This is a question which is often on the minds of a lot of freelancers in the 'Writing & Translation' category, on freelance sites like Elance, oDesk, Freelancer, etc. wherein they really wonder as to what exactly those articles are really needed for...that too by the droves?
SEO or Search Engine Optimization
One of the major reasons for which articles are needed is because they help with SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Essentially, when these articles have relevant keywords intuitively blended into them, they allow websites to rank better on search engines for the given search terms.
So for instance, if I have a website on RC radio controlled vehicles, I might want to have articles on my website as well as my blog in which I will include search terms such as "RC Airplane" or "RC Boat" and so on, which will help my website to rank better and appear in the first few search results when users search using those same (or similar) search terms.
So SEO undoubtedly plays a major part - or a major reason for which articles are sought on these freelance sites.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing has in turn proven to be a major reason for which articles are sought on these freelance sites. Typically, the SEO aspect remains sacrosanct with regard to these articles but at the same time, the emphasis on quality in this case is even higher.
After all, the endeavor with affiliate marketing goes beyond pleasing web spiders to convincing human readers to actually BUY products and services they are affiliates for. This is an end objective which is achieved with far greater success when there is high quality content backing the claims or assertions made on affiliate sites.
So affiliate marketing, combined with SEO endeavors, forms an integral part of the entire scheme of things as far as article writing jobs on freelance sites is concerned.
Article Directories
Writing for article directories like EzineArticles or ArticlesBase also forms an integral part of article writing assignments on freelance sites.
Once again, I would repeat that while the platform in this case is different, viz. an Article Directory, the end objective remains similar as already mentioned above, viz. SEO (largely). This in turn is achieved (especially) with the help of the back link(s) which these directories offer, within the Resource box, at the end of each article.
But besides SEO alone, these article directories - EzineArticles in particular, have an additional objective of establishing credibility. After all, when readers see a lot of articles published by you within a niche or set of niches, they perceive you as an expert of sorts within that niche.
So remember that articles published on these directories have a major 'credibility' aspect attached to them as well.
Having wondered about these aspects myself - in my initial days of freelancing, when I would churn out articles by the gazillions, applying little thought to WHAT those articles were really meant for, I gathered all my thoughts together in the video below, also featured on my freelancing specific YouTube channel. An amalgamation of all the experience and learning that I have had over the years, in article writing in particular, this video will give you a very good perspective in terms of the uses to which articles sought on freelance sites are typically deployed.
Google Panda Update, in the context of the above
Talking about article writing and the various uses to which these articles are put, it is pertinent that I touch upon Google Panda updates and their relevance to the entire article writing realm. Essentially, what has happened is that article directories like EzineArticles, Articlesbase as well as many others have significantly lost a lot of their value, post the Google Panda update.
Further, poor quality articles which do not read well, have copied content (an Internet SIN!), are structured poorly or simply do not offer value to readers ultimately rank poorly on search engines.
Therefore, the emphasis very clearly has to be on creating TOP QUALITY content which not only draws in visitors but actually KEEPS THEM ENGAGED as well as provides REAL VALUE to them.
This would be as true for articles meant for article directories as would be for other platforms, including own website content, content for affiliate marketing (especially) and so on.
The Overlapping Nature of the Enlisted Purposes to which Articles are Deployed
Remember that a lot of the end objectives of article writing, as enlisted above, do tend to overlap. For instance, when you create articles for affiliate marketing, SEO still has to be a primary objective. The same is true for just about any other platform; even if you are looking to establish your credentials or credibility, you do want people to actually find your content with ease and would therefore want to invest on SEO.
Articles for Miscellaneous Other Purposes
Article writing assignments on freelance sites can ultimately be meant for other end objectives as well. Ones that I can think of are being printed in digital publications like online or electronic magazines (where the SEO value of your article could possibly be minimal and emphasis would almost entirely be on VERY high quality content), sales pages (maybe series of articles put together), articles made from audio/video transcripts and so on.
Have I missed any other purpose for which articles (specifically) are put to use, with regard to article writing assignments on freelance sites? Please feel free to drop in your comments below!
