Q: Are they effective for advertisers? A: I can't really answer that. I've never used them, so you'll have to ask someone who has. Of course, you could ask one of companies that offers text link ad technology, but you already know their answer...

Q: Will they become more popular? A: Once again, I can't answer that question with any authority. But I have my suspicions; I suspect they will become more popular, simply because there are a lot of web publishers out there who are willing to try programs that offer a revenue return. Ultimately, popularity of text link ads hinges how successful they are for advertisers, not how well-liked they are among users.

Q: Can I stop it happening to my reprint article? A: No. I believe that power lies solely with publisher. Of course, you can forbid it in your reprint guidelines, but that will simply limit number of times your article is reprinted (consequently limiting your referral traffic and link popularity).

Conclusion - Are any of these questions really important to article submission authors?

In my humble opinion, answer, once again, is “No!” As authors of reprint articles, we love Google AdSense arrangement because it creates a demand for quality content. The more high quality articles a publisher reprints, higher their site rank, greater their traffic, and more they earn from pay-per-click ads on their site. As a result, our article submissions get widely published and we build brand awareness, credibility, authority, referral traffic, and – of course – link popularity (i.e. increased rank).

Text link ads are no different. Like Google ads, they encourage publisher to acquire more high quality content. It's as simple as that.

“But my article is hijacked! What if reader doesn't return?” There's no denying we'd prefer to keep our reader. But most readers know where 'Back' button is, so if your article is good enough, they'll be sure to click it. And if they don't, well at least you've got permanent link back to your site in byline of your article. And after all, that's one of big benefits of article submission, isn't it?

Anyway, enough talk. Let's see how it all unfolds.

Happy hijacking!

3) Don't make empty promises

Sensationalized headlines may work in traditional media, but they're not so effective in online article submissions. Few things frustrate an online publisher more than being lured in by a promising headline which turns out to be nothing more than hot air. For publishers who take time to carefully filter content before publishing, empty headlines are nothing more than time-wasters. For publishers who are a little less meticulous, empty headlines result in a site which is characterized by disjointed, contradictory, low-quality content. Either way, publisher isn't impressed, so make sure headline of your article is relevant to (and validated by) body of your article.

4) Put yourself in publisher's shoes

Always think about ways to make publisher's job easier. It's as simple as that. Brainstorm 5, 10, 20 headlines, then put yourself in publisher's position and ask which one you'd choose. That's best headline for your article submission.

5) Think about your publisher's readers

Publishers want articles that readers will open. But remember, your publisher's website may cater to an entirely different type of reader to your website. Whenever you find yourself thinking about your secondary audience (the reader), make sure you're thinking about publisher's readers – not your own. That settled, you can go on to focus on regular audience-headline considerations such as making headline attention-getting, targeted, and benefit driven.

Conclusion

With emergence of article submission as a great way to generate a high search engine ranking, and associated proliferation of article submission spam, right headline is more important than ever. The important thing to remember is that you're faced with a gatekeeper, and you need to address their needs first.

By following all publisher-focused tips above, you'll not only see your article published many more times, you'll also see it published on more relevant websites. This will help both your ranking (because links from relevant sites are always best) and your click-thru traffic (because audience will be more relevant).

Happy headlining!