What is the reason to write a good article?
I bet you know the answer – it is to attract visitors. The more visitors you have, the more authoritative your site becomes. In other words, the more traffic to your site, the better your chance to monetize it.
But, How to write a good article for a blog that would captivate your visitors right away?
In essence, you want to come up with readable content that is easy for people to comprehend.
We are going to cover a few steps, which if you apply, you probably will be able to craft a good quality article.
First of all, in order to create a good quality article, we need to do something prior to actual writing. We want to be able to concentrate.
We don’t want to be distracted and we want to be as efficient as possible.
When it comes to writing, there are some rules to follow which make the article readable and more attractive.
For example what kind of headlines to use (H1, H2, or H4…), what about smaller paragraphs, etc.
We will be looking also at some tips you will find helpful.
How to Start the Writing Process – Stay Focused
When you decide to start writing and you sit down in front of the computer, your mind is most likely not ready to focus purely on creating the perfect content.
That is perfectly normal.
Your mind probably searches for other ideas, such as checking your emails (again and every 3 minutes), watching YouTube, chatting with friends and/or with strangers, or you decide to go for a ride.
There is nothing strange about such behavior.
You have associated a sort of pain with the writing.
It is probably coming from high school where your teacher asked you to write an essay. Maybe from work where your boss told you to write a report.
Our brain connects such activities with a sort of pain.
No wonder our mind tries to find pleasurable stuff like watching YouTube or chatting. Subconsciously we just want to avoid the pain.
As a side note;
I am sure some people are able to concentrate on the writing right away. They have perfectly set their goals and they know exactly what to do and how to do it without any distraction.
If this is you, let me congratulate you, and please make sure to drop a line in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.
Here is, how to get into the process of writing
First of all, try to associate the process of writing with some pleasant outcomes.
For example, you know that your article will have a positive effect on your friends, visitors, and other people too.
And as a result of that, you will attract more visitors to your site, so your chance of monetization of that site increases.
So focus on this positive outcome and try to avoid shiny objects (YouTube, Facebook, cell phone, etc.).
Try to focus for 10-20 minutes. You can even listen to some music that inspires you or give you energy.
It might feel like a long time those 10-20 minutes.
But you want to see that period as an investment.
You can even write some note(s) on a post-it, and stick them on your monitor.
Something in this manner: “ Does this distract me from my goals?“
- If the answer is yes – Stop doing it
- If the answer is no – Good and go-ahead
If you do this every time you are about to write, your efficiency to focus will increase.
Don’t get me wrong, those “dark thoughts” will still come to your head, but you will be more able to control them (or just let them go since they have no value to you).
Soon you will be more focused down the road.
On the other hand, do remember that you will need a break.
You just can’t write effectively for 8 straight hours. You might burn out quickly.
Therefore give yourself a break.
Let’s say after working 60-70 minutes take a 10 min break. From time to time I use this simple countdown timer called egg timer.
Divide Your Ideas with Heading Tabs – Make Your Content Readable
You want to plan your article in advance.
With that being said, you want to start with the headlines (in WordPress Headings 2 and Headings 3 are also good for SEO) or in other words, segments.
Imagine that you are building a house. You have a plan. A drawing or layout.
You first start with a foundation.
Then you build up the walls and roof and at the end, you do the interior.
You do not start with the foundation and walls for 1 room, finishing it up to the roof…then the same process for 2nd room and the same for the kitchen afterward.
You build it systematically.
The same principle is applied in the creation of a good article. Create the basic sections of paragraphs of the article.
- Introduction
- Support – Support can be divided into two, three, or four parts.
- Conclusion
Once you have the framework done, you are coming to the writing process itself.
Process of Writing – Start Quick and Dirty
Quite often it happens that our thoughts do not last long.
So when you happen to get new ideas or hints, make sure to write them down. If you are not in front of your computer, use your cellphone.
Record the thought and play it when you are at your desk.
Then start writing it down.
Do not worry about grammar. Just write down as much as you can, while the thoughts keep flowing into your mind.
Generally speaking, please realize that every device starts with a prototype.
Most of the time this prototype looks ugly, but the main reason is to test the functionality.
The same principle applies to each new article.
This stage can be also called the development phase.
After you are done with this draft version, take a look at what you have written. You can even save this draft and get back to it later with a fresh mind.
Edit Your Content – Again -> Make Your Content Readable
You can start by editing your content even immediately if you feel like it.
If it is already midnight though, you probably want to go to sleep and take a fresh look in the morning – after breakfast.
You need breakfast.
Remember that our brain needs glucose.
So get to the writing whenever you feel it is the best time for you.
When you write, imagine that you communicate with a real person.;
So your content should be easy to comprehend. You can imagine that you talk to your friend:
- you are communicating with him,
- you are informing him about some new stuff.
- you want to make sure that he understands you.
In the end, take a look at your article as a whole.
When looking at your article make sure that it looks nice even ” from distance”.
You want to keep white space between the paragraphs.
Also, do not write a paragraph with more than 5-6 lines. You want to offer a space after 5 lines of continuous text.
In other words, you want to break the text into smaller parts, so it is easier to absorb the information.
Some Tips to Improve Efficiency
1) Colors
You want to have the article clean and easy to read.
Therefore it is highly recommended to use a white background and black or dark text on it.
It has been proven over and over again, that readers spend more time reading an article that is written with dark/black text on white background.
2) Create a New Version of Text
If you have time you can apply the following tip as well.
Write the same article from scratch but in a different way.
This tip I have found on the Jordan Peterson website.
In fact, if you are interested in how to write a good article then go to the website www.jordanbpeterson.com.
There in Online Exercise Section, you find the Writing Guide (accessible also directly from this link)
This principle reminds me of my beginnings as an engineer working with CAD systems.
I created a 3D model using CAD and sometimes it happened that the system just crashed. And I forgot to save the data, so I lost a good portion of my work.
So after I calmed down, I went to one quiet place where I was not distracted (most of the time it was the bathroom) and I started to think about how to remodel it.
In a few minutes, I have outlined in my mind the way how do I do that.
After this sort of meditation, I went back to my desk and I created the model much faster and also in a more elegant way.
3) Images
Last but not least, you want to use an image that is relevant.
You can check websites like www.pixabay.com or www.unsplash.com.
If you are not happy with the image and you would like to add there some text or add some shapes you can always go to the website called Canva and do some modifications. Canva is free.
When you upload the image to your website, make sure you add the Alt Text as I described in this article on how to rank your website.
Conclusion
You want to keep in mind a few fundamental things:
- Keep small paragraphs. No more than 5-6 lines, so it will be readable.
- Use headings. In most cases the reader will just skim through the text, reading only the headings. You want to catch his attention.
- Be sure to use a conversational way of writing.
- Dark text on white background.
- Also, use relevant images for your content.
We have covered how to prepare for writing, including some tips on how to avoid distractions.
Also try to find the peak productivity time zone, where you are the most effective. Where you can get into a flow state.
You might be effective in the morning, or maybe after 9 pm.
Use whatever works best for you.
After finishing your article make sure to read it again.
Preferably change the environment – go for a coffee or bookstore. Go outside and there read your article. If you are not happy with something, change it.
Let me know what issues you have had regarding the writing.
Also if you have any sort of questions let me know in the comment section below.
Thank you for reading
Cheers
Mike
