Writing Articles: 7 Steps to Get Started
Introduction
I have written this article because good quality content has become more and more important on the internet and I am passing on my own experiences. This article will not make you an author overnight, but it is meant to demonstrate how you can get started writing an article.
Why is content so important?
If you’ve been on the internet in the last few months/years, you’ve seen the phrase “content is king”. This refers to the fact that major search engines frequently change their algorithms, which means that new factors become more important in getting high rankings on these search engines.
Over the years there have been all sorts of factors like exact match domains, page rank, backlinking, social bookmarking, etc.
Throughout all of this, one of the most important factors remains good quality content and this will become increasingly important. This was reiterated by Google’s Matt Cutts in a recent video asking him about backlinks and content. He was very careful to say that backlinks will still be very important for years to come, BUT good quality content will be even more important.
These are the steps I use to write an article:
1. Select a topic you like or know something about
This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you’re looking to build a site that will last for years, since you’ll be writing content, it will be easier to continue the momentum if you have the passion.
2. Select a theme that changes frequently
It’s easier to continue writing new content if there are a lot of changes. A good example is internet marketing, where it can be difficult to keep up with the changes.
For me, another good example is sports, which I follow daily. One sport in particular that I really like is association football, where a lot happens on a daily basis. There was recently an incident in English football where I read a very good article in the press. In fact, I was so impressed with the article that I did some research and wrote to the correspondent, who kindly wrote back and congratulated me on my article.
That gave me an idea, where I could build a soccer website, write a monthly newsletter and invite readers to comment. If you listen to the radio you will always find people who are passionate about their clubs and players and want to air their views.
Bingo: I build a soccer website, write current affairs articles, invite readers to comment, and monetize the site. What better way to earn money than by doing something I enjoy.
3. Write about what you have learned
Most of what I have learned about internet marketing is self taught.
For example, a year ago I didn’t know anything about video marketing even though I knew it was very important.
I started learning by researching and watching FREE trainings on the internet, which is why now I make videos in different formats.
That made me think that I should write an article on the subject and make a video. Initially, I was reluctant, as can be, as I thought, “Other people know a lot more than I do.”
That’s true, but the experts won’t necessarily walk you through the basics.
4.Investigation
Fortunately, there is a lot of information available on the Internet. Be careful, as you can’t copy other people’s work, but you can search for ideas.
For example, if you are interested in dog training, type it into one of the search engines and you will be flooded with ideas. Search forums, article directories, Wikipedia, Google news, etc.
I am a big fan of the Amazon Kindle and you can find many free eBooks that will give you ideas.
5. Divide the topic into chapters
This will make the task easier, remember the quote: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”
For example, if you are writing an article on search engine optimization, it might have the following chapters:
1. Introduction
2. What is SEO?
3. What are the benefits of SEO?
4. How you can use SEO
5. Closing
6. Styling
This is very important. You are not writing an article for the national press, so it is a less formal style. Don’t worry too much about perfect grammar at this stage, just put the ideas down on paper.
Although people are ready to read a long book, their attention spans are shortened on the Internet. Divide the article into short sentences and short paragraphs.
Tell the reader about your own experiences; You may not think this is important, but it is. You are proving that you are human and they feel that “you are one of them”.
Use quotes. I just went to the search engines and found this quote from Robert Benchley:
“It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because I was too famous at the time.”
7. Leave the item overnight
Once you have written the article, leave it overnight as it will look different tomorrow and you may want to change it.
Also you may have some more ideas. I confess that I have woken up in the middle of the night and have written some ideas in a pad. How sad is that?
Conclution
I hope you found this useful to help you write articles.
Normally an article only needs to be 400-500 words, but this one is over 800 words and I wrote it in just under an hour.