I've been nagging and preaching about article writing to some of my friends; they have great websites and good products and have put a lot of work into building up their businesses. But they have completely underestimated the competitive nature of the internet - and the need to work consistently and ethically to build up back links to their web sites to give the search-engines the required fodder.
A case in point is a web site which was designed for a friend who runs a self-catering business on the south side of Loch Tay, Scotland. (Loch Tay Holiday) This is the perfect accommodation for someone who likes activity holidays but also likes a secluded villa. A good way of building back links would be to write articles about the various activities available within two miles of the villa and publish them on article directories and blog about them. That would give my friend a whole lot of appropriate keywords and articles - and that would help her marketing efforts.
I am going to tell everyone about this site - "How to advertise your website" because this has obviously been constructed with a view to being really helpful to readers as well as offering a service to write and publish articles for people who don't have the time and expertise to write their own content. Great service! I wish them luck.