I’m very sure you know the importance of well written articles in today’s blogs and internet based companies. In fact, the role it plays on a website is totally immeasurable. If you have a website or a business that has an online presence and you’re not using articles to power it then, you’re really killing your business.
NOTE: I will announce the winners of my last giveaway at the end of this post so, stay tuned:).
Articles have been proven to be the main driving force in publicizing a website. It is a key factor in boosting a site’s ranking on the search engines and, we all know that the higher a site ranks on the search engine result pages, the bigger slice of the traffic flow pie he gets.
However, it is not just about stuffing your site with articles; there are some basic requirements your articles must have as well in order to get you your desired results. These requirements must be met to obtain the maximum benefits an article will provide for your site.
A well written article will catch the eyes and interest of your customers and keep them coming back for more. They would also be able to recommend your site to others and, you know there is a huge benefit in mouth to mouth advertising.
In this post, I will share with you the top 5 things your articles must possess in order to fully perform its roles. Let’s dive in.
1. Write Interesting and Engaging Articles: I used this as the number one because it’s the most important. In as much as you’re advised to always write for your blogs, you cannot be publishing crappy articles on your blog and expect people to read it…NO, it doesn’t happen that way.
Your articles must be regarded as good reading materials and, they must be able to entertain people as well as provide helpful information and solutions for their needs. Articles should also be well written with correct spelling and good grammar. If you want people to trust you, make your work good and well thought out that way, you will earn their respect and trust.
People respond well to figures, facts and statistics. Try to get great information and as many facts as you can. A good and well written article will boost your reputation as an expert in your chosen niche. As more people believe in you, they will be able to trust you and your products which will mean more $$$$$$$$$$$ J.
2. Use Eye-Catching Headlines: This is also a very important fact. If you’re not using enticing headlines on your articles then, no matter how interesting the article is, people will never read it. It has been proven that people responds better to contents with great headlines and bad articles to contents with great articles and bad headlines.
In my own opinion, it’s very advisable to make both your headlines and articles well engaging because, it’s your headline that will first determine if a visitor will read the article or not. And, even if the headline is great but the article is nonsense then, the visitor might read it but, you will end up killing your reputation because, he will be disappointed at the end.
So, it’s vital to make both your headlines and articles awesome. There is a free tool I discovered lately that can help you to craft amazing headlines; you can check it out by clicking HERE. Please, don’t forget to come back and tell me what you think about the tool.
3. Use Proper Keywords and Keyword Phrases: I don’t need to start telling you the importance of optimizing your articles for the search engines because, I’m sure you already know about that.
It’s advisable that some of your articles are centered on a particular keyword and keyword phrases. This is simply because, as each website visitor goes to a site, there are those who are just merely browsing but actually looking for a specific something. When this happens, a searcher usually goes to a search engine and types in the keywords they are looking for (e.g. Managing Budgets, Dog Training, Quitting Smoking, etc). It could be anything they want.
The Important thing is that you have an article that has the keywords that are related to your niche. For example, if you maintain a self help blog, you must be able to create articles about Habits and other things that are related to that niche.
There are many tools in the internet that can assist you in determining what keywords and keyword phrases are mostly sought out. You can use this tool to determine what keywords to use and write about. Check out the link below to see where I mentioned such tool.
Recommended Reading: Long Tail Pro: The Best Keyword Research Tool Ever
4. Be Mindful of Keyword Density: Keyword density is the number of times a keyword or keyword phrase is used on an article. The number varies depending on the number of words used on the article. An effective article must have a keyword density that is not too high or too low.
With a very high density, the essence of the article is lost and may turn off a reader, Google and other search engines might also see such an article as spammy. It comes off as overeager. On the other hand, a low number may be ignored by the search engines.
Know that you have your keywords and keyword phrases, and you must use them fully. An article must have good keyword density for a search engine to “feel” its presence. The percentage of your keyword density will depend on the number of words your article contain so, use your keywords wisely and, make sure you’re not sounding spammy.
5. Link To Other Of Your Articles: This is also very crucial. When writing your articles, ensure that you also perform internal linking by linking to other articles you’ve published before that is also related to what you’re writing.
This will boost the exposure of the article been linked to and search engines also love this act. It is also advisable to link out to other people in your niche. Just make sure the article you’re linking to relate to the topic you’re writing about. This will give your readers more information on the topic as well as helping you to build the relationship to the person you linked to his article.
And, in some case, some people might return the favour by also linking to your own articles and as you know, this also will increase the chances of the article for ranking on the search engine result pages (SERPs).
I hope you agree with me on this post but, I will also like us to take the discussion further via the comment section. Please, comment and tell me your own point of view, I love reading your comments.
Please, also tweet and share this post with your friends if you enjoyed it.
