There is no real secret to how to write an article, yet constructing a successful formula is something asked by budding writers, new website owners, small businesses, junior journalists and more on a regular basis. Many factors influence how to write an article, from the subject matter to the audience, the platform on which it’s hosted to the research material available.
This guide on how to write an article will provide a basis from which to begin, focusing on targeting an online audience. Beware, however, that challenging the conventions of how to write an article may prove the most effective means of gaining a loyal following or attracting attention. Like all pieces of art, writing should be challenging and prompt a response from its audience. Taking a risk and creating website copy that is unique and interesting could well prove the route to success.
Identify your audience
Knowing how to write an article is as much about knowing your audience as it is about good grammar, accurate spelling and interesting content. You may write a fantastic article about birthday cakes, but if your audience is interested in music festivals, your article will sink like a stone.
Research what your target audience is interested in: what search terms are they using; are they male or female; what language do they use; what are they sharing? Social networks and such tools as Google Analytics have made it easier than ever to capture details on web users. Knowing your audience and its likes/dislikes will make it simple to select a subject matter when looking at writing an article.
Select a topic
The topic for your article will largely be dictated by the nature of the website. If your website deals with DVD sales, you will be able to think of a number of topics involving movie reviews, actor biographies, etc. Even for a niche subject matter, you will be able to ascertain a particular angle for your article by carrying out the next step in our guide of how to write an article.
It’s worth remembering, however, that once you’ve selected a topic, you do all you can to avoid deviating from the subject matter. It’s all too easy to head off on a tangent and lose focus – and the interest of your readers.
Research thoroughly
Knowing the subject you’re writing about is essential. Knowing it better than anyone else a bonus. By carrying out extensive research on the topic of your choice, you will soon become an authority on the subject and will have readers turning to you for more. This not only ensures a loyal following, but your website will benefit from increased links and regular traffic. In fact, if you know your subject matter so well, you’ll soon be writing your own ‘how to write an article on…’ article!
You should also set aside time to research what internet users are searching for around your topic. Keyword analysis is simple to carry out and effective in identifying what search terms are popular, as well as alerting you to any gaps in the market.
Edit effectively
Google set in motion a huge change in content production with the Panda and Penguin updates. The focus now is on high-quality content. This means you can no longer simply publish copy that has been put together in a rush, is full of errors, and is, in the eyes of users, irrelevant.
Take the time to edit your work; leave it for a few hours and return with fresh eyes; or perhaps get a colleague to read through it to sanity check the contents. The best option is to write a detailed brief which you can pass to experienced copywriters. Quality writing is a skill that comes about through hard work and dedication to the craft, so there’s no shame in outsourcing the work to someone with the right background.
Review and publish
Once your article is online and – hopefully – attracting healthy viewing figures, you should take the time to review your work. Take a look at the number of visits, comments, shares, bounce rate, time on page, etc. If your article has performed poorly, revisit the stages of production and look for where you went wrong; if it performed well, repeat the process and look to establish goals for each piece of work. Whatever you do, don’t give up on your content. You may well strike gold next time around.
Knowing how to write an article is a skill in itself. Invest time for preparation and production, and you could soon see your website copy performing better than you ever hoped.
