Article marketing is becoming more popular as webmasters realize the value of its content. Due to the popularity of article marketing, there are literally thousands of article directories around the Internet, new ones are launched every day. Today, find the appropriate article directory may seem like a daunting task.

Therefore, the question is, how to determine which article directories are best?

Although there are several websites where you can find hundreds of article directories ranked according to popularity, it is best that you make your own assessment on the basis of their market niche, as well as your personal preferences. Here are some factors for you to consider when ranking article directory sites.

1) How old is the site?

With the launch of the Wayback Machine, it is now possible for anyone who visits web pages that have been archived since 1996. The names of article directories you are considering and find out how old they are. In this case, the older the better. Google looks at the age of a trusted site.

If you can not find a site on the Wayback Machine, try doing a whois search. This will give the date when the first domain.

2) Search Google and Yahoo backlinks

If you have already submitted articles to various article directories, then the title of some of the older articles and a Yahoo and a Google search.

See where your item is listed in the search. Items found in the few places better than have been presented to the boards of prestigious or what Google considers to be the best display of content.

The higher up an article directory listed in Yahoo and Google, the most effective.

3) Look at the PageRank

PageRank is a numeric value that Google assigns each web page and is an indication of the importance of a website. The numbers range from 0 - 10, 10 being the most important. Submit your articles to directories with the highest PageRank can increase your multiple exposure.