Link Impressions

I've been the link building moderator on the High Rankings® Forum since it started in 2003 and enjoy posting, learning and sharing stories about linking. I don't typically venture outside the link threads (mostly due to lack of time) but lately, I've been watching the online copywriting thread since there's been a lot of discussion on article writing.

Earlier today this thread started on copyright issues as they pertain to articles written by a third party. Along the way the thread morphed and someone posted this comment on how to jumpstart article writing:

Just do it. Don't worry about being profound, or grammatically correct. You can always rewrite your articles later when your skills have improved.

And then this comment was made by a poster:

Thank goodness for outsourcing, original articles are now only $5 or less for 250 word articles. You own all the rights so there's no copyright/IP issues

I entered into the fray and responded by saying:

Let me offer a different point of view on this since the whole article writing thing has become so popular...

First impressions count - no matter who, what, when or where you make them. I think that's doubly true when it comes to an online business where all you have is one impression to make.

Turn a person off because you're learning to write and you may have to work extra hard at getting them back or you've turned them away for good.

...Remember what you say and how you say it establishes your reputation on the Web which is the cornerstone for both algorithmic and professional online success.

Article writing as a link building tactic was created as a way to use content to attract links. If your articles are anything less than quality, they'll be worthless in this regard, no one will link to junk. Write (or have written) quality pieces that are factual, entertaining and contain the information your customer base is searching for.

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