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The Pros and Cons of Using Articles from Free Article Directories

By: Stacy Moore

When it comes to populating a website, blog, or newsletter with content, you have several choices including writing the content yourself, hiring a writer to write it for you, and using free articles offered on free article directories. In a perfect world, you'd have the time, skill, and resources to either write the content yourself or hire a talented writer to do it for you. In fact, you may have these options most of the time. However, you may find yourself in a bind and in need of some free articles to fill in the gaps. If you do, be aware of the pros and cons of using free articles from free article directories so that you can make the best choices possible.



The Pros of Using Free Articles



The first major advantage of using free articles is the price. After all, it's hard to beat free! While it may cost you over $100 to commission a writer to write a custom article for you, you may be able to find decent general articles for free on an article directory.



Before you get overly excited, realize that you do pay a small price in exchange for free articles: you cannot change the article. This includes the author's resource box containing a link to the author's website, blog, or other online presence. If you don't mind an article with a small plug at the end, then selecting free article directory articles may be an excellent choice for supplementing your existing Web content.



In addition to the cost advantage, using free articles also frees up your time. For example, if you normally spend about ten hours writing articles for your monthly newsletter, you could cut the time commitment dramatically by using free articles instead of writing them all from scratch. Consider writing a feature article yourself and then adding free articles that fit that month's theme.



The Cons of Using Free Articles



If using free articles sounds too good to be true, you're smart to be cautious. The downsides to using free articles include: finding well written content, finding relevant content, and finding content that's not overly promotional. Remember, just about anyone can call himself a writer and submit an article to an article directory. Editorial standards vary amongst the thousands of article directories. As a reader, you most likely know good and bad writing when you see it, so use your discretion when selecting free articles.



Finding relevant content that's not overly promotional is your next challenge. Focus on specific categories and use the article directory's search function to filter the list of available articles down to relevant choices. For example, if you need an article for your fashion blog, browse through the beauty and fashion categories or enter a keyword term such as "fashion trends" into the directory's search box.



Most article directories limit promotional content to the author's resource box, but some overly promotional articles do slip through. Carefully read the articles you're considering and pass on those that do not server your readers or your publication well.



If you need occasional help filling your site, blog, or newsletter with content, free articles from article directories can help fill in the gaps.

Article Courtesy of Free Articles To Go