One of the best ways to promote your website is by writing articles that you can post in e-zines, and sites that provide free content to e-zine publishers. This will help you develop credibility and, with time, build a solid customer base. There are a few things to take into account to maximize the effectiveness of this sometimes overlooked marketing technique:

• Your article should be short and to the point. It must act as a free sample that entices your reader to go to your website for more.
  

• To maximize its effectiveness, you should present it as a tip, a solution to a problem.
  

• Write in easy to understand “layman’s” terms.
  

• Whenever possible, write from personal experience. People love to hear other people’s experiences (how did they do it?). This approach also tends to hold their attention longer.
  

• Be extra-careful to avoid spelling and grammatical
  
  
  errors. They will make you loose credibility.
  

• Don’t make your article sound like a sales pitch; offer honest, value-adding advice.
  

• Don’t include links to your affiliate programs in the body of your article. It will make your advice seem biased.
  

• Finally, don’t forget the most important part: always include a resource box at the end of your article. A resource box is a small paragraph (no longer than six lines) with your name, the name of your business, a short tagline, and that all-important link to your website. If your readers like your article, they will follow your link and you will be getting instant, high quality traffic to your site.
  

Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest (http://www.theinternetdigest.net) a website and newsletter that gives you free advice on web design and Internet marketing.