Article marketing does not require a professional writer. By writing and submitting free reprint articles to online and in-print publications, anyone can be successful in building their business and gaining credibility as an expert in their industry or area of expertise.

The concept is by having your contents reproduced around the internet you’ll be able to increase your exposure and acquire, via the resource box, one-way incoming links which you don’t have to reciprocate as you would with link exchanges, which in theory should reward you with better search engine rankings.

Having a process in place makes organizing article submissions so much easier and removes the confusion of where of what to do first. The following guide will take you through an article submission project step-by-step.

1. Proofread your articles before submitting them to directories. Make sure you have a catchy title and a by-line that compels readers to take action.

2. Use a html editor tool to format your by-line so that your URL will appear live when your article is posted on a site.

3. Collect the information you’ll need for most submission sites including: title, author name, address, phone number, e-mail, website URL, topic, two line summary of the article, word count, line count, article URL, auto responder address (if available), document file names and 10-15 keywords.

4. Create a list of the type of submission sites appropriate for your article. I use EzineAnnouncer to collect and keep track of my submission list and I always write down the categories that are a match for my article. My latest submission qualified for more than 400 sites but your success depends upon your article topic.

5. Begin submitting to sites that accept articles by e-mail. Never send an attachment unless asked. Incorporate the entire article into the e-mail and include an option for the recipient to opt-out of your list.

6. Create accounts for all new submission sites on your list that require registration. Typically, you have to wait for a confirmation e-mail before submitting. You can move on to the next step while you wait.

7. Submit to all sites you have registered for and to all sites not needing registration but offering a submission form.

8. Check your e-mail, confirm your new accounts and visit those sites to add your articles. Keep track of your login and password for each site.

9. Get your submission updated list by removing or correcting bounced e-mail addresses and URL errors. You will also need to add your new submission sites to your list.

10. Monitor your submission by creating a report to keep on your computer with the name and URL of the sites you used for submission. Update this list when you submit your older articles to newly discovered sites.

Following the rules and regulations and gaining the trust and respect of forum members will be your key to your success. Build on these steps and you will find that your forum participation will be a pleasant and profitable one.

If you are serious about building links and getting unstoppable free search engine traffic to your sites, check out Henry Zeng’s article marketing secret weapon UniqueArticleWizard and his UniqueArticleWizard Review