This list of what I recommend as My Top 50 Article Syndicate sites is taken from a reply earlier today to members of the Small Business Forums considering writing articles for publication by free article directory websites. I decided to share this list here for the benefit of my readers.

I began a quest just over a year ago to promote my commercial site. Writing articles was one of 4 methods that I worked to develop and improve seo and backlinks. The results of the overall plan were an amazing surprise.

Search Google for "small business article directory" and out of 44 million results my site is #4 on page one after the sponsor listings as of the date of this post. It's easier to spot if you look for the "Small Business Resource Center" title in the listing which is what I use for my site, even though as you'll see the domain is my actual name.

EzineArticles has the top spot. If you follow the link for my listing you will find 15-20 articles and 1 author (me)... LOL. Compare that to sites that are free article directories with 30,000 articles and 5,000 authors and then it's time for the question "why?". Steve at the Small Business Forums had the answer when he commented that the value of being in an article directory has changed significantly in the last year.

In deciding to write articles I actually visited over 500 sites and based on what I felt was important like first impression, ease of use, and approval cycle, the list dwindled to around 150 top sites. Of those, I have the final list of top 50 article syndicates based on their performance over the last 12 months.

I spent 100's of hours of research, and at first thought about selling an ebook and have kept the list and results under wraps. Instead I began a series of 6 reports in PDF and offer them for free download from my site (no obligation... no email registration or first-born requirement); I'm giving it away because it's my nature, plus I'm very busy with actual design work.

The next free PDF report to be released (#3 in the series) is about article writing. The value of submitting articles to directories is different compared to a year ago, but it is still worth your time IF you provide quality.

Broadcast services that promise to place your articles in 1 million directories are a complete waste. The best directories still have editors who read and approve articles. If you do not control how each is submitted, the chances of approval diminish rapidly.

The issue of duplicate content is still hotly debated; however, you will not be penalized if your article (with your resource box) shows up as duplicates and you're the author on each one. Instead, what has changed in the last year is the SE's will only show your article in the SERPs from the top authority sites, ie EzineArticles.com.

It's no secret that the major SE's hide results. Each article you have published will be indexed wherever it is found, yet the majority will be "hidden" deep in the results. I stopped submitting to my top 150, and only submit articles to my list of top 50 now.

People are more likely to find you on the top authority article directories, and the value (for me) is traffic and new business based on establishing a reputation as a writer freely giving quality advice. Give first and success will follow. Backlinks are fine, but the real value is reaching people who are presold based on what you wrote before they actually visit your website.

Finally, I have purchased and reviewed software for automating the process of submitting articles, and the next PDF report is on hold pending my final results about software before I make a recommendation. Each has flaws despite claims of being fully automatic. I am convinced that semi-automated can work because of autofill features, but manual submission is still critical to get approved by the editors.

My top 50 (actually 52) is included below.

http://www.acmearticles.com/
http://www.allaroundsuccess.com/
http://www.amazines.com
http://www.articlealley.com
http://www.article-content-king.com/
http://www.articlecrazy.com/
http://www.articlecube.com
http://www.articledash.com/
http://www.articledashboard.com
http://www.articlegarden.com
http://www.articlekarma.com
http://www.articlelocker.com
http://www.articlemaniac.com/
http://www.articlemotron.com/
http://www.article-planet.com
http://www.articlerich.com
http://www.articlesbeyondbetter.com/
http://www.articlescorner.com
http://www.articles-galore.com
http://www.articleshelf.com
http://www.articleson.com/
http://www.articlesphere.com
http://www.articles-submit.com
http://www.articlestreet.com
http://www.articlesupplier.com
http://www.articleteller.com
http://www.articlevista.com/
http://www.bluearticles.com/
http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz
http://www.dwarticles.com
http://www.dxarticle.com
http://www.eArticlesOnline.com/
http://www.ezinearticles.com
http://www.ezine-articles-planet.com
http://www.findmorearticles.com
http://www.free-articles-zone.com/
http://www.goarticles.com/
http://www.goodinfohome.com
http://www.indemandcontent.com/
http://www.iwantcontent.com/
http://www.myarticlepub.com
http://www.mycontentbuilder.com
http://www.mywebauthor.com
http://www.neoarticle.com/
http://www.newarticlesonline.com
http://www.positivearticles.com
http://www.postarticles.com/
http://www.publisherscloninghouse.com/
http://www.readyarticles.com/
http://www.submityournewarticle.com
http://www.upublish.info/login.php
http://www.websitecontentarticles.com



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Labels: advice, articles, reviews, seo