When you write articles, you are telling people what you have to say. You may be showing people how to do something or you may be showing them what not to do. It's important that you share these articles with people so they know what you have to offer or what you want to share with them. Articles are the perfect way to show people that you are an expert in your field.

The best way to share your articles with others is to submit them to article directories. Now there are five things you must do to prepare your article for submission.

1. Writing

Of course the first thing you need to do is write the article. Find a topic that will be of interest to your target market. Consider what your business is about and how you can help your target market. Make sure you don't make your article sound like an ad. That is the first way to get your article rejected when you submit it.

2. Proofread

Once your article is complete you need to proofread it to make sure you don't have errors. Having your readers see errors in your article is almost a sure fire way to have them not read any more of the articles you publish. If you are not good at proofreading, find a friend or family member to read it for you.

3. Title

Once you've written and proofread your article it's time to come up with a title for it. You want to make sure your article is catchy and you want to make sure you explain in a few words what your article will be about. When you do this, people will want to read it so they can find out more. You don't want to use a bunch of words, but the more detail, the better off you will be.

4. Bio

Your bio is the section that you can talk about you and your business. You will want to put a bit about you and then talk about your business. You don't want to include more than two links to your site. Your bio should be no more than 150 words. You may have to revise your bio to meet the requirements of the directory you are submitting to. Some may have a smaller word limit than others.

5. Keywords

Most article directories allow you to choose keywords to go with your article. These are words that people will search with. When they choose one of yours, your article will come up in the list. You need to make sure you use keywords that are related to your article. You should also include your name and your business if you have enough room.

When you have completed these five steps, you are ready to submit your article to the directories. Make sure you choose directories that are within your target market. Also make sure they have a category that your article will fit into. You don't want to use a general category. Be as specific as possible when you choose.

Placing your articles in article directories will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine. It's something every business owner should do to increase traffic and build trust with their target market.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping others reach their goals and dreams. Check out her website at http://www.virtualfreedom4you.com.