“I want to write a really good article.” A friend told me a few days ago. At that moment, I thought about the phrase “good article.” What exactly is a good article? What are its attributes and how is it judged whether or not it is good enough?
There are a number of different general tips to follow when writing an article. The alpha and omega of a good article is the quality content and interesting elaboration of the topic. No one learned from heaven has fallen and as they say, talent is only 10%. The rest is hard work and practice.
Well, a “good article” is not just about content. A good article needs to be touched, I say. The checklist helps me a lot to get my article to a successful conclusion.
Article writing checklist
Especially for the inattentive (as well as me), I wrote a checklist, which I follow when I write a new article. Thanks to the checklist, I will avoid the stress that occurs when I “publish” a post and find out what I forgot and where there are mistakes that I did not notice.
Let’s do it gradually. So let’s talk about what a good article should contain, and then we’ll check.
1.) Good topic and important keywords
Try to choose a current and interesting topic in which to insert your opinions, observations and new facts. As you write, keep in mind the keywords you have mentioned. Of course, use them naturally. Not like a robot.
2.) Headings and subheadings
Headlines are a bit of alchemy. Often the title decides whether the reader clicks on the article or searches for something else. Maybe a better headline.
The same applies to subheadings.
Try and see how the readers react. Evaluate which headings react the most, where they click the most. Ask if it was a well-chosen theme or a magic word game.
The principle is that you should not explicitly mislead the reader with the headline. You don’t write the boulevard. However, the main idea of the whole article should be mentioned in the title.
The headline can also be a question that arouses curiosity in the reader. The reader calms his curiosity by clicking on the article and looking for answers. The numbers in the title also work to some extent:
- 10 ways to ….
- 7 tips like ….
To some extent, I say this because it does not always apply to wp.sk, only in some specific cases.
3.) Correct formatting
The type of formatting depends on the specific blog post. Therefore, the formats may easily differ. Stick to the use of headings and subheadings (H2, H3, ..).
Remember to use bold and italics. I know you want to draw attention to some special parts in the text, but the color of the text may not look like the Skittles ad.
4.) Meta description
The meta description serves as a summary that appears in search results. It serves as a short description of the content of the page. The meta description should not be longer than 160 characters (including spaces).
It is not always possible to write a meta description for each subpage on the site. Especially when it comes to the big web. So a meta description is not necessary, but if you can, write it.
5.) Visual elements
Each article should contain at least 1 image or other medium. For example, video, audio or info graphics. These media enhance the reading experience and promote sharing.
In this case, it also pays to know your reader well. Then you better evaluate which media suits him better, he responds to the best.
6.) Conclusion and call-to-action
In conclusion, you should summarize what we have come up with and what follows. Call-to-action, in the case of a blog such as wp.sk, means comments and a call to get excited and join the discussion.
7.) Backlinks
Make sure all the backlinks you have placed in the article are working. In addition, be sure to link to relevant sites with relevant content. Otherwise, Google may find out and you will fall in its eyes and therefore in search.
8.) Categories and tags
The main role of categories is, in addition to categorizing content, to help search engines communicate the basic concepts and concept you are writing about.
9.) Editing and checking
No matter how many times you have read the article, never forget to view the article through the “preview”. This is the best way to check the article. You will see all the content in a broader context. You’ll be better able to see the structure and whether all the media is displayed the way you want it to.
Here and there, it is good to have the article checked by an independent person. You know it. If I look at the article 36466x, I will easily overlook some errors and typos.
10.) Planning
If you are not used to publishing articles immediately, be sure to schedule your publication once the review is complete.
How to write an article – summary
These are the 10 points I adhere to from writing an article to publishing it.
Why I think such a checklist makes sense is that it is important to have a system in things. I use the checklist everywhere. It helps me work more efficiently.
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