Tips from experienced writers

Hi,
I see there are so many experienced SEO writers here. Well I am a beginner into this work. So far I have observed the content writing websites listing the similar kind of instructions to the writers on to how to write and edit their work.
Generic points listed out would be that the articles should be unique and with good grammar.
Apart from that some aesthetics that needs to be followed in writing.
But what I am really interested to know is the real time suggestions which come out of experience on how to write the contents.
Please share your experience and points so that it would be a valuable input for beginners like me.
Thanks in advance

Hi all,
Expecting great replies from the members here

Absolutely essential:

1. Perfect spelling, grammar and punctuation - there is no excuse for any of this to be wrong.

2. Good sentence and paragraph structure.

3. Follow the customer's instructions to the letter. If you can't, then don't take the assignment.

3. Do not plagiarise, spun or otherwise.


Very important:

1. Research properly and use as many sources as you can.

2. Plan the structure of your article before you begin writing.

3. Make sure the article is interesting and readable

Following points 1 and 2 help with point 3.

There are two types of writers in this world, writers who make money and writers who stop writing.

Judging by the OP's Engrish, he's the latter.

I read my stuff twice. If my text does not support a 2nd read, then I know it's not worth it and I have to make something better.

I am not really an experienced writer but I have been ordering a lot of content from different people and what I generally look for is perfect English, without any grammatical errors, keywords optimized, affordable, interesting which can make the reader keep reading it for a while.

Apart from all the above...

Know your topic and learn it well if necessary. Your article will attract more intelligent people than you -- your article should at least make them pleased with the whole effort!

• A good title is a must
• Getting into the article and getting out of it should be a smooth and valuable journey for the reader
• Write to involve your reader with the main topic, points, and content, but don't let them get bored at any point in time
• Write short paragraphs, let the flow move smoothly
• Bullet-pointed text helps (but not always)
• Describe all important point in correct length

Do not let the content become too congested or too lengthy.

Add a human touch: involve the reader, talk to him, teach him, get him more interested, continue to the end and beyond with him... but don't make the length of the article go generally beyond 500 or 700 words,

...beyond that length, create "Part 2" of the article, and so on

Mix well the important keywords and LSI, sub-titles, bullet-points, etc. It's just like adding spices to food. Too much, or too little will spoil the taste

Remove all (or as much possible) fluff from the article

Finally, check what your article really gives the reader... The right answer to "What's in there for me?" is the key to a successful article. The article should be everything that should increase the intellectual appetite of the reader, and make the reader look for more from you in near future. The quality of the article should be such that it should be absorbing for the reader, and when he stops reading, he has definitely gained much from it. It should be such that a reader should come back to it again... in short it should be top-quality -- even if you're writing on dog food, or exotic birds, or a product review, or whatever... the article's job is to create a good relationship with your reader!

This is not the end to it though!

Then comes the peripheral important points -- on- and off-page SEO, etc. ... but at least for me, that's not that important!

hey there. As a writer in the making, I have been spending much time reading and learning new things around the niche I am most interested in. Personal development has been my main focus, but I do touch base on SEO topics and Social Networking. Currently well over 30 articles and several product reviews have been published to my website with many other mini articles published to forums.

Tips I can offer:
-Always be willing to learn
-Be ready to make changes to your style, and take criticism when its offered.
-Having a proofreader is always helpful, and I am fortunate to have a girlfriend who read book after book.
-Search your topic of interest and get ideas from top pages. Summarize your opinions and create a unique perspective.
-Ask for opinions! That has been the most useful part of forums I take part in
-Remember to effectively use Header Tags. Especially H1,H2,H3
-Bold and Italic font to highlight important keywords within your content.
-Use Several (5-10) websites to help you develop ideas. (Never Just One)

This is the best I can think of for starting off as new writer. These are areas I have been advised to focus on as well and have noticed improvement. Hopefully this helps you also!

Articles should be both informative and interesting to read. You also want to make them aesthetically pleasing. NO fluff! Keywords should be smoothly blended into the content. One problem I see a lot in articles is bouncing from first, second and third person throughout. You always want to be consistent.

Trepanated said:

Absolutely essential:

1. Perfect spelling, grammar and punctuation - there is no excuse for any of this to be wrong.

2. Good sentence and paragraph structure.

3. Follow the customer's instructions to the letter. If you can't, then don't take the assignment.

3. Do not plagiarise, spun or otherwise.


Very important:

1. Research properly and use as many sources as you can.

2. Plan the structure of your article before you begin writing.

3. Make sure the article is interesting and readable

Following points 1 and 2 help with point 3.

Click to expand...

Nice useful tips.

My best piece of advice is simply write something you would want to read. So many freelancers these days write boring BSand wonder why no one likes their stuff.

1. Don't do what your client says, especially if you've already gotten their money.
2. You're always right. No matter what.
3. Fluff up your articles as you wish, who cares right?
4. Overcharge as much as possible.
5. Make sure English is your 2nd (and if possible, your 3rd) language.

Do all five and the monies will roll in.

- A

Nice tips, i will apply this.

Aluminium said:

1. Don't do what your client says, especially if you've already gotten their money.
2. You're always right. No matter what.
3. Fluff up your articles as you wish, who cares right?
4. Overcharge as much as possible.
5. Make sure English is your 2nd (and if possible, your 3rd) language.

Do all five and the monies will roll in.

- A

Click to expand...

Hilarious man. Sounds like somone's been hiring "writers" from DP!

indiantechie said:

Hi,
I see there are so many experienced SEO writers here. Well I am a beginner into this work. So far I have observed the content writing websites listing the similar kind of instructions to the writers on to how to write and edit their work.
Generic points listed out would be that the articles should be unique and with good grammar.
Apart from that some aesthetics that needs to be followed in writing.
But what I am really interested to know is the real time suggestions which come out of experience on how to write the contents.
Please share your experience and points so that it would be a valuable input for beginners like me.
Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

From your user name I take it you are Indian.
No disrespect, I could tell from reading your post.
Your English is good but the style is stilted, visit as many UK/USA authority sites as you can and read articles from their top writers.
Look for the subtleties of English grammar and the difference in UK and US writing.
Remember, it isn't all about what you saying but also the way you are saying it.
Good Luck

Aluminium said:

1. Don't do what your client says, especially if you've already gotten their money.
2. You're always right. No matter what.
3. Fluff up your articles as you wish, who cares right?
4. Overcharge as much as possible.
5. Make sure English is your 2nd (and if possible, your 3rd) language.

Do all five and the monies will roll in.

- A

Click to expand...

Damn! I KNEW I was doing it wrong

I started training writers in 1976. The basics are obvious, but the best advice I've given them (in my opinion) is this:
Research the subject, and go over and over your source material until you understand it completely.
Then put the source material away (or, in today's world, close the browser window) and write. Don't go back to the source material until afterward - when you may need to confirm statistics, attributions, and so on.
If you've understood the material, you'll be able to write a good, unique, understandable piece in your own words.
If you feel the need to refer back to the source material while writing, you didn't fully understand it in the first place, and your article will reflect that fact. (And usually, it will suck )