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If you are using article marketing to help drive traffic to your website you will need to come up with ideas for articles that people will want to publish and read. The quality of articles found on article directories can vary significantly so it is important that yours are among the best available for your article marketing campaign to be successful.
Website owners and web surfers like how-to articles because they are easy to read and they tell the reader how to do something in simple steps. You must be knowledgeable about how to do the task you are giving instructions for so it is best to stick with subjects that you are familiar with. There are many things that you know how to do though, so you should have a variety of subjects to choose from.
The first thing you should remember that you are the teacher. As the teacher your writing should have an authoritative tone. Keep your instructions clear and to the point. Make sure you use a simple writing style. This is not the place for flowery language.
Be clear from the beginning about the goal. Tell the reader how you are going to achieve that goal by summarizing the activity. Let them know what they will need to do this task.
Now start at the beginning and work your way through the task one step at a time. Bullet points or numbered lists can be helpful (remember that numbered lists should only be used if there is a sequential order or an order of importance). If you are not using a list, you can use transitional words like “now” or “next” to guide them.
When you are done make sure you re-read the text from the reader’s point of view. Assume that the task is completely new to them. Sometimes when we have done things many times before it can be easy to miss things that are second nature to you. It is very important to make sure that you do not use jargon and if there is not a simpler word for it make sure you explain the term.
If you are clear and concise you should have a good how-to article that guides the reader along every step of the way. You should read it several times to make sure that your instructions are clear. It can be a good idea to have someone who is not as familiar with the task read it over, as well.
Finally, before you publish it make sure that your headline is to the point and appealing. Your headline can make all the difference between people reading or not reading your article.
Article by Danielle
I'm a social media junkie and professional freelance writer living in small town Manitoba, Canada. I drink a lot of coffee and love my computer (named Garcia after Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds - the ultimate girl geek!), my kids, my husband, and my cats. In 10 years I hope to be that crazy lady travelling across Canada and the States with her three cats and her loving hubby. :) If you're interested in my professional services please visit my professional writer's site to find out more about my services or check out some testimonials from some of my clients.
has written 254 awesome articles for us at The Social Freelance Writer
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I totally agree with all the aspects written. Readers need to understand every word that a writer wants to imply especially in creating how to guides.