Checklist for Writing Online Articles

Writing an article for online publication requires discipline. Writing so that Google and other search engines will understand what your article is about, and deliver it to people who are interested, requires discipline and marketing. I can't emphasize enough that writing smart is what an online writer must remind themselves of every
time they write! So, if you want to write so that your articles will be found, keep reading, if not, stop!

Where Do Online Writers go Wrong?

Even with all the writing tools and articles available, many online writers lose themselves when they start writing (me included!) and wander through a field of poppies until the end of the article. They lose themselves in the research, writing and editing of their work. All that is well and good, but once the poppies have wilted, will that article be found, or be sucked into the internet's black hole?

After Writing an Article for the Internet, use This Checklist!

Write your article with wild abandon if you please, but when you are done, ask yourself these ten questions:

1. What search words would you use if you were trying to locate your article's subject? (These are your Key words!

2. Is your title straight-forward? (Is it what someone might type in Google's search box? Or is it filled with a bunch of fluff?)

3. Does your title contain the search keywords in it? (If you are writing about cars, does your article's title and sub-title reflect the words car or automobile or both? Hondas? Fords? 1965 Mustang?)

4. Does your online article have a summary introductory paragraph that focuses on the main subject? Do you maximize the search or key words in it? How many times? Don't talk about something other than your key subject in the first paragraph. Save that for the middle of your article.)

5. Did you repeat your keywords as often as possible without being obnoxious? (Did you say, "you can buy a car", instead of "you can buy it", or "if it's time for a new car", instead of "if it's time for a new one"?)

6. Did you break your article into readable sections by using sub-headings? (Sub-headings are used by search engines to find subject matter too!)

7. Did you use your keyword(s) in your sub- headings (Shopping for a car, Test driving a car, negotiating the price of the car, etc. Don't just type: shopping, test driving, negotiating the price. Always repeat your keywords in the sub-headings of your online article!)

8. Do you have a closing paragraph? (Always provide a brief closing or summary paragraph).

9. Does the closing paragraph of your online article have your keywords repeated as often as possible? (keyword here, search word there, keyword everywhere?)

10. Is your article no more than 600 words? (Shorter, more focused articles are easier for search engines like Google to label appropriately and rank better)

Once you can answer yes to all ten questions, you are ready to publish your article!

After Your Online Article is Published

You can't just sit there thinking you are done after you write that article and publish it. Now, you need to market it! For example:

1. Share it on Facebook, Myspace, Eons or any other social networking site you are a part of.
2. Submit it to web ranking and discussion sites. Sign up and submit your work to MIXX, Stumbleupon, Digg and Newsvine, to name a few. Even if your article doesn't climb in popularity within these sites, it will help your written articles rank higher on the search pages and surface from the deep cyber vortex!
3. Start a blog. If you write about cars all the time, start a blog about cars and put a hyperlink to each of your articles on your blog. Blogs are free and easy to set up and linking from it will help your articles rank better.
4. Network with other online writers - Read other writer's articles and link them to your articles when you can. In turn, they might link your articles to theirs. Back scratching is helpful in this online writing community.

Writing for the internet is fun and can reach a huge online audience if done correctly. There are no guarantees when writing articles for the internet. However, if you take all of these steps when writing an online article, your chances of the internet community reading your written articles will double. Write smart, then get busy!

My other articles about writing online:
How to Create a Blog for Family Recipes (or anything!)
Writing Online 101
How Much Money Can Online Writer's Make?
How to Embed Links into Your Articles
Writing Online for Retirement