Why You Should NOT Submit Your Article With Article Submitter Software

By Laura J. Taff

Have you ever bought article submitter software thinking you were going to have an easier way to submit your article to the top article directories quickly and easily? If you have, you may have been disappointed. I know I was. Actually, I've done it twice. Once I did it on purpose, and the other time I bought a program that was "guaranteed to bring me tons of traffic" only to find out after I bought it that it was another article submission software program. First I'm going to let you know why these programs don't work, and then I'll tell you some great article directories to submit to, and give you a tip to do it as quickly as possible without using any software.

Article submitter programs don't work for several reasons. The main one is that there is not a "one size fits all" article directory. Each article directory has different categories that the article can be placed into. Let's say your article is on saving money with coupons. That article would most likely go in a shopping category. But not all article directories have a shopping category. Some may have a home and family category that your article can go into, and some may not have either of those. In fact, some may have a home and family category with shopping as a subcategory.

Each article directory expects you to submit your article in the best category. Some are so strict that they won't publish your article if it's not in the best category. Those software programs do have a category section, but if the directory you are submitting to does not have the category that your submission software is set to, it will go to some weird category.

Another problem is that the whole point of writing an article is to gain exposure for your web site or blog. Every directory has different rules about your resource box (and some don't even have a resource box!). Your resource box is where you get the links back to your site. Sites like Amazines have you place your links directly in the article body, sites like Article Rich prohibit the use of HTML in the body and insist that you use the resource box for your links.

In this case, you must use regular HTML properly formed in the resource box. Then again, there is Article Cat. In this directory, you must use the [url] tag to link back to your blog. See? There are already three different ways to have to link back to your site or blog and this makes it hard to submit your article through an automated program.

The last thing I noticed with both of the ones I bought is that they seem to make these big claims that you push a button and you're done. (After the initial set-up). I found that in both cases I'd do my set up and push my buttons and then I'd get errors galore. Some articles submitted fine but others didn't submit correctly to many of the directories. One reason for this is that certain directories are picking up on automated software and they don't like it.

So what do you do? Don't stop. You can still submit your article to the directories yourself and not have to pay for the article submitter software. It will take some initial set-up time, but once you get it done, each time you submit afterward will go a little faster. First, go to each directory and set up an account.

You may want to set up a separate email account for this, but I use my regular account because I want to get the notifications that my articles are accepted or rejected and why. Some will ask you to confirm your subscription and some will not. Make sure that you go through each one and see which ones need you to set up a pen name before you get started. Once that is done, you can start submitting. Here are twelve really great free directories to sign up for:

Articlecube (pr 0)
Articlecat (pr 0) (use the [url] tag to link...directions on site)
Articlenexus (pr 0 )
Amazines (pr 3) (HTML links in the body)
Articlerich (pr 3)
Abcarticledirectory (pr 4)
Articledashboard (pr 5)
Articlealley(pr 5) (HTML links in the body)
Articlesnatch (pr 5)
Ideamarketers (pr 5 ) immediate submission
EzineArticles (pr 6)
Articlesbase (pr 6)

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