How much content on the website before I try to get my articles syndicated?

I am also very new to IM. eg 3 articles written (3months)
I have been submitting to ezine articles as I write them and it takes about 6 days for the approval (or problem status).
How long does it take for google to index them on my site?

Thanks

To gain enough trust for syndicators to publish your articles, you mean? In my experience, all that's necessary for that is that it looks like a "real website", i.e. not a porn site, not something that the publisher would clearly be embarrassed to link to. Minimal requirements, in other words. This just isn't an issue at all.

What matters is the article, not your website.

How your website's required to look to gain the trust of your potential customer visitors is a whole different matter, but that varies enormously with the traffic demographics (and maybe with the niche as well).

Being able to opt visitors in by offering people something they want, in exchange for their email address, is what matters.

Don't forget that thousands of marketers do this with just a squeeze page (i.e. no content at all apart from the incentivized opt-in).

Even that works perfectly well.

Clearly, the "moral of the story" is that you don't need a lot of content.

As so often, Bill's post above (#9) was the helpful one, here.

That's funny - this was a problem that I recently faced as well. I decided that I would wait until I had about 50 articles under my belt and had built a large list of syndication partners. The reason I figured is because I want as many people to submit my content to as possible, without burning a few articles in the process while I look for more partners.

But I'm in an unusual niche where sometimes the pickins can be lean for subject matter.

If you're in IM or weight loss or something like that the conversation is endless.

But when they land on my website on the call-to-action page, and look around and see that there are no other pages.. wouldn't that make them go away?

That's about as uncomplicated but straight to the whole point as it gets!

Talk about keeping it simple.

As long as your call-to-action page rocks, why distract them.

Great Advice and one of those eye-openers for me.

Thanks

Joe

Well, generally, yes - in the sense that quality's far more important than quantity.

However, this is a slightly "special" situation, too. I can suggest a tip, here, which might help: keep in mind that the "free report" (or whatever you call it) that you send out after the opt-in has one specific purpose: to ensure that they expect, await, open and read your subsequent emails.

All questions about the "free report" can be answered with reference to that one overriding principle. Obviously, the specific answers can vary enormously, according to the traffic demographic, niche, expectations, what you've already told them before they opt in, and so on and so forth. I'm not suggesting that this in itself "answers any questions" - but it's the context for all the questions to be answered.

You should do whatever you think's going to increase the chances of the subscribers expecting, awaiting, opening and reading your subsequent emails.

For example, one way (not always the best way, but one possible way) to do that is by giving them "two thirds of the story" and announcing openly that the remaining part is coming up by email in a few days' time.

Sounds good to me, in principle.

You can ... this depends who your customers are. I think most of mine don't want pictures. And it's easier not to have to, of course, because it avoids the problem of "where to get them"!

Noooooooo ... really NOT.

That's terrible advice.

You should always use vernacular contractions ("don't", not "do not"; "can't", not "cannot", "you'll", not "you will"). I can write a really long-winded answer about this question, if you want it, but this is just a black and white issue, to me. Make it as easy to read and as conversational as possible!

If you are using the directories to start the search for syndicators, you likely don't need a cache of articles before you start building. If you are looking for syndicators to opt in for more content once they reach your site (even after direct contact), 5-20 is what I've heard recommended. I'd have 5-10 available, in case that new partner wants multiple articles at once.

As a syndicator myself, I do check the landing pages authors link to. And I have rejected articles because of the landing pages. On a positive note, getting that big green '+' on my checklist isn't that hard.

If it's a simple offer or opt-in page, make it clear what the actual offer is. Have a neat, organized layout. Use decent language - contractions like it's for 'it is' or 'it has' are fine, but I don't like when copy sounds like a word-for-word transcript of actual conversation. In other words, sound like you are talking to a friend, only with a little bit of polish.

The article itself is the most important thing, but attention to the details counts, too.