Article writing best practices in 2020

When it comes to writing articles, most of us can mix up a few paragraphs from various sources on the internet and come up with readable content – without using much time and effort. How hard can it be, right? And the World Wide Web is already filled with tons of articles on the same topic. Your article will just play the part of a multiplier.

Yes, the internet is filled with billions of pages containing content on different subjects. However, an SEO study in 2017 by Ahrefs saw that almost 94.3% of pages out of two million surveyed don’t get even a single visitor from search pages. Google has also made it clear that they will penalize the websites containing duplicate content and of course – give more exposure to websites containing quality material.

And this is where being good enough may not make the cut!

If you are a content marketer or providing article writing services, your goal is clear: write high-quality content that drives more traffic/leads to your website. But even if you are a hobbyist and writing for fun, your content should be interesting for the readers, be informative, and valuable.

In this blog post, let’s take a look at some tips that will help you brush up your article writing techniques.

Table of Contents

1. The shorter and the plainer, better – Beatrix Potter. 1
2. Keep things informal – T. Boone Pickens. 2
3. If it doesn’t add value, it’s a waste – Henry Ford. 2
4. Accuracy builds credibility – Jim Rohn. 3
5. If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist – Jimmy Wales. 3

1.    The shorter and the plainer better – Beatrix Potter

Most internet users are looking for fast answers to their queries. And prefer reading short paragraphs instead of lengthy ones that potentially include unnecessary opinions about the subject.

It is also said that the readers have a short attention span. In fact, our reading attention span is roughly 8 seconds. And this is shorter than a goldfish!

This means that rather than writing long paragraphs, break up your article in short and visually appealing paragraph. Add bullets, images, and Infographic to provide clarity in your content.

And don’t worry about meeting the word count as well. Some topics can be explained in 100 words while a 1000 word blog may not be sufficient for some. Just let the words flow and focus on ways your idea will be more effective to the readers.

2.    Keep things informal – T. Boone Pickens

A formal language, full of flowery and overdone vocabulary may be suitable for academic purposes but if you are writing for a web audience – try using a conversational style of writing. This will make you feel more like a person in front of the readers and help them build a connection.

This means that you:

• Increase the use of ‘U’ and ‘I’ in your article
• Use simple and easy to understand words
• Use active voices instead of passive ones
• Keep it short
• Ask the audience questions
• Use examples from real life
• Tell stories

Of course don’t make this an excuse to throw away everything you learned about grammar rules. Yes, you may be able to get away with a few grammatical mistakes, but the reader is always critical. So make sure to proofread your work before submitting it for publication.

3.    If it doesn’t add value, it’s a waste – Henry Ford

As mentioned above, the internet is filled with fluff. And it doesn’t require more of it! Taking the easy path – where your content lacks the substance it needs to engage the audience – will get you nowhere. It is just a waste of time, effort, and resources.

When you write an article, think about what the readers NEEDS to know and WANTS to know!

Answer a question, give ideas, solve a problem that the customer is facing – give a new spin to the information that is already available on the internet to attract more readers.

Simply put, don’t write for the sake or writing. Instead, write for the people and give them knowledge that no one has yet given.

4.    Accuracy builds credibility – Jim Rohn

Many of us must have seen the movie Shattered Glass that illustrated Stephen Glass’s scandalous career of publishing articles with fabricated information.

And what about James Frey, the author and the subject of the biography A Million Little Pieces. The writer admitted filing his memoir with fiction content in the Oprah Winfrey show. Thus, despite writing several good books, he is remembered for his illicit tactic that permanently damaged his career.

Similarly, when you write content for a business page, it is read by hundreds and thousands of potential consumers. Filling the pages with inaccurate content can create a negative impression of your business and ultimately people view the product with a critical eye.

Here are some tips to enhance the credibility of your written content:

• Write unbiased and non-promotional content
• Cite all the information/statistics/facts you use in your content with credible sources
• Use attribution phrases, especially when linking a fact with the original source
• Link content with other industry experts
• Avoid hype

5.    If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist – Jimmy Wales

They say a worst place to hide a dead body is on the second page of Google. Yes, it may seem hilarious, but it is factually true.

According to Moz, 71% upto 92% traffic is held by Google’s first page results. Also 67.6% clicks are acquired by first 5 results.

Whether you are writing to gain more consumers or solely for the purpose of entertainment, you are making the effort! Then why bury your content in the end pages of Google where it may remain unnoticed.

Instead, tune up your SEO game, research your keywords, optimize your website according to Google’s requirements and aim for the first page of search engine results.

Writing great content is not a day’s effort. Even the top article writers went through weeks, months, and an even year’s worth of struggle before they managed to hit the reader’s soft spot. However, being consistent with your efforts and practicing your skills till perfection goes a long way in creating the perfect article.

So brush up your skills and don’t forget to integrate the above practices in your strategy. Good luck!