Some people use article submission software to send the same article to hundreds or even thousands of Web sites. This is overkill and fruitless. When Google sees too much duplication of an article, it pays attention to the ones that have been around the longest and dumps the excessive duplicates into their supplemental directory - which means those duplicates are not going to come up high in a search engine. So why bother?

Others, worrying about the dreaded "duplicate content" situation, have used software called "spinners" to take one article they've written and morphed it into dozens more. Unfortunately, these spinners leave you with an article that makes little if no sense when read by a human being.

The thing is, Google's algorithms are always changing. While people may be able to outsmart them for a time, in the end, Google will continue to develop algorithms to enforce common sense and common courtesy. Let me explain by asking you a few questions:

1. Would hundreds of article directory webmasters want to have the exact same content? Even if it's just reworded from site to site?
2. Would a person researching a subject want to find the same article hundreds of times on their search results?
3. Would a person researching a subject want to find the same article written 10 different ways on 10 different sites? Would that help them in their research?
4. When a person comes to an article they've searched for, do they want to read a bunch of keyword-stuffed gobbledy gook?
5. Does it make sense to have your name and/or web site associated with poor quality articles that make little or no sense?

Hint: The answer is "No" to all of the above.

If you want to be successful in the long run, keep these questions in mind. While it's perfectly acceptable for the same article to exist on a dozen or so web sites - because different people are visiting and seeing those sites, it's not reasonable to have that same article on hundreds or thousands of article directory sites. It doesn't make sense for the webmasters and it doesn't make sense for the person doing a search. It also doesn't make sense for Google to deliver up dozens of duplicate results.

That having been said, are article submission software programs a waste of time? Are they on their way out? I don't believe so. Ones that blast the same article to hundreds or thousands of sites are, but those that let you hand pick 10-12 sites you want your article to appear on and then submit that article to them are helpful. The software can save you time.

Here's how I use article submission software: I take an article I've written and select about 10 directories that I submit that article to. Then I write another article and send it to a different 10. There's no issue about duplicate content on this level, and it's just common courtesy to the webmasters.

So, in summary, if you want to know the best strategy for article promotion, think about the article directory webmasters you're submitting articles to, consider your reader's best interest, and if nothing else, think about your own reputation.

Marnie Pehrson, a mother of 6, has been highlighting truth and talent for 15 years. Whether it's writing a novel that spotlights individuals who've made a difference in the world or helping a talented entrepreneur create a platform for his life's work, Marnie underscores truth and talent in innovative and compelling ways. She is the creator of www.IdeaMarketers.com and helps experts promote their products and services online. For more information on her various projects and books, visit http://www.pwgroup.com. Contact the author, Marnie Pehrson , at marnie@pwgroup.com
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