A website is only as good as its content. If people don’t want to read what is on your site, then they will not use your services, either because they don’t trust you or don’t have the patience to sort through the content to find out what your service is. It is important to have well-written, direct articles on your site to keep user interest and generate revenue.
A simple way to get excellent articles is to hire a professional writer to develop them, but that can get expensive, especially if your site is just starting out. For many people, it is far more economical to write your own articles. But before you tackle this task, make sure that you’re up to it, because the quality of your articles can make or break your website or online business. Here are some tips to get you started.
FORMAT THE ARTICLES FOR THE INTERNET
Online, less is more. When you’re laying articles out on your site, try to put as much negative space in as you can. Break paragraphs up and try to keep it so the user needs to scroll as little as possible to read the entire article. Also, if you can, include pictures with the articles. The goal is to make your articles appear as short and text-light as possible, so users won’t be intimidated and not bother reading them.
KEEP THE ARTICLES SHORT AND SIMPLE
A way to make the formatting easier is to keep your articles short. Again, the object should be to require as little scrolling as possible. The Internet is called the Information Super-Highway, not the Information Back Road. People are looking for as much from articles in as small an amount of time as possible, so help them out. Keep your sentences simple and easy to understand, without any unnecessarily long or academic words. Just be careful not to fall into the trap of writing like a child. You have to walk a fine line when writing for the Internet.
BREAK YOUR ARTICLES INTO SECTIONS
Try to organize your articles so that the paragraphs can be broken up very easily into sections under descriptive headings. This will make the reading experience much smoother and faster for the user by allowing them to pick and choose what they want to read, as well as helping them find a specific piece of information when they come back to your inspirational and enlightening articles. Do your best to make these headings catchy and fun, not boring chapter headings. They should draw the readers into the articles, not keep them away in fear of boredom.
USE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION IN YOUR ARTICLES
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a mandatory skill when writing any articles for the Internet. Basically, SEO is using the same keywords over and over again in articles so that they are picked up by search engines, giving your website a higher search engine ranking. Search engines dominate the Internet, and you won’t bring much traffic to your site if you don’t use SEO. There are a number of articles and sites online that can help you write with effective search engine optimization technique. One thing to be careful of is not to use to many keywords in any of your articles. 2.5-4% is usually a good ratio. Any more and the reader will get turned off by the repetition, which defeats the purpose of SEO.
DRAFT, DRAFT, DRAFT YOUR ARTICLES
Never accept a first draft. No matter who you are, it won’t be up to your potential. After you write an article, put it aside for a day and don’t think about it. Then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes. You’d be amazed at what you’ll pick up, both grammatically and content-wise. Ideally, it won’t be uncommon for you to write three or four different drafts of an article before you find the one that you really like. Never be content with your first attempt.
Anyone can write effective articles for their site without hiring a costly professional writer. All it takes is practice and research. Read everything you can online to see what the writing style is. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so find a writer or group of writers online whose work you admire and copy their basic techniques. Eventually, you’ll find your own rhythm for your articles. Having your voice on your site will add a personalized touch to your site that users will appreciate, because no one knows how to say what you mean better than you. The key is to just keep writing.
Showing posts with label article marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label article marketing. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Be A Writing Whiz – Market Your Articles
If you’re a writer who can write short, snappy, but chock-full-of-information articles, then the Web is your perfect home. For anatomical reasons, web surfers cannot read long articles with text-rich paragraphs – but they’re after information, and if you can provide it, then you’re a winner.
But how do you let the world know that you can write well? And how can the world know that you are willing to offer your services as an article writer?
The key is to successfully market yourself by marketing your articles. But if you can’t send out dozens of emails to prospective clients, or spend hours designing a website, what can you do to get people to hire you?
The key is to write one, and only one ground-breaking article, and to include a resource box.
A resource box contains information about you, and it will usually be at the end of your article. But to make your Web visitors curious, you have to make a resource box so brief and loaded with information, they’ll want to hire you after they read the first five words of it.
So what should be in your resource box?
