Article Writing - A new perspective

Most website owners learn quickly that article writing is an essential tool for promoting their site. Being the owner of an article directory, I review article submissions and have developed a whole new perspective on what a good article should or shouldn't contain. Hopefully my perspective will aid writers in developing articles that are appealing to the reader.

Writers sometimes seem to forget that their articles can provide benefits beyond search engine ranking. A search engine doesn't care about content or intelligibility but readers do. An article placed in prominent directories can receive a considerable number of views if the title and description are enticing. Once enticed, your article must keep the attention of your reader focused throughout the entire article. The resource box at the end of your article is like your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you have given the reader good information and properly stimulated his curiosity, then he will visit your site. Congratulations, your writing skills have just accomplished what you wanted a search engine to do. Make certain you write articles that are intriguing and easy to read. Embrace the reader's trust by giving them the information they came looking for. If the reader finds what he is looking for and has a pleasant experience in the process, he is likely to visit your site.

In today's world people are bombarded by information. Our attention span grows shorter each day and as a result your article has to be immediately engaging. Anything that requires your reader to stop and think about what he has just read will likely stimulate him to move on. If this happens, your resource box may as well be on another page. With a quick scan of the title and first paragraph, I can generally determine the quality of an article. A first sentence that should have been three or four sentences, or at least had a few commas, lets me know immediately that I'm in for a tough read. Save some of your information for the rest of the article. If you tell me everything I need to know in the first sentence, then why should I read the rest of the article? Make your opening sentences concise and intriguing. Compel your reader to read the rest of the article.

Adjectives and adverbs are a great tool as long as they are used correctly. There should never be three or four adjectives or adverbs for a single noun or verb. In most cases a single adjective or adverb will do a better job. Suppose I told you this was the best greatest most magnificent and outstanding article ever written. (Sorry, I almost lost you didn't I?) Obviously, "best" is the only adjective I needed. By definition, there is no better than "best". Believe it or not, I review a lot articles that are packed full of redundant, confusing and boring adjectives and adverbs. Avoid this mistake, use the correct descriptive word and your reader will get it. Any more and you'll loose your reader to boredom or even worse a lack of confidence in your abilities.

I plan to continue this advice in additional articles, but in the meantime, consider the following:

1. Do not use run on sentences.
2. Comma's are free. Use them. Readers seldom have the patience to figure out what you're trying to say.
3. Use the correct descriptive words. Adding descriptions to descriptions will cost you your reader.
4. Use proper grammar. If necessary, get help.
5. Check your spelling. Watch out for software that fills in words for you. Type in "ant" instead of "and" and everywhere you meant to have the word "and" you will find the word "ant".

Put the reader first. Make your articles intriguing, informative and easy to read. Your reader will reward your efforts with a visit to your website.