I stopped submitting my content to article directories a long time ago because quite frankly, I don’t like them.

Back in the day… say 4-6 years ago, you could slap a well written SEO’d article up on Ezinearticles.com (EZA), wait for it to be indexed by Google, then sit back and watch the traffic pour in – courtesy of your resource box. I used to do it to promote my jewelry supplies and my friends graphic design business. It was truly a wallet-warming technique back then.

Eventually I started seeing the steady decline of article directory traffic. That’s when I stopped handing my articles over to EZA. In hindsight, it was probably the best decision I could’ve made.

Call me a stuck up link snob, but I’m obsessive about gaining authority and targeted traffic, not backlinks for the sake of backlinks.

I believe if you basically stick to the no BS SEO practices, you don’t have to worry about waking up in the morning to find that your traffic has gone from 5K visitors a day to 120.

Article directory submissions of today remind me of huffing

Huffing is when you purposely inhale solvents like spray paint for the sake of a 5-10 minute high. A whiff here, a whiff there… seems harmless. Until years later when you realize that you can’t remember how to tie your Pumas, or you’re trying to steal cans of paint thinner from the local hardware store.

In the past few years I’ve viewed article directory submissions as huffing. It’s a quick high. Maybe you get rank. Maybe you get some traffic. Most people say they do it for the easy-to-obtain backlinks.

But it’s really just a temporary high (IF you’re lucky). And as we’re seeing today, it could leave your entire operation seriously damaged.

Google giveth rank easily and Google taketh rank away quickly

Last night Amit Singhal and Matt Cutts announced that a big algorithmic change was underfoot in Google’s legenedary SERPs.

Basically the message is this… if you create low-quality content sites or use a lot of content from other sites, your days are numbered. Content farm-like sites with minor quality control measures in place are feeling the fallout from this nuclear-esque blast.

EZA articles are falling in the SERPs like bricks from the top of the Empire State Building. Articles that I’d written for HubPages, and had achieved #1 ranks for using long tail keywords, have instantly dropped as well.

Google is lowering the gavel and it’s going to cost website owners hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.

This is EXACTLY why I’ve been extolling the virtues of guest blogging

You need backlinks to survive and content backlinks are great. That’s not the point I’m debating.

The problem is that Google knows our dirty, little secrets. They know that most website owners use article directories for backlinks and Google rank. Did you really think they’d let this charade go on forever?

I didn’t!

That’s why I write for real people, not just the search engine bots. I write because I want to generate sales and recommendations and bookmarks from prospects and paying customers.

Guest blogging attracts both bots and real human eyeballs. I get to be featured on a website within my targeted niche. I get traffic because the blog I’m featured on already has a captive audience – not just because the article is ranking in Google. And I get a QUALITY backlink.

What should you do if your traffic has taken a nosedive?

1) Don’t plan any month-long vacations or Ferrari purchases right now.

2) Step away from the article directories.

3) Get a copy of How to Become the Guest Blogger Everyone Wants. This is the exact information I’ve used to get my clients featured in high profile blogs across many different niches.

4) Start guest blogging. Now. Before your competitors have taken your place in the spotlight.