• Give your name – not your full name that stretches all the way out of your birth certificate, but the name you would like to be placed on checks, and how you would like request letters to be addressed. Oftentimes, online writers rely so much on their email addresses and contact details that they forget to put their names down.
• Give your website address, if you have a website. Direct your prospective clients to formal samples of your writing – not to your informal blog where you have details of what happened during your day, all in “Net-Speak.”
• Make your pitch – a one to three sentence proposal that shows readers what makes you and your writing unique. Some marketing experts refer to this as your unique selling proposition, or your USP, the promise of fulfilling an unmet need. Others call it the “Elevator Pitch,” or what you would tell a prospective client if you were caught for a few seconds together on the elevator.
The key to making a pitch is brevity: say in a few words all that makes you special.
• Make a call to action by inviting people to visit your website and take you on as a writer. This can be done in a simple sentence that will tell prospective clients that you are the person for the job, and that if they do not take you on, they will regret their choices for the rest of their lives (of course, in not too many words).
• Lastly, give your contact information. Give only your professional email addresses, not your “cute” e-mail addresses, such as teddybear@ilovechocolate.com. This does not reflect well on your credibility as a writer, and it will make you appear juvenile, no matter how “cute” your e-mail address is. Stick to yourname@youremailprovider.com (Yahoo and Google Mail are acceptable providers). If you do not have such an address, get one.
“Your Name” email addresses are not only more professional-looking, they are easier for your busy clients to remember.
If you follow your writing rules when making your resource box – that is, if you keep it short and to-the-point, you’ll be sure to get a lot of clients clamoring for your services in no time. All you have to do is advertise well and frequently, and make your writing shine.
But how do you let the world know that you can write well? And how can the world know that you are willing to offer your services as an article writer?
The key is to successfully market yourself by marketing your articles. But if you can’t send out dozens of emails to prospective clients, or spend hours designing a website, what can you do to get people to hire you?
The key is to write one, and only one ground-breaking article, and to include a resource box.
A resource box contains information about you, and it will usually be at the end of your article. But to make your Web visitors curious, you have to make a resource box so brief and loaded with information, they’ll want to hire you after they read the first five words of it.
So what should be in your resource box?
• Give your name – not your full name that stretches all the way out of your birth certificate, but the name you would like to be placed on checks, and how you would like request letters to be addressed. Oftentimes, online writers rely so much on their email addresses and contact details that they forget to put their names down.
• Give your website address, if you have a website. Direct your prospective clients to formal samples of your writing – not to your informal blog where you have details of what happened during your day, all in “Net-Speak.”
• Make your pitch – a one to three sentence proposal that shows readers what makes you and your writing unique. Some marketing experts refer to this as your unique selling proposition, or your USP, the promise of fulfilling an unmet need. Others call it the “Elevator Pitch,” or what you would tell a prospective client if you were caught for a few seconds together on the elevator.
The key to making a pitch is brevity: say in a few words all that makes you special.
• Make a call to action by inviting people to visit your website and take you on as a writer. This can be done in a simple sentence that will tell prospective clients that you are the person for the job, and that if they do not take you on, they will regret their choices for the rest of their lives (of course, in not too many words).
• Lastly, give your contact information. Give only your professional email addresses, not your “cute” e-mail addresses, such as teddybear@ilovechocolate.com. This does not reflect well on your credibility as a writer, and it will make you appear juvenile, no matter how “cute” your e-mail address is. Stick to yourname@youremailprovider.com (Yahoo and Google Mail are acceptable providers). If you do not have such an address, get one.
“Your Name” email addresses are not only more professional-looking, they are easier for your busy clients to remember.
If you follow your writing rules when making your resource box – that is, if you keep it short and to-the-point, you’ll be sure to get a lot of clients clamoring for your services in no time. All you have to do is advertise well and frequently, and make your writing shine.