Giveaway Winners
The winners of my last giveaway are
2. Maneesha
Photo Credit: freedigitalphotos.net
Claudia Carbis says
Hi Theodore Nwangene,
Great sound about Articles ! I do agree with fifth point “Link To Other Of Your Articles” it’s really nice & true ! There is is much benefit to make link a article with another article ! It will help to increase traffic on article.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Claudia,
I really appreciate your visiting my blog and, I’m happy you agreed with what i shared. Thanks a lot and do have a great weekend. Hope to see you around some other time.
Chadrack says
Hi Theodore,
This is indeed a killer of an article! Every point is right on target and I must say this is a recipe that every blogger must master if they want to roll out high performing articles every time.
Btw. thanks so much for the mention. I truly appreciate.
Also that headline tool is truly amazing. Besides that tool there are so many other tools on that site and I couldn’t help myself moving round the site with amazement!
Thanks for sharing my brother.
Theodore Nwangene says
You welcome my man,
I agree with what you said and yes, inboundnow is a great tool with many other tools joined together. I’m happy you like it man :).
Thanks for the visit and, enjoy your weekend.
Harleena Singh says
Hi Theodore,
Ah…me a winner- WOW! How did that happen? What did I do? Well, thanks so much I would say 🙂
Coming to the post, I think you mentioned all the vital factors that are needed to write an interesting post, and if you miss out on any of these, then your post suffers in more ways than one.
I do have one question though, and that’s about keyword density. While I know that keyword variations are what we need to use more than the real keywords – what specific keyword density is usually recommended? I ask this because some people or posts say it should be 2%, some say just 1%, some say more, some even less than 1%. And now lately, some even say you just need to add or repeat them 4-5 times in a long post, and that’s enough. It all gets so-so confusing as to who to follow and who not to follow. Also, all these people I talk about are probloggers who have been blogging for years. I wonder if they do the same as they say, or is this all a thing of the past.
I must check Inboundnow – it does seem interesting, and yes, if your posts are not interesting or they don’t make your readers top and want to read further, you might lose such readers also. Headlines or titles are the main factor that bring people to your blog, especially newbies, so they better be catchy ones.
I agree about the internal and external links within the post too, and though they take a little time because I usually do them manually so that even the older posts get a breath of fresh air, they are surely worth it.
Thanks for sharing these great tips with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Theodore Nwangene says
Hello Harleena,
I really understood your question and, I’ve also seen such tips many times from pro bloggers. I normally go with the 1% percent keyword density on longer posts although, i don’t normally calculate it all the time but, I’m always very careful when I’m using those keywords and their variations.
If i write a 1000 words article, i always try to have my keywords appear 10 times or close to that on the entire post and that is approximately 1% but, the point is that we all have what we believe in either by experience or by what we’ve heard or read before on that particular thing. So, i must say that all the pro bloggers that said either 1, 2, 1.5 etc % are all right in their own view since its what is working for them.
Yea, I’m sure you will find Inboundnow very handy man, i love that tool 🙂 and please, don’t forget to tell me what you think about it. I also performs my internal external linking manually and, i agree with you that it takes a lot of time indeed. I don’t know of any tool that does it automatically, let me know if you found any :).
Thanks a lot for sharing your awesome opinion with us Harleena and, have a fabulous weekend :).
Codrut Turcanu says
hi Theo
I’d say that writers should be aware of the catchy titles trend… which I see most people fall for… they confuse catchy with spammy or hype.
What I’m trying to say is that you should make your title believable in the first place, and always use your main targeted keyword. One thing is to show excitement and another to exaggerate your claims, isn’t it?
Congrats for giveaway lucky winners! 🙂
Theodore Nwangene says
I quite agree with you Codrut,
It’s always good to use a believable titles in as much as it should be catchy because, there are those things we normally say that there are too good to be true so, we bloggers should also be mindful of such claims as, it might also kill our reputation.
Thanks a lot for stopping by Codrut, so good to have you here again.
Enjoy your weekend.
Babanature says
Hello Theodore,
You really drop one great post that will truly benefit bloggers (especially the newbie) . 🙂
You tips are right on point but among the lists that you mentioned i only do 1, 2 and 5 but if keyword is the same as tags, then i am pretty good at that and i would say that a well tagged post will definitely put you in front page of Google but doing keyword, i don’t do that, i don’t even touch my seo plugin 🙂 but what i am doing do sure helping me in my blogging journey.
BTW: I can see that you are now fully into keyword research and niche sites? Do keep the good work going bro…
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Baba,
I really appreciate your comment and, i agree with what you said. Keywords and Tags are two different things but, they are both good for SEO. Once what you’re doing is working for well then, its good and i must say you should keep on with it.
