Writing articles is a great way to increase the rank of your pages in search engines. It is a tried and true method to increase your site's visibility, credibility and ranking on GOOGLE.
Here is how it works:
1. You write articles and post them on your site. Once search engines index the articles, they will drive more visitors to your site because of all of the useful information they find in the articles.
2. Search engines like GOOGLE place a high value on incoming links to your site. To get these links, you need to submit your articles to article directories (more on that later). Your search engine rank will be increased because the article will link back to your site. The more times the article is used, the higher your rank will be.
Here are some simple points to keep in mind when writing articles:
Yes, you can do it! Anyone can write articles. Even if you don't consider yourself a writer or you struggled in High School English class you will find that if you are writing about something you know about and believe in (your product) the words will flow.
Load articles up with key words. Any article you write should be laced with key words that are used by your target audience to search the web. That way, search engines (and your customers!) will not only find you via your site (which will also be full of key words) but from your articles as well. You can use Overture's key word suggestion tool to help find the ideal key words you want to use on your site.
Each article should have its own page on your site with its own META tags (see definition here) in the code of the page.
Highlight Key Points. People skim articles first before they read them, so keep the article short with key points highlighted. A natural way to do this is to number your points.
Some examples of article formats are:
Lists: 3 ways you or your product can save time Unique ways to use your product Shock: You are paying too much for your Dry cleaning!
Publish! It isn't enough to have your articles on your site. You should also submit your articles for distribution throughout the web. Some great sites to submit your articles to are: Ezinearticles.com GoArticles.com Isnare.com FreeZineSite.com
When the articles are picked up for reprint, you will be introduced to a whole new set of quality leads and potential customers through an introduction and link to your site at the end of the article.
While you are at it, you can also publish in community newsletters, trade publications and special interest magazines. There are also sites that will distribute your article for you. Articlemarketer.com and articleannounce.com are two of the more better-known distribution sites.
Don't use the body of the article to promote yourself. People don't want to read ads. You will be able to sell yourself in a brief by-line at the end of your article. People who read your article and click on the link to your site will already consider you an expert, and will be more likely to spend more time on your site. The link back to your site is the key factor in promoting your site in the search engines. The more incoming links the search engine spiders find to your site, the higher rank you will have.
Proofread. You want to appear professional. Getting another person to proofread your work is the best way to go.
Writing and distributing articles will increase the ranking of your site, and establish you as an expert in your field. You will also be able to include "published author" among your list of credits.
Remember that people search the internet to find information. If you provide that information and solve problems with your articles, your site rank (and sales) will improve dramatically.

About the Author
Colleen Happ designs effective websites that increase companies visibility and sales. Visit her site at http://www.happconsulting.com to view her portfolio and sign up for her free ezine for more web design tips.