I struggled for many years to figure out the answer this very question: How can I get noticed on the Internet? Even in the mid-nineties, it seemed like everyone had beaten me to it. "Look for graphic designer in QUOTES," a helpful friend instructed me. Thanks a lot, buddy. That still didn't cut it.

Well, over the years I got lucky -- some would even say smart. I've taken control of my marketing campaign, and working at home has never been easier or more lucrative for me. I like to write one article a day, between 500 and 800 words, about my business, or a particularly interesting project I completed recently, even a great book I read that taught me how to make beautiful hanging pots of flowers for my house. That didn't have anything to do with graphic design, but it did have the one essential element that makes article marketing work: my hyperlink in my About the Author box.

Here's the deal: First you'll want to find a submission service that works within your budget. I don't even recommend messing with software at all. That stuff is too complex, they always want you to read the help file or the manual, and as soon as you open the box it's obsolete because the Internet is adding new content sites and newsletters every day.

I chose Article Marketer. They have several membership levels, a three-month, annual and lifetime, so you can choose to check it out for a quarter and see if it makes sense for you and then decide from there. They also have a very user-friendly interface that makes it super easy for me to use their "one-touch" submission service and off my article goes into cyberspace!

iSnare sells "distribution credits" to its authors. Submission to the site is free, but in order to have your article distributed, you must purchase these credits. It's $10 for five credits, $18 for 12, and $38 for 28 and so on. They distribute your articles to thousands of content sites, email lists and newsletters, and have gained a good reputation over time. They have good reviews from satisfied customers on their website.

ThePhantomWriters is another option. It's important to include the "The" in the title, however, unless you want writing tips for women and teachers, and articles about how to compose your dissertation.

ThePhantomWriters service operates on a sliding scale. It costs $35 to submit one article, and then the next three are $27.50 each, on down to $20 apiece for 10 articles. This is a little steep for my budget, so I moved on pretty quickly from Phantom.

In the end, the service you choose is a completely personal choice. You have to see what will fit into your budget, how many articles you plan to write, etc. What I can tell you is this: Try this method for a month, and see if you don't start getting hits on your website. When the month is up, do a search for your name on Google. You might be shocked by what you find. There's nothing better than searching for yourself and finding an article you might not even remember you wrote! Trust me, it's great.