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"Popularity" is a strange thing. Who is to say what will become popular in society ten years from now? Who knew five years ago that Face Book would eventually dwarf MySpace? Who's to say what makes one political candidate more likable than another one? Who can possibly predict what tomorrow's "big thing" will be?

The majority likes what it likes. Popularity often results from a "generational" coincidence-the right idea at the right time. Oh, how we all wish we were popular! Perhaps the very idea of "popularity" is making you think back to your high school or college days where you struggled to make a name for yourself in front of all your peers. Perhaps popularity still eludes you, even within your local community or your company of employment.

Yes, You Can be Popular!

Yes, popularity is fickle...but here's the good news. You don't have to worry about being "popular" when you're trying to earn a higher ranking in Search Engine Optimization and article marketing. You've probably heard that Google and Yahoo reward the most "popular" sites, and this is partly true. Highly-trafficked sites are given some consideration.

However, organic SEO is nothing like PPC. It's not about the money or the highest bidder or even the "brand name." It's about quality content, efficient optimization, content consistency, effective keyword usage and your total number of links. When people say that the search engines list "popular" websites first, all that really means is that the website has more "external" links than competing websites. "External links" means that other websites are linking to your website. In high school terms, this means you are being talked about, whispered about, gossiped about and pointed at.

Now that you're working in marketing and publicity, that's a very good thing! You want as much attention as possible. You can focus on managing your reputation later on. For right now, your goal is to create as many external links as human possibly. Of course, the search engines are not going to let you cheat. You can't create your own "external" links. This new "popularity" must be legitimate.

You must have connections. You must MAKE connections. You must get out there and start promoting your company so that other websites will want to link back to you. You know why Wikipedia and Google are so popular these days? Because EVERYONE links to them. Why, you have probably linked to Wiki and Google on occasion.

Why did you do that? Simple...because these are useful websites. Therein lays the "mystery" of linkbuilding. Nobody wants to link to your company just because you're asking them to do it. They want to see the benefit in doing you this favor. Since you don't have the money to pay them off, there's only one solution here: write them some excellent keyword content!

The Importance of Article Marketing

This is where article marketing comes into play. The best way to provide a "benefit" to someone you work with is to give them free information. Information is valuable, as long as it is accurate, well communicated and not commonly known. In exchange for your free information, your "reporting work", many well-trafficked websites are willing to post your links. The more links you have, the higher your SEO rankings will go.

Article directories get free content from company owners and experts in exchange for a link, a biography and some publishing credits. This is by no means a new idea. Even years ago, long before the Internet came to the public, magazines and journals would trade these favors. Print magazines would feature product reviews and interviews of interest to their readership, while companies would benefit from the exposure. Now that online communication is slowly but surely replacing print communication, the same trend is being continued-and accelerated.

Article marketing (having an SEO writing company create and distribute articles for your brand) allows you build quality links to your website. When it comes to Internet writing, quality content is always better than poor writing and quantity. Search engines are inundated with poor quality, high density websites that nab traffic and send users away, quite frustrated. Search engines want to highlight websites that feature quality writing and informative content.

Popular article directories and online magazines do search engine companies a great service: they help Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search sites determine what is popular and what is relevant to active users. Therefore, article marketing is just as important as optimizing your website.

Websites don't tend to provide impartial information. On the opposite end, article directories require all submitted reading to be free of promotion (apart from a rsorce box that can be promotional) and objective in tone. The article directory site doesn't want a commercial-its wants a full length article that will help increase traffic and provide quality information. Quality writing brings traffic. Remember the golden Internet rule: everyone should benefit!

What About Other Linkbuilding Strategies?

Yes, there are other ways to build external links besides article marketing. For example, you could try negotiating with other websites for a link trade. Or you could go around and comment on random people's blogs leaving behind your company link. This is doable...but it doesn't do much for you. You come across as very "Spammy" when you take this route. Instead of giving something to someone else, you're just asking for a favor. You're intruding on someone else's blog or website and advertising your own company for your own selfish gain.

This is why article marketing builds superior links-because it benefits everyone. The website gets a free article (or series of articles) and you get to establish yourself as a recognized authority in your field.

Respect, admiration and trust-how much are those qualities worth? These are qualities you can't buy. Only hard work earns the respect of your customers. Becoming a recognized leader in your field is far more important than achieving short-term "popularity" by using a PPC campaign or begging for link trades.

There may be some circumstances in which old fashioned link trading or "link selling" is appropriate, but by in large, article marketing works better. It's the new age business philosophy that says you don't beg for your customer's attention. You make the customer beg for your attention. The law of attraction says that most people are drawn to success.

Having hundreds of external links all over the web, and hundreds of expert-level articles in your name, and a top 10 ranked website, is overwhelming "evidence" of your success. When your customer is ready to buy, who is he going to buy from? You, an established expert who selflessly gives of his time? Or the guy spamming every forum and blog site just begging for attention?

If you are looking into linkbuilding to improve your popularity, then give article marketing a run. Remember, you want to be "popular" for the right reasons.