Using Articles for SEO - Writing Your Article

Continuing our lesson about article marketing for SEO, let's talk about how to write your article.

In truth I can't tell you how to write your article, because your writing style is different from mine (just like your personality is different from mine).

But I can offer the following guidelines for crafting high-performance articles:

1. Make sure your article follows some sort of logical flow. Choose a path (step-by-step, top ten, a series of related items, chronological order) and stick to it throughout your article.

2. Optimize your article for online reading. Use short paragraphs, meaningful sub-headers, list, bullets, etc. Keep your language simple (Hemingway, not Faulkner).

3. Keep the article reasonably short so it can be comfortably read or perused online. Aim for 500 - 700 words, but don’t obsess over those numbers.

4. Write your first draft, then put it aside for a day or so. Come back and revise it for tightness and logical flow. Ask yourself the questions below:

Questions to ask about your article:

• Does my article suggest a benefit in the the title and first paragraph?
• Does it move the reader forward smoothly and logically?
• Is it Web-friendly (easy-to-read paragraphs, lists, sub-headers)?
• Does it stick to one topic, sharply focused?
• Does it deliver on the promise made in the title?
• Is the information genuinely helpful to my key prospects?
• Does the article position me as an expert?
• Is it free of typos and grammatical mistakes?
• Is it lively and interesting? Does it have personality?
• Does it speak directly to readers (using "you" and "your")?

Next lesson: How to create your title.

Until then...

-Austin SEO Guy