Writing articles for your online business not only draws traffic to your site, it builds strong inbound links and labels you as an expert. But knowing how to write a successful article that ultimately gets read and holds a reader's attention can be a challenge for most writers.
If writing articles isn't your forte, there are plenty of ghostwriters available that will write your articles for a reasonable fee, there is also the option of using PLR (private label rights) content, however if you don't mind writing your own articles but just need a little boost with how to get them noticed and read, here are a few tips that will help:
- Create intrigue by writing a title for your article that will peak the reader's curiosity. For example, a title that reads "How to lose weight" won't get as much attention as a title that reads " Fast weight Loss without Starving"
- Compose an opening paragraph that describes what your article is about yet encourages the reader to keep reading. Connecting on an emotional level can generally keep them involved.
- Internet readers don't typically read; they scan. Because of this, it's best to keep your ideas short and to the point. A paragraph should not contain more than 2-3 sentences. It's also a good idea to use bullet points when appropriate; it helps readers easily scan your page.
- Don't use big words. Keep your article at about a 5th to 6th grade reading level. This allows for faster reading and easy understanding.
- Use an active voice instead of a passive voice. Here's the difference:
Active – The dog bit the boy
Passive -The boy was bitten by the dog
If you have MS Word here's a feature that I use to keep my articles and web copy easy to read:
1. Open an MS word document
2. Click on 'tools' then 'spelling & grammar'
3. Click on 'options' and check the box for 'show readability statistics'
4. Check the box ‘show readability statistics’
When Microsoft Word finishes checking spelling and grammar, it can display information about the reading level of the document, including the readability scores outlined below. Each readability score bases its rating on the average number of syllables per word and words per sentence.
You will receive a score for each of the following:
Passive sentences – Are your sentences written in a passive or an active voice.
Reading Ease – The ease of readability
Grade level – Text is rated on a U.S. grade-school level. For example, a score of 8.0 means the document reads at an eighth grade level. When writing articles, try to aim for a score of 5.0 to 6.0.
Happy Writing!
You May Also Find These Interesting...
