Are Links Within Articles Acceptable?

One of the most controversial aspects of article marketing involves the placement of links within articles. Some article directories strictly forbid links within your articles. Others are a little bit more liberal regarding links within articles. Generally, most article directory managers, even if they allow articles within articles, encourage you to put your self-promoting links in your author resource box instead. I’d have to say that, from a practical perspective, the author resource box is the best place for your self-promoting links.

While this is true of self-promoting links, I think it’s OK to put other links within your articles if they add value for the reader. For instance, promoting third-party sources, links to books that you review, and other similar linking practices are encouraged. EzineArticles has one of the strictest link policies of any article directory that I know, but I have had links within articles accepted there simply because the links did not point to any website that I own. I reserved those links for my author resource box.

It is best to examine the policies of any article directory that you submit articles to so that you can judge the value of submitting your articles there. That is true of any article marketing practice, not just links. But if you understand the policies of the directory before you start submitting articles there then you can save yourself time by not submitting articles to fit a certain prohibition of a particular directory. For instance, while I will submit articles within third-party links within an article to EzineArticles.com, I know that EA is very strict regarding criticism of third parties. They rejected an article I wrote that suggested the New York Times should educate its employees and contractors on the what constitutes content theft and what doesn’t even though the article contained no defamatory or otherwise illegal content. Other directories, however, did publish the article.

Bottom line, when it comes to links within your articles, do it if it makes sense, but be sure you understand the policies of every directory you intend to submit those articles to so that you don’t waste time submitting them to article directories that will reject them.