A few article marketing tips for novices
You can use article marketing to get backlinks, and you can use it to get targeted traffic. But it is difficult to cover both bases with a single article.
If you want backlinks, write the sort of articles that are in widespread demand. Example: write 'weight loss' or 'make money' articles. These sorts of articles will get reprinted in many places on the 'web. Don't write articles about 'The best place(s) to eat in Nome, Alaska', because your link won't get spread around very far.
Figure out what the most popular markets and niches are, and write articles that website owners niches want to reprint.
If you want traffic, that's easy: just put pictures of bikini girls on your website. But if you want quality traffic, and you want to get it by writing articles, then you need to target your ideal customer.
This means going where your ideal sort of customer hangs out on the web. Even if you get to page 1 on Google, most of these people will never see your article, so put it right in front of him. Find the biggest forums in your market and use your article to start a thread. This will drive the sort of traffic you want.
Bottom line is: figure out exactly what your goal is, then design the article and pick the distribution method that helps you accomplish that goal.