Thanks a lot for sharing your own opinion with us and, do have a fabulous weekend :).
yourblogcoach says
Great work bro, this is the kind of articles i like to be ready. self- made ones. when you read them, you see sincerity. good work
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks man,
I’m happy you like the post and, I’m sure you’ve learnt something new today. Oh, we’re both coach :), So happy to notice that (Your Domain Name)
Martin says
Interlinking and examples as for me are the key features for a good post! You mentioned everything that every blogger should know! thanks a lot for share!
Theodore Nwangene says
You welcome Martin,
I’m happy you agree with me. Thanks for the visit and, have a nice weekend :).
Efoghor Joseph Ezie says
Theodore, You really hit the nail at the head and presented your points in such concise manner. Article writing is an art that must be mastered. Anybody can write articles, but not everybody can write compelling, engaging and highly informative articles. To make your article engaging, all the five points mentioned above must be incorporated into it.
Catchy or attractive headline is a must for any article intended to attract people’s attention and get read. A lot of people write great articles but the articles end up not being read by a large audience because of the poor headlines.
Using the right keywords ensure the article get easily found on the net. This is where people who get a lot of referral traffic from the search engines are getting it right. If you miss this point, your referral traffic would definitely suffer. Stuffing your post with keywords is like adding too much flavour to your soup; this destroys the taste you intend to add to it.
One point I should add is that you must try and make your post simple. Don’t try to show your readers how much grammar you understand. If you make your post too complex or ambiguous in an attempt to make it glamorous, you end up being your only reader.
Theodore Nwangene says
I agree with you Joseph,
You’ve made a very brilliant point here, using big grammar on your posts will eventually scare your readers away even the more so, its always better to use a simple English because, this is not a place to show how intelligent you are :). If you cannot pass your messages effectively in a clear, concise and comprehensive manner then, you’re not intelligent.
I also agree with all the points you made here Joseph, thanks a lot for stopping by and, have a pleasant weekend man :).
Adithya shetty says
Hi Theodore, great post. . These 5 essential things you mentioned above are indeed informative . . Thanks for sharing. . .
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Adithya,
I’m very glad you like the post and, I’m sure you will also put then to use. Thanks for the visit and, have a great weekend.
Emmanuel says
What more could be added to this post? And I would say nothing. Everything within there is straight to the point and very well written.
Writing controversial posts are what I enjoy doing best.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks for flattering me Emmanuel :).
I really appreciate the compliments and I’m happy you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.
Adesanmi Adedotun says
Hi Theo,
This post is all in one article that leaves a foot print in blogging community, what else do I have to add or manipulate than to commend you effort for this full article (I guess this article is more that 750 words), explanatory, informative, educative, and easy to follow for a prolific learner who sees learning as a process. Thanks for sharing this awesome post.
Theodore Nwangene says
I’m really flattered Adesanmi,
Thanks a lot for the kind words, I’m glad you like the post :).
Adrienne says
Hey Theodore,
Well three out of the five you share here I’m not doing. Yep, so does that mean that all content won’t be read or shared? Not particularly but it is important when trying to get traffic from the search engines to use your keywords wisely. Titles are something everyone needs to get good at, me included. I’m still very very weak in that area.
Even I have room for improvement Theodore so thanks so much for these tips!
Enjoy your weekend now!
~Adrienne
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks for your wonderful opinion Adrienne,
I believe we’re all still learning and, I’m also not very good at crafting those catchy headlines but, i guess we can all improve :). Thanks for the visit mate and, enjoy your weekend in advance :).
Lisa says
Hi Theodore, nice list. #1 – how do you make an article engaging? I always end mine with a question or two, is that what you mean? I have Yoast SEO for my keyword density and I try to stick to the 1-2% and they make it easy – it automatically calculates it. Headlines always drive me crazy, I try to get creative but yet want to be sure the headline reflects the content. Nothing makes me more nuts to see a headline, read the content and find they don’t match at all! I do link out but am not sure how much is too much. Been researching that one. I do it naturally for now. I hope you have a great weekend Theodore!
Theodore Nwangene says
Hi Lisa,
You’ve really said it all indeed and i really love all you said. I’m very happy you’re getting used to SEO and, Yoast is really a very handy plugin as far as SEO is concern.
It’s really very disappointing to come to a post and discover that the article is saying a different thing from the headline, this will always turn a reader off faster. Thanks for your awesome opinion Lisa.
Dan Dollars says
I believe you nailed your points in this article. The fact is the competition these days is getting harder to crack. I believe we cannot keep pouring out crappy content and expect to get good readership. These days, an article takes me two days to research and then several hours to craft.
Thanks for the well laid out advise.
Theodore Nwangene says
You’re right Dan,
The competition is really on the hight side but, if you can find a way separate yourself and brand from the noise then, you will always stand out. Writing crappy contents will only ruin your blog and reputation.
Thanks for stopping by and, I’m sorry for my late reply.