Assume Nothing: Spell It Out
37 years ago today, America landed the Apollo 11 lunar module upon Earth's moon. For those of us old enough to remember this event we have that day permanently etched in our memories. On that date I was an almost 11 year old kid taking a summer clarinet class -- we interrupted our squeakings and honkings to watch the events unfold on a black and white television as they happened.
So, why am I saying all of this? Am I attempting to mark the occasion for some reason? Well, yes and no. Truly, in the course of human history man's landing on the moon was a big event. Talk about going where no man had gone before! Yet, I also realize that the vast number of people alive today have no recollection of the event. Figure that anyone under the age of 42 or 43 remembers nothing about the first moon landing. Subsequent landings perhaps, but maybe not the first one in 1969. Furthermore, we haven't been back to the moon in over 30 years. How many people alive today only know about these events via the history books?
Okay, I am no longer young but I haven't quite hit the jurassic era either. Still, when writing about events of long ago there is one thing that I must remind myself of regularly: don't assume that people know what you are talking about. This is true for whatever types of writings you do: spell out acronyms, expound your thoughts, and make it crystal clear to your readers what you are conveying. Your readership may be a lot younger, much less informed, or simply unable to grasp what you are trying to say. Give them background information even when it seems as if they should know what you are writing about.
So, why am I saying all of this? Am I attempting to mark the occasion for some reason? Well, yes and no. Truly, in the course of human history man's landing on the moon was a big event. Talk about going where no man had gone before! Yet, I also realize that the vast number of people alive today have no recollection of the event. Figure that anyone under the age of 42 or 43 remembers nothing about the first moon landing. Subsequent landings perhaps, but maybe not the first one in 1969. Furthermore, we haven't been back to the moon in over 30 years. How many people alive today only know about these events via the history books?
Okay, I am no longer young but I haven't quite hit the jurassic era either. Still, when writing about events of long ago there is one thing that I must remind myself of regularly: don't assume that people know what you are talking about. This is true for whatever types of writings you do: spell out acronyms, expound your thoughts, and make it crystal clear to your readers what you are conveying. Your readership may be a lot younger, much less informed, or simply unable to grasp what you are trying to say. Give them background information even when it seems as if they should know what you are writing about.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Article Theft...What to do about it?
I have read several articles, blogs, and message board postings concerning the rise of article theft. Specifically, this is where your article is lifted from your site without your permission or pulled from a third party site.
In many ways I consider the internet to be the "Wild West" in terms of lawlessness. Ignoring established and set rules is common, meaning that us law abiding folks have our work cut out for us.
It may surprise you, but I don't take action in many cases of known article theft. Why? Because, I just don't have the time to police everything. I know of authors who check every link to their site, but that work is both tedious and time consuming.
A golden rule: If someone takes my article without my permission and the content and links are still in place, I don't worry about it. If they take my article and change the content, paragraph headers, the title, or steal credit for themselves, then I will contact the offending party and demand that they make the appropriate corrections. Even for links that are broken, I generally let these types of mistakes slide.
When it comes to writing, time is money. I only respond to egregious violations while letting everything else slip by. I would rather spend my time making money instead of losing that time to chasing down violators. No, my policy or "golden rule" isn't perfect, but it saves me from being bogged down in what I find to be a wasteful pursuit.
In many ways I consider the internet to be the "Wild West" in terms of lawlessness. Ignoring established and set rules is common, meaning that us law abiding folks have our work cut out for us.
It may surprise you, but I don't take action in many cases of known article theft. Why? Because, I just don't have the time to police everything. I know of authors who check every link to their site, but that work is both tedious and time consuming.
A golden rule: If someone takes my article without my permission and the content and links are still in place, I don't worry about it. If they take my article and change the content, paragraph headers, the title, or steal credit for themselves, then I will contact the offending party and demand that they make the appropriate corrections. Even for links that are broken, I generally let these types of mistakes slide.
When it comes to writing, time is money. I only respond to egregious violations while letting everything else slip by. I would rather spend my time making money instead of losing that time to chasing down violators. No, my policy or "golden rule" isn't perfect, but it saves me from being bogged down in what I find to be a wasteful pursuit.
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