I wrote my first article about twelve months ago and submitted it to a number of what I consider to be the main article directories. These included ezinearticles, goarticles, ideamarketers and searchwarp. I have to admit that I was very much a novice back then and had a real lack of understanding as to what was required. I continued to write more articles and continued to make mistakes.
Unlike other directories who seem to accept any old article, ezinearticles check what you are submitting. I am now spending a lot more time when I write the articles and feel that they have gradually improved, this has been confirmed by Wally himself I am pleased to report.
So do I personally think that article marketing is beneficial? I have had e-mails from all around the world from people who have enjoyed reading my articles, maybe I am a bit sad but this gives me a little buzz. Some of these people have included the article in their blog or on their website, thus creating an additional backward link to my website/s. They have helped my composite front doors and business cost reduction specialist websites to rise up the rankings and has also helped to promote the stuttering therapy service that I offer. I managed to stop stammering a few years ago and as a career I now help other people to achieve fluency.
The people who read the article are potential visitors to your site, a visitor you would not have had, had you not written the article. That visitor could of course turn into a client or purchaser of your product/s.
For me search engines are going down the path of seeing one-way backward links as by far the most powerful form of link. One way links are not as easy to obtain, however writing articles has the potential of creating many one way backward links to you site and therefore is a must for any serious webmaster.