Tips Guides

Your audience is hungry for information. But they want it in the right format. The format must be easy to read, easy to digest and easy to apply. If you deliver your articles the way your audience likes it, they will reward you by reading every article you publish.
They will even visit your website, sign-up for your ezine and eventually visit your product page just to receive more of your helpful information.

By writing short articles you can capture attention, gain more traffic, create more sales and most importantly, be helpful to people when they need it. Here are seven quick tips to help you format your articles and make them go the extra mile:

1. Question/Answer.

This is a popular format for everyone wants their questions answered in a 123 fashion. If only all questions could be answered in a numbered method. Discover your audience’s burning questions that you have the answers for. List the questions; write a short paragraph that answers each question. Write a short introduction and even shorter summary. There you have it. An easy to read and easy to digest short article answering your audience’s most pressing questions.

2. Problem/Solution.

I absolutely love this format. I myself have gotten tons of problems solved with this format, after reading someone’s problem/solution article. Therefore, many of my business problems that I solve become guess what kind of article? Yes. You are right; they become problem/solution articles. Simply describe the problem in one short paragraph and offer the solution in a one sentence paragraph below it. Or vice versa, describe the problem in a one sentence paragraph and give the solution in the longer paragraph.

3. Myth/Truth.

The myth/truth format is another format that I use often in my writing. I guess because there are plenty of myths to destroy in any field. No, really I don’t see it used as much as the other formats. So it becomes one of my attempts to be different. Also, you can easily convert other formats of yours or your favorite writer. For example, if you are inspired by another writer’s topic instead of plagiarizing their work simply turn their list of mistakes into secrets or solutions. Simply present the facts in your own voice and viewpoint.

4. Tips/Advice.

I think you know by now. I love writing short articles that help people. I mention that because I felt myself wanting to write, the same words at the beginning of this tip. You know, “I love the tip format.” This article is a great example of the tips format. I listed eight tips and short advice on how to accomplish the tip. So, list out your tips and write a short paragraph of advice to explain the tip.

Every one loves bite-sized, useful information. Why not join the Information Revolution, by writing short articles to promote your ezine, website, product or service. Your readers will enjoy receiving your expertise. They will make sure your articles go the extra mile by telling all their friends about your informative, helpful service.

5. Top Ten List.

A variation of the tips format is the top tips list. Your top tips list may consist of the Top Five, Top Ten, Top Seven or practically any number of ten or less. I have even written the single most important tip to help my audience focus. Sometimes, that one gets more attention than the other numbers, because it answers a desire in all of us that want it as easy as possible. It’s great if I can achieve it in a single step or even the 2 most important ways sound better than three or seven.

6. How To.

Just as we all want to achieve anything in the easiest way possible, we also like to be shown how to do anything and everything. My clients have often said to me, “Just give me 5 easy steps or 3 easy steps and I know I can do it.” I’m the same way, aren’t you? Format your article to teach something and offer easy steps to accomplish it. Again, list them and write a short paragraph explaining each step.

7. Ways/Secrets/Habits.

Another variation of the How-to article can be written in ways, secrets, habits, or things. I have even formatted one of my articles into weapons called “7 Weapons to Conquer the Giant Procrastination.” The weapons became how-to tools to overcome procrastination keeping you from writing your best book now.

8. Reasons.

Most people can understand any given topic better if they can know the whys or reasons that support it. Websites are becoming more and more popular across the globe. As a website developer, I wanted to help my clients understand strong reasons for them to get a website now. Yes. The article became, “10 Reasons You Need a Website.” Think of something you want to convince your clients of and write an article doing so. For a software developer wanting to sell more of his ebook creation software, his article became “18 Reasons to Write an eBook and Give it Away Free.”

Are you ready to discover how I get hundreds of articles published each year to promote my books and business to success?

Visit here How to Write a Book to receive FREE 7 lesson mini-course Put Your Article Marketing on the Speedway to Sales and 3 article writing templates!

