Who has not sometimes spent great length of time writing an article and then threw a few words together at the end to fill up the resource box without much thought to it?

Yes, we probably all of us have done that at one point or another. I know I am guilty of this myself, and of course this is a big mistake. The resource box is a very important part of your article, and ultimately it is the reason why you are writing articles in the first place.

So, how can you get the most benefits from your resource box and have people click on your links to end up on your website?

Be specific

I don't know if you are aware of this yet, but when it comes to having people click on a link you need to tell them to do so and you need to tell them why. The main reason why, is that people are busy and distracted and they might not necessarily click on a link just because it's there. However, if they are told about the benefits they will get if they do click, they probably will. Telling your reader exactly where and why to click works great for the scanners as well.

Make sure to include your name

I have to admit myself that for a long time I was tricked into believing that it was better not to put my name in the resource box, and I have even written articles on the subject :(

However, I got educated on the subject and I know better now. When you write article without including your name or pen name in the resource box, once your article is picked up by publishers, sometimes your name as the author of that article will be gone. Your article will then be basically anonymous. You don't want that to happen by any means. unless you purposely want your article be anonymous.

When you add your name in the resource box and your article is being republished on other sites, publishers MUST include your resource box, therefore your name will be there, no matter what happened to your author's name.

Make sure your resource box is the right size

The rule of thumb is that your resource box should be in proportion with your article. Not too big, not too small. For example, EzineArticles recommends that your resource box be around 15% of your article's word count. For example if your article has 400 words, you would multiply 400 x .15 (or 15%) = 60 words. This is a very good proportion for a resource box.

If your resource box is too long or too short, it might affect its performance and even the performance of the article. You don't want to write a second article in the resource box. That is not the purpose of it, but if it's barely there, your reader will hardly notice it and you might totally miss out on the benefits that this tool offers to you.

Make sure you are using a single link and a single anchor text link

Your resource box will serve you better if you are using a single link and a single anchor text. Two anchor texts or two links will actually reduce your clickthroughs, because it will divide the reader's attention.

The best format is to include an anchor text link within the first paragraph of your resource box. And include the whole URL at the end. I have tried all kind of ways and this one seems to be the one which makes most sense and works great for me.

Make sure it is worth it for the readers to click on your link

Even if your resource box is two sentences, you can make it so attractive that your readers will really be compelled to click on your link - or you could write a resource box so boring that no one would even be tempted to click on your link at all.

At this point I know that you have already given free information all through your article, but one thing that will work great in your resource box is the word FREE. Giving a free gift in your resource box will increase your clickthroughs a great deal. However, you readers will have to give you something in exchange for it, and that's their first name and email address.

Most people will be more than willing to give you their name and address for a free download of some sort. Once they do, you will be able to build a list of subscribers as time goes on. There would be your chance to sell more products to them by email.