Reprint Articles Hijacked by Text Link Ads - Great for Authors!

We all know that online publishers earn revenue from our free reprint articles. They place pay-per-click ads on the web page that contains the article, and the advertiser pays them whenever someone clicks on the ad. Most use programs like Google AdSense which automatically identify the subject of the article and deliver an ad related to that subject.

But did you know that publishers can do a similar thing within the article itself? They can turn any word within your article into an ad! They use programs like TextLinkAds to turn select target keywords into hyperlinks to the advertiser's website. When a reader clicks on a link, the advertiser's website opens within the same window. In other words, the page is 'hijacked' and your article disappears!

Gasp! As authors, we spend a lot of time planning and writing content designed to hold the reader's attention. Surely we should condemn anything which hijacks our audience?

The answer to that question is most definitely, "NO!"

As a heavy Internet user, I'm personally not a fan of text link ads. However, as an author of free reprint articles, I think they're great. Before I explain why, though, let's cover off a few basics...

Text link ads ? some FAQs

Like every other form of advertising, text link ads have their detractors. The most common questions asked are:

Q: How can I tell if it's a text link ad?

A: Although text link ads look the same as text links, you can identify them very quickly simply by mousing (hovering) over them. When you hover over a text link ad for about a second, a popup displays the details of the advertiser and the ad content. Check out http://www.seochat.com/c/a/Search-Engine-News/Microsoft-Hopes-to-Crush-Google/1/ for some examples.

Q: Are they ethical?

A: Text link ads are more covert than regular pay-per-click ads like Google AdWords. They look like normal text links, but they don't actually jump where you expect them to. For example, I clicked on a text link ad with anchor text "MSN" expecting it would take me to MSN's search, but instead it took me to the website of some sort of SEO service provider. As we all know, it's quite common for people to link to their site using unrelated anchor text. That's all text link ads are doing. So, by nature, text link ads are no more misleading than any other kind of link.

Q: Are they bad for the Web?

A: When people can't trust the links they're clicking on, won't they stop clicking? Won't this have a detrimental effect on the perceived usability of the Web? I said above that text link ads aren't really any more misleading by nature than normal text links. In reality, though, I suspect they may encourage the misleading use of anchor text, so in that respect, I think they're detrimental to the perceived usability of the Web. But does this make them bad for the Web? I don't think so. In fact, I think their overall effect will be good. By bringing more advertisers (i.e. businesses) to the Web, text link ads ultimately make the Web more useful. Users will quickly recognize text link ads for what they are and adapt.

Q: Are they effective for advertisers?

A: I can't really answer that. I've never used them, so you'll have to ask someone who has. Of course, you could ask one of the companies that offers text link ad technology, but you already know their answer...

Q: Will they become more popular?

A: Once again, I can't answer that question with any authority. But I have my suspicions; I suspect they will become more popular, simply because there are a lot of web publishers out there who are willing to try programs that offer a revenue return. Ultimately, the popularity of text link ads hinges how successful they are for advertisers, not how well-liked they are among users.

Q: Can I stop it happening to my reprint article?

A: No. I believe that power lies solely with the publisher. Of course, you can forbid it in your reprint guidelines, but that will simply limit the number of times your article is reprinted (consequently limiting your referral traffic and link popularity).

Conclusion - Are any of these questions really important to article submission authors?

In my humble opinion, the answer, once again, is "No!" As authors of reprint articles, we love the Google AdSense arrangement because it creates a demand for quality content. The more high quality articles a publisher reprints, the higher their site rank, the greater their traffic, and the more they earn from the pay-per-click ads on their site. As a result, our article submissions get widely published and we build brand awareness, credibility, authority, referral traffic, and ? of course ? link popularity (i.e. increased rank).

Text link ads are no different. Like Google ads, they encourage the publisher to acquire more high quality content. It's as simple as that.

"But my article is hijacked! What if the reader doesn't return?" There's no denying we'd prefer to keep our reader. But most readers know where the 'Back' button is, so if your article is good enough, they'll be sure to click it. And if they don't, well at least you've got the permanent link back to your site in the byline of your article. And after all, that's one of the big benefits of article submission, isn't it?

Anyway, enough talk. Let's see how it all unfolds.

Happy hijacking!

Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and Article Submission Specialist. He is a director of PublishHub and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to purchase his e-book, 'SEO Secrets'.

---

How to Use Articles to Increase Web Site Traffic!