When you have a website from which you want to earn an income, it is important to have informative articles that visitors can read. The information you present can lead them to clicking on any links to affiliate sites you may have or on the ads that help you earn money. It is costly to pay a writer to write the articles for you, especially if you plan to have an extensive site. However, there are ways of getting free articles that you can post on your site without violating nay copyright laws.

You should start searching online for sites that have articles that are free for you to use. One of these is Article City. This site has a huge index of articles on numerous topics. All you have to do is browse the menu on the right to find the category for which you need articles and contents that you can add to your site. It just takes a few clicks with copy and paste and you have a new page added.

On eth sites you find offering articles that you are free to use, you will also see Google ads offering the same thing. One of these ads you may notice is from ArticleDepot. This site offers a great selection of articles on just about any topic you can think of.

At the same time, if you are and want to drive more traffic to your website, you can submit articles you write to a free directory. There are many of these to choose from and you don’t have to pay a fee to become a member. These include the two websites mentioned above as well as many others. The more articles you submit to these free directories the more traffic you can generate to your website and this translates into higher earnings. With each new article you submit, you do a little promotion of your self and your site at the bottom leading visitors to visit your site.

These directories rate quite high in search engine results which gives you more visibility even if your website doesn’t rank very high. Readers of your article make a connection between you and the topic of your article. If you have several articles on the same topic on the same directory, you may even be regarded as an expert in that field.

You don’t have to stick to submitting articles to the same directory. When you submit to several of them you multiply your exposure. You should be aware that you cannot publish the same article on several sites. The team in charge of approving the articles will check to make sure that it is not duplicate material and may even disallow you from the site if you do this. You also have to make sure the articles you write are original and not copied from other places. This is plagiarism and is illegal. You can get ideas from other sites and rephrase thenm in your own words, but you are not allowed to copy and paste.

One of the best places to get free articles is the free article directory http://www.ArticleCircle.com This site offers free online articles on lots of different topics.

As an aspiring article writer there are several roadblocks you need to get past. Most article writers have banged their heads into these exact same obstacles. The truth is that most of them are really easy to get past.

1. My Writing Is really Bad
“I don’t write very well.” Is a very commonly used excuse. Frankly everybody feels like that now and then, but it’s just not true. You’re supposed to write an article not Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet.

Another common excuse is bad spelling. Well, that’s a really bad excuse. Pretty much any word processing tool on the planet has a build in spellchecker. Running your article through that should take care of most spelling errors. Even if you think your spelling is great you should still run your article through a spellchecker. Typos are more common than you think.

Right after spelling people will often mention grammar. Would you believe, in this day and age there are even tools that can help with that. If you don’t want to spend money on that have one or two friends or relatives look through your article. They will most likely be able to notice things that seem off.

2. I Don’t Have Anything New To Offer
Well, even if you’re absolutely certain that people know everything you have to say about a subject; tell it again. Tell them in your words. First of all I can assure you that there will be things they didn’t know. Second of all it never hurts to be told the same thing twice, but in different ways.

So even if you think you have nothing new to add to a subject you should still give it a go. More often than not there will be details here and there that someone else did not know.

3. I Don’t Know Enough About The Subject
Well, that might actually be a good thing. Writing about something you don’t know anything about means that you have to do some research. That will usually bring a sense of exploration to your article. In fact by simply looking at a topic with a fresh set of eyes you may notice things that nobody else thought about. Lack of knowledge should definitely not hold you back.

So you’re writing about a brand new subject, which means that you now have to do a bit of research. If you’re thinking that you have to spend hours at the library you’re wrong. Going to the library can’t hurt, but most of the knowledge you need is right at your fingertips. Make use of search engines and other tools to research your topic.

4. I Don’t Know What To Write About
Well, writing articles about a hobby or your business is an excellent to get started. That may span several potential subjects which can ironically make it even harder to determine the subject of a specific article. It’s a common error to think about something and then decide that it doesn’t warrant an article. More often than not it does.

If you’re looking for more inspiration than that you just take a look at the magazine rack at your store. In fact bookstores can also be excellent sources of inspiration. If something sells really well there’s a good chance that it’s a good topic to wrtie articles about.