Susan Neal says
Hi Theodore,
I can’t disagree with anything you say here. I like the point you make about including interesting facts and figures – as you say, people often enjoy that kind of thing.
I haven’t tried inboundnow, but I’m aware of a similar tool for generating headlines. I love trying to come up with killer titles, but as you say in the post, and as other people have commented, you have to make sure your headlines aren’t misleading and your content lives up to what’s promised.
I’m not too hot on the keyword front, I’m afraid – I try to have one main keyword for each post, but don’t sweat too much about it – as a writer, I find it very limiting and frustrating having to consider that kind of thing, though I know it’s important for SEO.
Thanks, Theodore – you’ve given us some great advice here 🙂
Sue
Theodore Nwangene says
So happy to have you here Sue 🙂
And, I’m more than happy that you like what shared. Yea, in as much as its good to have an attractive headline, we should also ensure that the body of the articles delivered what the headline promised.
Keyword is really good for SEO and, i think every blogger and content marketer should start practising how to use it the. It will only be bad when you use it the wrong and spammy way.
Thanks a lot for stopping by and, I’m very sorry for my late reply.
Thaha says
Hi Theodore
Great update cache headlines and proper keywords are most important in optimizing the content we should not forget to interlinking our post between enjoyed reading your post
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Thaja,
I really appreciate your visiting my blog and, I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the post :).
Mary Stephenson says
Hi Theodore
I try to do keywords, but I write what I feel and usually the title is okay, but when I get to doing keywords, I wonder if there are really any that would make a difference. But I do try to pick out what might be searched for and then use a good line for the description, if I can find one in my post. A line that someone looking on Google might actually find.
It can be tricky with choosing what would be a good search phrase or words. I write and not for the filling of keywords, it would somehow be loss of meaning if I added more. Shall need to seriously think about where I am going on this journey.
Mary
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks for your awesome opinion Mary,
Its really good to be using some searchable keywords on your posts as this will bring you more search engine traffic. But just as i said, its also proper to be careful while inserting the keywords, they have to rhyme with the article else, it will appear spammy.
Keyword research and SEO is a skill that every blogger really need to build because, i will have give your business as enormous rise in the SERPs. Thanks a lot for stopping my Mary and, I’m sorry for my late reply :).
Cassie says
Wow. Many people especially bloggers would definitely spend their time reading this. A very informative post. Thank you for sharing this one.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Cassie.
sherman smith says
Hey Theodore,
When it comes to writing interesting articles, the headline is what’s really going to draw the attention. When it comes to the headline, it disproves the saying “You can’t just a book by it’s cover.”
The headline is part of your blog ad. You want to put something that’s going to be enticing to a specific market of people. This even goes with linking to other articles within your blog. When you’re able to follow up with another article that relates well, then this makes it even more interesting to your readers.
Thanks Theodore!
Theodore Nwangene says
You welcome Smith,
I really appreciate all you said and agree with you. Its really very important to pay more attention on our headlines because its the first thing that will attract readers to your posts. Thanks a lot for stopping by, really value your comments.
Martin says
Very, very good advice. Mainly the last comment by you… linking to your other articles is good for SEO and also great for user readability. If you are saying something that they otherwise would not understand, you can use the links to your advantage to keep them on your site instead of finding somewhere else to see what you meant.
I would like to add another point or two. The first one is user engagement. Ask them questions throughout the article to try and get people to join in discussions on the article… this brings me to my second point, make sure that you remember and understand that the writing articles go beyond the article itself. You must make sure to reply to users comments in the comment section below to ensure great content is maintained.
Theodore Nwangene says
You’ve said it all my friend,
And, I can’t agree more. Linking to your articles is really good as well as linking to that of others for the benefit of building relationships.
I also agree with your second and last point, the more you ask interesting questions on your posts, the more people will engage and add to the discussion. Responding to your readers comments is also vital because, it’s a sign to show that you really value their opinion.
Thanks for this one of a kind comment of yours Martin, I indeed value your opinion 🙂
Ashi says
Hi Theodore
Well this article is the perfect example of how to write and interesting article.
1- your post was interest and helpful
2- head line was amazing
3- keyword selection and density is good
4- reader is happy ( I am happy )
I understand what you trying to xpress and this is the best. I must visit your blog more often. You have many things which I can learn. Keep posting more related content. Would love to read more from you
Have a great week ahead and Good Day
Regards
🙂
Theodore Nwangene says
I’m flattered Ashi :),
What more can I say? Thank a lot for all the kind words, I really appreciate them and, I’m happy you’re happy after reading the post :).
Thanks for the visit Ashi, expecting to see you again. Have a pleasant week.
Allison says
This design is spectacular! You definitely know how to keep a
reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent
job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that,
how you presented it. Too cool!
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Allison,
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