A simple technique to increase web site traffic is using articles.Just imagine? Hundreds, even thousands, of theme-related sites having one-way links to your site! What would that... Read More

Article Writing: Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from My English Teacher

By now you probably understand how important writing for trade publications is to establishing credibility in the home business world.On to the first hurdle: how do you... Read More

Writing Articles, But Still Not Getting Traffic? Your Articles Suck ? But I Can Help! (Part 1)

We've all been there. We hear about how articles will generate HUGE publicity for a site, (the old "If you build it, they will come") so we... Read More

Article Publishing Is A Key Component Of Internet Marketing

Frequently when I am communicating with other webmasters and I bring up the subject of writing articles, I often get a response like "I'd rather have a... Read More

Summer is the Perfect Time to Write

As of July 1st, the year was half over! July 1st is the Wednesday of the annual calendar, it's an annual hump day (stop giggling!), and we'll... Read More

How to Use Articles to Generate Free Traffic to Your Website

Writing articles that are available for reprint is an excellent way to generate traffic to your website. Webmasters,ezine publishers, and bloggers are always looking for quality content.... Read More

Writing Articles Can Improve Your Online Marketing and Sales

Many people which in online business world find difficulties in searching long-term and continuous earnings.According to research which have been done, one of the way of people... Read More

Web Design Information And Resources

People who have an idea for a website sometimes require help in finding out relevant content to add to their website. This is where article websites are... Read More

How Article Marketing Will Make You a Fortune

Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article and submitting it to various sites-is the surprise online marketing medium of the past year. For a... Read More

Why Keyword Articles Are Good for Your Business

Content is an important component of your web site. Learning how to write a good article can make a huge difference in the response you get from... Read More

7 Invaluable Tips: Getting Your Articles Published Online

When you have to share what you've created, where do you begin? Have you ever just felt like the top of your head unhinged and poured its... Read More

Effective Affiliate Marketing Using Articles

Every day thousands of people join affiliate programs and yet every day thousands more get discouraged and give up trying to make money from their affiliate programs.Still,... Read More

The Online Writing Business Requires Constant and Regular Writing

Many writers do not understand that the online writing business is very different from the offline writing world. The economics are totally different and no amount of... Read More

Reprint Article Headlines ? the Reader is Secondary

A great headline can be the difference between having your free reprint article published once (on your own website...) and having it published hundreds, if not thousands,... Read More

Use Textpad Program for Easy Ezine and Web Site Submissions To Bring More Sales

When you create your articles in TextPad format, something like Notepad, but much more versatile, you will have them in 65 characters across wrapped, just the right... Read More

Create An Article Reference Box That Calls To Readers

There are two primary factors in creating a successful reference box, also called a bio box, that get the results you want from your Internet-posted articles. The... Read More

Get High Quality Traffic by Writing Articles

One of the best ways to promote your website is by writing articles that you can post in e-zines, and sites that provide free content to e-zine... Read More

The 2 Headed Dragon: Let Others Publish Your Material and Keep Your Site Unique

Is Putting your Articles in the Public Domain really a Two Headed Dragon. A very popular and economical way to get exposure is to write articles that... Read More

Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then you've got to craft the perfect RESOURCE BOX. This is the "author bio" that is below your... Read More

Top Ten Reasons to Write Articles for Free Publication Online

Many writers struggle with the decision of whether or not to write "for free" - however - unless you are a wealthy, professionally published author - I... Read More

Think Bigger When Doing Article Marketing

You've already agreed that putting some of your best articles into distribution is a great way to build your brand, grow your targeted traffic and get oodles... Read More

Why Writing Articles Is Much Better Than Search Engine Optimization

This article is dedicated to those who are afraid to challenge themselves and go out on the edge and prove that if they can do it so... Read More

Wise Article Marketing Strategies

If you are an article writer, you may have been submitting your articles to ezines in order to get your name out there. Ezines are wonderful in... Read More

Advertising that Wont Cost You a Dime is to Write Articles

Search Engines are constantly on the "look out" for freshly written content that has been submitted online. So how do you come up with ideas for your... Read More

Articles and Internet Branding: 5 Steps to Success

Are you ready to become an internet marketing expert? Are you ready for a massive conversion rate plus unlimited residual streams of income for your web-based business?... Read More

Article Marketing: What Is It and How Can I Use it to Grow My Business?

Ever read one of those web articles written by an internet marketing expert? They're really helpful, aren't they. You can learn a ton about how to be... Read More