5. Nobody Wants To Read What I Write
Yes they do. Really I don’t have to say more than that, but I’m going to anyway. In the world we live in today website owners are hungry for fresh material and will happily put your article on their website. Most article directories allow site owners to use the content as long as they credit the author. That’s an excellent way to plug your website and yourself.

Really, there are no excuses so get on with it and get writing.

Mike Nielsen is a web developer from Denmark dedicated to providing tools for other aspiring web developers and others looking to make a living online. At Web Construction he provides numerous resources to that end.

As a website owner there are plenty of good reasons for writing an article. One reason could be to get more content for your website. Another reason could be to submit it to article directories to get more traffic to your website. No matter what though there is one thing you will need to learn, and that is how to write articles. That’s what this…well, you guessed it, article is about.

When you have decided that you need or preferably want to write an article you have taken a very important step. However, A lot of people don’t get past the next hurdle. The next hurdle is simply put, what do I put in it? In other words what do I write an article about. Well if you’re running a website or a business the answer should be right there. Although non-writers like us have a tendency to think that “my topic will probably not warrant an article”. You need to get past that. Why wouldn’t your topic warrant an article? If you think it’s interesting there are bound to be others out there who feel the same way.

Researching articles can be a bit of a hassle. If you’re just starting out and you’re writing about a topic you know a lot about you can skip this step. However eventually you’ll want to write about something you don’t know that much about. Then you need to do a bit of research. I’m not talking about weeks of research here, but spending an hour or two learning about your chosen topic is definitely a good idea.

In this day an age there is software on the market that allows you to research a topic within a few minutes. A good google search is also a good way to get started. Your first article on a new topic doesn’t have to be very long. In fact if you pick one of the popular article types I’ll tell you about in a minute you will only need a few paragraphs of research material. Make sure you rewrite all the material you gather though. I don’t want to be encouraging plagiarism in any way.

When you get started you want to stick to one of the popular article types that I’ll tell you about shortly. In fact even as you get more experienced you’ll probably want to stick to them anyway. Anyway let’s get to it.

1. Top Ten Lists
Everybody loves a good top ten list. You get good information fast and as an added advantage they are easy to write. Top ten lists are among the most popular types of articles to write and very good starters if you’re still in the process of learning how to write articles.

2. Tips
These are very short articles. They usually follow the formula of stating a problem and providing the answer. These types of articles are usually around 4-600 words.

3. How To’s
Well actually this is a how to article. People are always eager to learn new things and how to articles come with that promise. These would typically be a bit longer than the Tips articles. try sticking to around 750 words and no longer than a thousand words.

4. Assessment
Is your computer infected by virus, Does your garden need fertilizer, etc. could be titles of assessment articles. They usually involve some kind of checklist the reader can go through. Quite often people will print these articles and go through the list. Not only do they offer excellent information for the reader, but they will also help the reader solve a problem or determine if he or she has a problem.

That was four of the most popular article types on the internet. In random order by the way.

Now you’ve decided what type of article you want to write and what the overall topic should be. Now it’s time to actually start writing the article, well, not quite yet. First I suggest you write down 10 subheadings on a blank piece of paper along with the main title of your article. These headings will form the content of your article once you get started.

Put the 10 headings into your text editor and start writing. You’ll need 3-4 sentences for each of them. Don’t stop to think about what you’re writing. This is the time to let your mind flow. Pour out your knowledge about your subheading.

After going through all 10 subheadings it’s time to edit your article. Yes, that’s right! you have now written your first article! Now you need to run it through a spellchecker. You’ll need to read it through to make sure what you’ve written makes sense, but when that’s done you’re ready to publish your article in any way you see fit.

At the beginning of this article I told you that you would have to learn how to write articles. If you’ve read all the way through it you should have and you should be proud of yourself.

Mike Nielsen is a web developer from Denmark dedicated to providing tools for other aspiring web developers and others aspiring to make a living online. At Web Construction he provides numerous resources to that end.

