How to Use Your Writing Skills

Did you know that a skilled article writer can earn at least $50 per hour? Here's how you can learn to create outstanding content.

Start reading the best copywriting blogs. Begin with Copyblogger and Contently, and then move on from there.

Do your research. Run a relevant Google search, and then examine the top 10 articles that show up in the results. Write down the top ideas; you may want to use some of them as a base for your own content.

Store all your content ideas in a special folder; that's what I do. Whenever the inspiration strikes, I create a brief document which includes the article title and a quick outline. This way, I can always create good content - even when I am plagued by the dreaded writer's block.

Use Soovle to generate headlines that are gathered for you using some of the best-performing content from Wikipedia, Yahoo, Bing, Amazon, eBay, and other web portals.

Make use of short paragraphs, the way I am doing it in this article. People will leave if you force them to read large chunks of text, while shorter paragraphs will increase readability.

Use bullet points whenever you create a list; your readers will be much happier anytime you can break down the information in smaller chunks.

Optimize your articles for search engines. Avoid keyword stuffing, of course, but ensure that the base keyword and other related words are included in your content at least once or twice. Search Google for your target keyword, and then examine the suggestions at the bottom of the page to get more ideas.

Do not bore your readers. If a word can be deleted, then do it! People love to read short, easy-to-understand sentences, so do your best to please them.

Always use relevant images. Some people incorporate images in their content because they think that this will please search engines. Nothing could be further from truth! If the image supports the article, providing more information, then keep it; otherwise, make sure to dump it.

Don't allow distractions to get in the way. Some people claim to be more productive while listening to music; feel free to do that if it helps. But don't multitask, because if you do this, your content will suffer. You can't create high-quality content without giving it your undivided attention. So, move the phone away from your desk, turn off the TV, and then start writing.

It's okay to include links in your content, but don't overdo it. Add hyperlinks which lead to sites that provide additional information, but don't incorporate ten links in each content piece.

Edit your articles after 24 hours or more; I have noticed that I can't find my own mistakes until I take at least a day off. This doesn't mean that you should write an article, and then wait for a day until you move on to the next one; instead, write five or ten articles today, and edit them all tomorrow.

Many people use timers to increase productivity. I needed about 30 minutes to write this article, but your mileage will probably vary. So, fire up a timer, and then see what you have managed to accomplish after half an hour of work.

I hope that these tips will help you create articles that grab your readers' attention, making them take action. And don't forget that content which stands out is never boring :)