Running an article directory can have loads of benefits. Many people publish their articles through popular article directories to gain from their high search engine rank. Published articles will create valuable backlinks to the author's website. Once an article is published it can create targeted traffic for years to come. That's why article marketing is one of the most used strategies to generate traffic or to advertise a product and service.
Before an author can publish an article he has to subscribe to the article directory. To subscribe means he has to leave an email address and this will result into a growing email list on an automated basis. Every Internet Marketer can tell you how precious a huge email list is.
These above mentioned benefits are only the tip of an iceberg. So, let's move on to what the title is about. One of the most used open source platforms to run a blog is Wordpress. But why should you use a blog platform to run an article directory? It's quite simple to answer, because Wordpress includes all features an article directory must have. You can add categories, users can sign up and add posts or comments and there are tons of useful plugins.
First, go ahead and install Wordpress to your website and next you will have to change the theme. Make sure it's a theme using several widgets and not more than three columns. You can of course run a theme with two columns but I prefer a three column theme.
Now go to the admin area and install a category plugin. Click "plugin" and use the search function by searching for "category" and proceed installing the found plugin. Ok, that's about it, you now have a ready to go article directory.
But something is missing, right? The directory is empty and what you now need is content, tons of articles. You can now search using Google for automated article publishers. This is one of the easiest and most effectual ways to fill your article directory with content on an automated basis, but make sure to search for a free article publisher service.
Once signed up to an automated article publisher service your directory will grow on its own. The service will send articles on a regular basis to your directory. It will get filled with quality articles and even authors. Regarding to the publisher service you can even take control for keyword related content.
That's about it to get started running your very own article directory.