You won’t believe the exposure you can get as a writer and as the owner of a website until you submit free online articles to an article directory. Not only are these articles free for other publishers to use, it doesn’t cost you anything to register and start submitting articles. This is one method that publishers use to generate traffic to their sites, many of which translate into sales.

In order to keep a visitor when he/she clicks onto your website, you need to have valuable information related to the product or service you are offering. This could be something you are selling directly from your website or you could be an affiliate marketing driving customers to another site where they will make a purchase of which you get a percentage. Although you have articles on your site, you can write different articles and submit them to a free directory. The articles must be original and not published elsewhere, which means they cannot be duplicates of the content you have already published online. In the author bio section you include something about yourself and a link back to your website. These directories then submit your article to search engines and make them available to publishers.

You are not losing out by writing free articles for directories. In order for publishers to use your material, they must include a link back to the directory and the article will still have your name as the author. Now your exposure has increased yet again.

Free articles are a great way for a publisher that doesn’t have the inclination or time to write articles for his/her site. This person can browse the categories listed on the directory and then the articles within that category to find an article that suits he/her needs. The directory provides a link for the publisher to obtain both the plain and HTML text needed to place the article on the website. Then when visitors click on this page they will see the authors name and the link back to the directory from which they can visit your website. This is a win-win situation for everyone.

There are also free article directories where you can earn money from the articles you write. When you submit an article, you earn a percentage of the advertising revenue that the site earns from visitors reading your articles. This may only be a small amount per month, but the more articles you submit, the more money you make.

You can submit articles about the same product to multiple directors, but the content has to be different each time. You can also submit numerous articles to the same directory. Every article gives you exposure, so the more you write the more of an expert you will become in that field. The directories do specify that they have the right to remove any articles at any time and they may switch them to a different category than you specify if they feel that you material is better suited elsewhere.

One of the best places to get free articles is the free article directory http://www.ArticleCircle.com This site offers free online articles on lots of different topics.

Anyone who has a website for fun or profit can benefit from using a free article directory. This is a site where you can submit articles for free. You do have to register and become a member, but it doesn’t cost you anything to do so. Since the articles are free, webmasters can also avail of them to find free content for their websites. The only stipulation in using these articles is that you must retain the code that says the article is from the specific site you use. You cannot pass it off as your own work.

First let’s look at the benefit of using such a site for writers their own websites. When you write an article and submit it to a directory, you get instant exposure because this site submits its articles to all the search engines. Therefore, you don’t have to use up any of your writing time on this chore. However there are guidelines to which you must adhere before you can submit an article. The main guideline is that your article is original. The directory will search the Internet to make sure it hasn’t been published elsewhere and that you haven’t copied any of the information from another article. You must also include an Author Bio, which will give you and your website exposure because you can include a link to your website in this area. By submitting to a directory you also give publishers and webmasters permission to use your material.

Publishers and webmasters can use these free articles as content for their own sites. They also have to meet certain requirements in return for getting free material for their sites. They must agree to add a link back to the directory stating that this is where they obtained the articles. The author’s name has to be retained and publishers cannot pass the work off as their own. They must also notify the author as to where and how the article will be used.

All of the directories have a list of categories so you don’t have to browse every single article to find suitable material. When you find an article that suits your purposes, there will usually be a link at the top for Publish This Article and this will generate the plain text and HTML version of the article.

When submitting articles to a free directory, you have to be mindful of the material. Some directories will not permit the use of any profane language in the article or any material that is deemed to be racial in any way. Once you do submit the article, you have to wait for approval before it will go live online. There may be guidelines about how often you can use a specific keyword. You also have to include the keywords that will be used as metatags in the article.

If you are selling a specific product or want to promote the products of an affiliate, you can submit an article to several directories to increase your exposure. All the articles can be about the same topic, but they must use different wording so they do not appear as being the same article.

One of the best places to get free articles is the free article directory http://www.ArticleCircle.com This site offers free online articles on lots of different topics.