How To Write a Great Article in Four Easy Steps

Building a website for your business or keeping a personal blog is easy as it has ever been. There are tools and services, such as WordPress, that make it possible to have your own corner of the internet up and running within a couple of mouse clicks; it is super simple. Filling those websites with engaging content without spending a small fortune is tricky, or is it?

Engaging content keeps readers hooked from start to finish. The reader may get through 1,000 words without even realizing it. That reader now becomes a regular visitor to your little corner of the internet and tells their friends and family about the great content they just enjoyed. Top-tier content creates a snowball effect for your readership numbers. This is brilliant if you only want eyes on your site but even better if you sell a product or service because each reader becomes a potential customer. How do you write such an article?

Start With a Catchy Headline or Title

Every superb piece of content starts with a headline or title that grabs the reader’s attention. Some people resort to clickbait titles, but there is no need to go down that route. It does not matter if you are writing an article about online sports betting tips, reviewing a product, or writing a personal blog; you need a good title.

Keep the title short but to the point; studies show titles with 6-to-13 words get the most traffic. Consider writing a title in the form of a question to which you know the answer will be yes! Or, perhaps, promise a solution to a common problem with a “Five tips…” or “How To…” type headline.

Begin Every Article With a Strong Hook

Your opening paragraph is your one and only chance to hook the reader, so it must be strong. Pose a question that the reader will want to stay until the end of the answer. Controversial statements or surprising facts immediately invest readers.

Keep Paragraphs Short and Succinct

Nothing is worse than clicking an article only to be greeted by a wall of text. People who see that almost always instantly click away because they think they do not have time to read so many words. That is not the first thought you want your readers to have. Keeping paragraphs short stops this from happening and promotes a quicker reading pace.

Many people are guilty of creating flowery prose when they write an article. Adding a little flair to your writing is all well and good but do not let it get in the way of you conveying your information.

Furthermore, using commonly used words instead of flowery prose is essential. A reader who has to use Google or a dictionary to understand what a word means is a reader who is no longer hooked on your content.

Similarly, try not to pair adverbs with weaker words when a stronger word works as well, if not better. For example, why use “extremely important” when “crucial” or “critical” conveys the same message and sounds stronger and better? The same is true for redundant word pairings. For example, something is “empty,” not “totally empty.”

Spell Check, Grammar Check, and Edit, Then Do It Again

Finding spelling mistakes in a piece of content is unforgivable, especially when spell checkers are built into all word processors. Check your spelling, and read your article aloud to see how it flows. Better still, use one of the many grammar checkers such as Grammarly; the free versions are capable of finding most significant errors.

Recheck your content once you have edited it. Do this a short time after the first edit so that your second readthrough is like reading a new piece. Follow these four steps, and you are well on your way to creating a superb piece of written content.