Can Free Content Make You Money Online?

Every now and then I read an article that is so astoundingly off the mark it’s incredible that someone took the time to write it. Today’s featured article is such an article. Here’s a real gem with my commentary:

Make Money With Free Content

By Kenji Brian Sakamoto

Many webmasters will turn to free content directories to get traffic and earn money with their articles. If you are a new affiliate for companies, you might consider building small niche websites to draw visitors to your site and help you make revenue.

This will not effectively build a website or revenue. It may be the only viable option if you don’t have a big budget, but it can be harmful to your business efforts for several reasons.

We’re off to a rocking start. Free content is just that – free content. And you usually get what you pay for. But there is a distinct purpose to it that serves a well-defined benefit. It’s a benefit that this article fails to elucidate.

The author here is attempting to make a point that gets lost. Only passingly does he mention affiliate marketing while trying to warn of a dangerous method of promoting your affiliate links. His principle is one that I agree with – don’t use free article content to promote your affiliates. That’s ineffective. But that isn’t what he’s saying here. It appears that this article is saying don’t use free content at all, which is reallly bad advice.

The idea to build small niche websites to promote affiliate programs is a solid concept. That Sakamoto patently rejects the idea as a revenue generation model is quite precarious because there are many successful affiliate marketers doing just that. But not with free content. That is the point I think he is trying to make, but his manner of communication makes it difficult for that message to get across.

Problem #1: Search engines punish sites that have content that duplicates other sites. If you have your content on multiple sites, your search engine rankings will suffer.

This just isn’t true. The search engines don’t punish sites that use duplicate content. They just don’t reward them. And there’s a difference.

Let this point stick in your head: There is no duplicate content penalty.

Google’s policy clearly states that it will attempt to identify the original content and index only that. If the original article appears on your website or blog and is dated such that Google can clearly identify it as the first publication then that content will get indexed. You can then submit your articles to directories and have it appear on other websites. If you are a publisher of an article that has appeared elsewhere before you won’t be penalized. Just don’t expect that article to gain search engine rankings while on your site.

It is important to have a high ranking in search engines to increase traffic flow to your site. Without visitors, you can’t earn revenue. Improving the search engine optimization of your site is the key to getting a high enough ranking that brings in lots of customers.

There are a variety of ways to drive traffic to your website. Using search engine organic rankings is only one of them, a highly recommended one, but only one. Savvy marketers use all the tools at their disposal to drive traffic and rank websites. That includes search engine optimization, but don’t be fooled into believing that’s the only option you have.

Problem #2: It is hard enough to get visitors to click on your site, but getting a high ranking on search engine results is only part of the way to get customers to your site. The other half of the problem is getting your visitors to click on your affiliate links. Unoriginal content lessens the chance that people will want to click on the links on your site. People are more likely to buy things from a reputable and knowledgeable source on the subject.

OK, this is true. Your visitors are less likely to click your affiliate links if you use unoriginal content. But if you use article content from directories as additional content, not your main content, you can still build credibility. Don’t let the free content overshadow your original content. Use it sparingly and discriminately.

Originality is crucial. If you just copy material from other sites, you will be revealed as a fraud and lose any credibility on the subject. Fewer website visitors will want to click on your links.

That’s a little harsh. If you have no original content on your site then it will be difficult to convince readers to click your links. But using free content as an adjunct to your original content won’t cause you to lose credibility if you do it the right way.

Problem #3: Free content is often distributed with the requirement that you place the author’s byline under the article. Most author bylines include links, though, creating a problem. If a reader reads something interesting, they may decide to click on the byline of the author, and not your affiliate links. This is why sites offer free content – so they can put their name out there and gain popularity. Don’t use this content, though, because it may cause you to lose profitable visitors to your site.

The author here clearly understand the purpose of article marketing, but that last sentence is laughable. I nearly fell off my chair. The author is distributing his own articles freely through article directories in hopes that other publishers will use them and give him back links, but he tells you explicitly not to use those kinds of articles. Including his? Including this one? Does he lose credibility with that statement? Yes. But not because it is free content, but because he wants you to ignore his own advice and make a special case just for him. That’s a big no, no.

These three problems can cause a significant decline in revenue, just by using free content out of article directories. If you can afford to buy original content, do that. If you can’t afford it, write your own content and then seek the services of professionals after you’ve made enough money.

I agree. If you can write your own articles then that is the most preferred way to get content on your website whether it is an affiliate site, a service site, a site that sells its own products, or is a made for AdSense site. Original content is always best.

BUT, if you can’t write your own or don’t have the time then hire a ghostwriter. As a third alternative, free content can be useful, especially if you are putting together an AdSense site. But for affiliate sites, original content is the best.

Do you have your own original articles or rewrite contents? Submit your original content or article for free. Visit us online at Article Directory Online or Article Fan

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenji_Brian_Sakamoto

I really don’t know what to make of an article directory owner that tells you not to use free content from article directories. But that’s what this article is. I’m scratching my head.

There are a ton of article directories you can submit your free content to. Don’t be afraid to use them. And don’t be afraid to use free content for your own site if you make it work for you. Do it smartly it can pay off.