No matter what type of website you are writing articles for, following a few basic guidelines will result in articles that both read better and produce better results.
- Keep it Short. A promotional article is not a book. Stick to the accepted range of 300-500 words if the site you are promoting doesn’t have specified length details.
- Stick to What Matters. Focus on the details that are important. If there are many details available, break them out into groups and write more articles.
- Support Article Details With Resources. Authenticate any facts or statistics that are used. Stick to reliable sources. Your reputation is on the line.
- Support Information with Facts and/or Statistics. When it comes to reading a topic they enjoy,people are information junkies. Feed their need.
- Check links to make sure they’re correct.
- Be Professional. If the website owner provided keywords, use them. If there’s a deadline, make it.
- Use action words as much as possible, no matter the type of article. Avoid words like could and would. Use words like Do or Go.
- Use spell check before submitting or publishing the article. Spelling errors are the marks of an amateur.
- Give a call to action if your article is promoting a product or service. Tell the reader to “Click Here” or “Start Now.”
- Communicate. If you run into problems, contact the website owner. Maybe keywords need to be changed a little. Maybe there isn’t much information available and you need an extra day of research time.
- Create an email account just to use for article writing and remember to check it often. Keep emails on file. You never know when you might need to refer to them.
- Obey any guidelines the website client has provided. If they’re allowing you only one affiliate link, use only one. If they aren’t allowing any affiliate links, do not use any.
- When providing images, give credit where credit is due. As an author, you are entitled to your byline as long as you are not ghostwriting. Photographers and illustrators should receive the same courtesy.
- Original content only. Do not copy and paste someone else’s work. Not only is it unethical, doing so can cost you article writing jobs and affect your reputation as a website article writer.
Writing articles for websites is a good way to earn extra income and to build your reputation as a content provider. Paying attention to the basic guidelines will make you look good.
