Seven Tips For Writing Effective Online Articles

By writing online articles, any business owner can generate traffic, raise rankings in the search engines, and establish credibility online. But not everybody can write a good online article. Here are seven tips to writing articles that succeed online.

Know your audience. Who are you writing for, and what information would they like to know? Are you writing for a techie audience, or trying to educate the general public? Your audience's needs will determine the tone of your article.

Keep it simple. Use language that's easily accessible-even if you're writing for a technical audience. The easier and more enjoyable your article is to read, the more people will identify with you-and become interested in your business.

Use sub-headings. People like to scan when they read online. Help them by using bolded sub-headings so they can skip to the parts of your article they're especially interested in. Long blocks of text may turn online readers off, but sub-headings make your article scan-friendly.

Avoid self-promotion. Online readers can smell an ad a mile away. Avoid promotional language about yourself or your product. You're not trying to sell here-you're trying to inform. An educational tone builds trust, but a salesy tone can drive info-seeking readers away. Most article directories will allow you to link back to your site in a resource box at the end of the article, and some reject articles that contain promotional links or language in the body.

Offer something of value. Even in short articles, offer expert insight. The web is crammed full of articles containing worthless filler and overstuffed with keywords. Instead, give good advice based on your own experience and knowledge. If you do this, you'll stand out from the crowd.

Your headline matters. The headline can make the difference between an article that gets read and one that vanishes into obscurity. There are several ways to write effective article titles. One of the best ways to do it-one that works especially well for the online format-is the "how-to" headline. These headlines tell readers what they can expect to learn from the article. Most online how-tos are arranged as lists of tips, like this one is. If this is the case for your article, use the number of tips in the title. For example: "Seven Steps to a Better Website" instead of "How to Build a Better Website."

Be brief. Online readers prefer things short and sweet. Most successful online articles are 600 words or below.

Write strong articles that offer valuable tips and insight, and you're sure to bring new business to your website. Article marketing is an excellent way to get your name out there, build trust and recognition, and generate new revenue.

Jennifer Williamson runs a successful business as an article writer in southern Pennsylvania, writing for clients all over the world. Find out more by visiting Catalyst Writing Services or checking out her writing blog.