The Urban Link

The IMP Log: The Very First Message Sent on the Internet (Photo credit: FastLizard4)

“The Internet is the information highway”, this phrase has been used so many times it should be nominated for the Internet Cliché Award. People that go to the Internet are subdivided into groups, but generally, they are out to search for information. Whether for gaming, business, fun or anything else, the Internet has provided us with information that has proved to be very beneficial.  One of the key elements of an Internet article is the “related articles” list at the bottom of the page.  This “related articles” section is actually a list of links to articles related to the one your reader is currently perusing. “Public Relations specialists who write article formatted pieces should pay special attention!” says Jerry Doby owner of Doby Communications, Inc., an entertainment industry PR firm.

Through the recent years many people have learned the secrets of Search Engine Optimization. More and more sites have seen the positive effects articles have provided for the traffic of their sites. Some have even created sites devoted entirely to providing articles that could be read by their website visitors and have links that lead to many sites related to the topics and subjects of the articles.

Related article links

For example, the sites may feature articles surrounding the music industry. As a website visitor reads the articles they have searched for, they can find at the end of the article a related articles list that can be clicked to link them to the additional information on the subject. Of course the article would be in relation to the site. Lets say the article is about The Grammy Awards, the related articles section may link to stories about announced performers or presenters for the awards show.  This creates more engagement from your readers AND lets other writers know you are also covering similar topics.  Perhaps at some date, they will link back to your article, giving it extra life!

The Benefits?

Now we know what related articles are, what are the benefits of having a good list of related pieces at the end of your article? Mainly related articles potentially drive traffic to your site by creating an association with other articles and writers on the same subject type.  They also get affiliation with other sites that can be beneficial for them as well. For the sponsoring site, when you get people to click on your related article links, you generate traffic that can be counted upon as potential future readers.

Never underestimate the power of the related articles section of your piece, it may be small in size but will provide a significant aid in driving traffic back to your site. A boring list will never get the job done, carefully select recent and relevant articles from the most recognizable sources you can find.  When and if those sources link back to your article, it increases the lifespan of something that by default can get lost in the archival abyss that is the Internet.

Great for publicity writers!

One last note, this tool is ESPECIALLY useful for PR specialists who disseminate their client news using outlets of their own creation like blogs, newsletters, etc. Tying your client’s story to a similar article about a major name from a major outlet can turn your piece into something more than you ever expected!  Imagine having an Internet article on CNN.com or MTV.com listing your article in its related articles section of a news story.  Enough said!

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