Getting targeted website traffic to visit your site is the first key step in any online business. It probably goes without saying, but without website visitors, it's impossible to build an opt-in list or generate sales.

While there are literally hundreds of techniques to increase targeted website traffic, I've found a great deal of success through article marketing.

Done right, article marketing will bring targeted, pre-qualified traffic to your website with little to no up-front costs. It will also help to establish your credibility and improve your sites search engine placement through the increase in one-way backlinks.

It's not as fast as Pay-Per-Click advertising, but the results are longer lasting. Both methods certainly have their place and smart marketers take advantage of as many different traffic sources as possible.

There are many things to take into consideration when using article marketing to build an opt-in list but they all pretty much boil down to four things:

1. Exposure

In order for you to generate a sizeable amount of targeted website traffic through article marketing, you must ensure that your articles are distributed as widely as possible.

Sending your article to a few distribution outlets simply isn't enough. You have to distribute your articles to as many quality sources as possible in hopes that they will be picked up by other Website Publishers, Blog Publishers and Ezine Publishers.

2. Readership

Now that you've distributed your articles far-and-wide, it's important to get readership from your target market.

Writing an interesting Title that invokes curiosity and stresses the main benefits the reader will receive should be your first priority.

After that, writing useful content that is of keen interest to your target market will help increase your readership and your distribution.

A variety of content publishers will routinely scan the article directories looking for quality articles to produce on their sites.
If your articles are well-written, they'll spread faster than a Southern California wildfire in the dead of summer.

3. Compelling Resource Box copy

It does little good if you're not converting your readers into website visitors. This is the job of the Resource Box and amazingly, many article marketers seem to put little thought into this.

Your Resource Box copy should be written in the "third-person" and contain information which establishes your credibility.

If you've written a book, mention it. If you have been involved in the niche for a number of years, explain your involvement.

Don't worry if you don't have formal credentials as this is not a necessity. If you're writing about Gardening and have been actively gardening for a number of years, make a mention of it.

All article writers should be able to make a statement to enhance their credibility. If you have enough experience to write quality articles I guarantee you can come up with something.

The last element in a writing successful Resource Box copy is including a "call to action."

Do not leave your readers confused. Include a "call to action" in your Resource Box and invite your reader to visit your website or blog for more information.

4. Collect Information

In order to build a list you'll need a way to capture the information of each and every visitor that comes to your site.

Typically, a free offering, frequently referred to as an "ethical bribe," is offered in exchange for a visitors contact information.

Don't ask for more information than is necessary. If you're offering can be downloaded, simply request their name and email address.

Since list building is the core of almost every successful business online, it's important to put a lot of thought into this entire process. Make sure you test your conversion rates as you may uncover areas which need improvement.

The main areas to test include traffic sources, copywriting, site graphics/layouts and the free offering itself. You may find that a "special report" increases conversion over a "mini-course" or vice versa.

The main thing is to create as many traffic sources as possible and then refine your conversion process. If you do this, you're sure to find success in your list building efforts.