Hey! Who's that I see, typing feverishly as brilliant ideas flow from furious typing fingers to the article submission box? Is that YOU??

Well, aren't you the dickens! You found out about article marketing, and that is exciting and inspiring indeed. Now let me ask you a question, dear Article Writing Friend:

Do you know what you're trying to achieve by writing web articles?

Why, of course you do! Silly question, yes? You want people read your article, decide you're cool, witty, interesting, brilliant, etc.- because you are. Then you want them to visit your website.

Now, how will you get them to visit your website? You're already managed to divert their attention to what you have to say in that dazzling style that's you and you alone. But how will you get them to go all the way down, down, down to the bottom of that article, and click your URL?

1. You will stop thinking of your article bio as your resume.

A potential web client or customer does not care to see your list of credentials at the end of an article. As they read your article, they may love what they see, but you're still a stranger. They just want to be entertained, informed, or gratified in some way. It's all about THEM, not YOU. They just want to know who out there can help them. So if you start trumpeting about your vast successes, you'll get them to react, but not in the way that you want. Their reaction will be to CLICK AWAY. So for your business's sake, don't laundry-list your accomplishments in your author bio.

2. You will start thinking of your author bio as the gateway to prosperity.

Where does your fortune grow? It grows right in the website that is the home base for what you sell. How are people going to get there? By reading your articles, becoming interested in what you can offer them, and then letting you shuttle them there via your website URL. How will you shuttle them? Tell them what to do! Call the reader to action: Visit http://wordfeeder.com for more information. They're reading that bio box as fast as a finger-snap. If you don't want to lose the customer, tell them what to do and do it quickly.

3. You WILL NOT include more than one URL on your article bio.

Ever hear of Bio Boxing? Probably not, because I just made it up. Bio Boxing is what happens when two URLs fight for attention in your bio box. If you read two URLs in one author's bio box, what do you do? Look at one. Look at the other. It's a fifty-fifty shot at finding the answer you need. So you take a deep breath, pick and click. Ohhh!! You crapped out. That website was not even remotely close to what you hoped to find. What do you do now? Get up, get a glass of iced tea, and forget about this whole incident. In article boxing, nobody wins the fight. So don't include more than one URL in your bio box.

4. You will write one bio for each article category that you write to.

If you haven't noticed, article websites are ingeniously laid out by industry. In one article, you can be a religious muse, and lead your readers to a spiritual website. You would classify this article in the spiritual section, of course. In another article, you can write to the foodie crowd and lure people to your site where you sell chocolate chip cookies. Note that each of these articles requires its own uniquely-written bio box and corresponding URL link. I'll say it another way: don't mix and match your article categories in your bio box!

5. You will start thinking about your bio as FREE advertising.

You've bought ad space before, right? Okay, suppose you sell keyboard cleaners, and one day Staples.com comes by and offers you free ad space on their site. In this space, would you also include a link to that other website where you sell donut holes?? Of course you would not! Likewise, use each bio box as your FREE ADVERTISING for ONE website that attracts ONE AUDIENCE that you just spoke to in your article. Consider the world's biggest corporations; Old Navy, for example. Old Navy is owned by the Gap. Do you EVER hear a reference to Old Navy in Gap ads, or vice-versa? No, NEVER!

One of the biggest rules in advertising is to not distract or confuse the customer. Remember the points mentioned above, as a way to ensure that the elusive article reader won't slip right through your nimble typing fingers. Make each article work for you. Target your audience throughout the cohesive package of the article submission form, from beginning to end.

Remember that in each article, you will write to ONE audience within ONE category, and the goal is ONE click destination. Pay special attention to the largely ignored author bio, as this is the spot that either makes you or breaks you. Use that author bio box to your advantage while you still have the chance!

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.