This post is part apology (for republishing free articles as my content), part rationalization (for republishing free articles as my content) and part endorsement (for republishing free articles as your content).

So far I don’t have statistics, but using article directories for free content for my website seems to be helping—a little. As much as I’d love to, I can’t add content every single day, nor even every other day. But I want to get good, useful content onto my website as frequently as possible. There are a number of free articles directories available, to which I’ve submitted a couple of articles myself. (You may find duplicate content across some of these sites, because article writers may submit their articles to multiple directories.)

1. ArticlesBase.com – This is where I’ve found the last few articles I’ve republished. I’ve found their content to be very good: well-edited and well-written. They have 25 main categories, each with a dozen or more subcategories, covering every major blog topic I know. And each article has a textbox with the HTML code for the article, with author attribution, for easy syndication. As well, each article comes with a short selection of tags to save you some time.

2. ArticlePros.com – While I’ve had trouble searching this site for useful articles, I’ve been able to navigate it fairly easily. They have 38 main categories, each with about a dozen or more subcategories. With the large number of categories, it’s a little more challenging to find the one you need. But you can get the article in RSS, JScript, email and HTML formats, making it easy to syndicate; however, the post tags are not included, leaving you on your own.

3. Articleonlinedirectory.com – I have found some great articles in this database. It’s easy to search, and while it has over 50 categories, each category only has a few subcategories. For easy syndication, each article has an “ezine ready” option, including tags.

4. Articlecircle.com – This site has a lot good articles and a good search function to narrow the list of articles. The 37 categories, with few subcategories, are also really easy to navigate, making the search an added bonus. The “print view” link is the easiest way to syndicate the articles, but it’s not readily apparent, and there is no tag list, so you’re on your own again.

5. Articler.com – Many of the “articles” seem to be advertising for specific businesses or industries, but if you poke around a little, you’ll find some gems. The database has 21 categories, with no subcategories; with such limited organization (and some of the categories aren’t ones I’d generally be seeking), you’ll need to do some poking. Also, syndication is a bit of a challenge; basically cutting and pasting the content.

6. GoArticles.com – Again, a database full of good articles, but little to no system for easy syndication. The 40 categories have a few subcategories each, and are fairly logical and easy to navigate. Once you’ve searched or surfed your way to the article you’re going to publish, however, you’re on your own again for syndication and tags.

Given the ease of syndication in the first few sites, they’re definitely preferred, but you’ll still find some great articles on the other sites, if you’re willing to do a little bit of work.

What are your experiences with article directories and free website content?

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