Thursday, November 19, 2009

Article Writing Techniques Should Not be Forced

. Thursday, November 19, 2009
By Nigel Evans

In our information-based society, articles represent the lifeblood. It was once said that "content is king" and that has never been more correct, when it comes to website composition. People are flocking to the Web to learn and articles provide this source.

When considering article writing techniques, always remember that the article in its finished form must be "readable." In other words, it must make sense, not be artificially contrived, not contain an excess number of keywords and should leave the reader satisfied that he or she has actually learned something new!

Over the years, a number of different article writing techniques have arisen to satisfy various demands. Sometimes a "top 10" style is utilized, other times a "how-to" approach or even a straightforward, bulleted list takes the place of a conventional approach. The style of the webpage in question will normally dictate the ultimate formality of contents.

Google and the other search engines make no secret about the fact that they place great value on well composed content. When they electronically analyze a piece, they use a process called latent semantic indexing to check whether the article itself relates to the title. There should be a variety of secondary keywords contained within and the search engine will use its vast database to check for their presence. if these words are not present, the article will be marked down.

A normal article is between five and eight paragraphs and averages about 500 words or so. This is certainly typical for articles which may be found throughout the Internet. Open your article with a paragraph summarizing the content and then spend 3 to 5 paragraphs expanding on a single point per paragraph, closing with a summation.

Different authors have different article writing techniques but all should follow good practice. Content should not represent a pure "salesy" approach, even though it can be argued that the majority of websites have an ultimate commercial purpose. There is always a time and place for an appropriate pitch and competent writers will focus on good service first and foremost.

From an SEO perspective, make sure that your article is well structured and has a good sprinkling of secondary, or LSI-type keywords. If you really know your subject you will not need to worry about this ultimate form of optimization. Subject experts will be able to provide an informative article naturally.

As we go forward, quality content will be scored ever more highly by the search engines. Webmasters who are content only with optimization and pay scant regard to quality will be penalized. There will surely be a sharp focus on article writing techniques as the demand for high-quality content increases.

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