using the highlight tool, I can quickly determine what words are used within the article’s content.

* Write from your own personal experience and avoid the “Royal ‘We.’” Many people use the web to locate answers to their questions, so your personal experiences actually lend credibility. Share your failures and successes while you are demonstrating your expertise. In your articles, don’t be too concerned with selling; just begin to build a relationship with your readers in order to gradually convert them into customers. Also include some humor if possible. Leave them wanting more, as the old show business cliche goes. After all, you want them to click your link to end up on your website.

* When you choose a topic, rely on your keyword research to direct you. I try to keep my articles between 400 and 800 words depending upon the topic or subject.

* After writing your article, review the content and begin to actively search for words or phrases that will increase the “hits” to your articles. Many times I believe I have an incredibly great title. By using a key word search, I can truly learn if the title is extraordinary or just plain ordinary. For example, in a recent article I had planned to use the phrase “bulls eye” in the title. As I am a very visual individual, this word conjured up an arrow hitting a target. Inventory overture revealed 3,190 searches for “bulls eye” while the word “target” had 1,814,599. My next action was to quickly change the title to maximize this key word

In MS Word, under the Edit Button, you can scroll down to Find and enter each key word to determine if that word or phrase is included within your article. With Search Engine Optimization (SEO), using the right amount of key words is also important. An overload of key words is just as harmful as not enough key words. My strategy is to identify 20 top key words for every article and incorporate them at least one time and not more than three times into the article..

Hopefully, these strategies will not only improve your Internet marketing through increased traffic to your web site, but will also improve the quality of your articles and potentially start to build those relationships with future customers or clients.