Simple Language
One of the best tip for writing for the web would be simplicity. There is a need for you to write in simple language your readers would understand. Filling your article with bombastic words may deter some people from finishing your article, especially if they don't understand what you're trying to say. Leave flowery expressions to artistic writing such as poetry and prose. Your readers will appreciate your simplicity and enjoy your article more.
Short Sentences and Paragraphs
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and sweet. Each sentence has to be precise and to the point. On the web, long sentences and paragraphs will make your article page look cluttered and lengthy. No one will read it.
Keywords
A good set of keywords is important so that your articles will appear in search engines. This will send traffic to your article without much effort. You can use Google's Keyword Tool External to find suitable keywords for your article. Make sure you use them in your title and each of your paragraphs for better ranking in the search engines.
Attention-Grabbing Title
Your title will give a first impression to your readers. It should entice people to click your article and read it. Your title should evoke a sense of curiosity among the readers to want to know more. For instance, instead of having "Losing Weight" as your title, a better title would be "5 Great Tips on How to Lose 10 Pounds in a Week!" Such titles will inevitably attract more readers.
Content
Opening paragraphs needs to be engaging, giving your readers some ideas on what you will cover but at the same time not revealing too much to them. The body of the article should contain well-research content relevant to the topic. Finally the last paragraph should summarise all key points while the last sentence should capture the imagination of the reader and leave the reader thinking.
Length
Reading from computers can hurt the eyes due to the glare from the computers. Thus online readers have short attention spans when it comes to reading online articles. That is the reason why articles need to be short and simple. I would say that a reasonable length would be between 250 and 500 words. Although sometimes I write longer pieces if I have more to say.
Bullet Points or Numbering
In order to organise your material and make it easier for readers to scan your article, the use of bullet points or numbering is pertinent.
Format and Style
The format of your article very much depends on the type of writing material you are writing. For instance, an instructional article would differ in format and style from a review. It is also important that you write in a style which will suit the site and the type of reader they want to attract, and at the same time a writing style you are most comfortable with.
Bold
Bold key points and keywords. It helps your readers to capture the gist of your article.
Soul
Depending on the kind of articles you write, there may be a need to add feelings and emotions into your writing. The words you use in your writing should be "felt" by your readers. Putting your heart and soul to it will raise your article from an ordinary status to a great one.
Topic of Interest
Write about what interests you. Writing topics of your interest is more enjoyable, thus making it easier for your ideas to flow. You will be more inspired to write more.
Timeless
Make your article timeless. The longer articles are online, the better they can rank in the search engine. There is also the advantage of having regular traffic and pageviews for your article.
Photo
Use at least one photo in your article. Photos help keep your readers interested and a great way to promote your article with social bookmarking sites such as Digg.
Edit
When you have finished writing, make sure you edit and check for grammar and spelling mistakes. You also need to edit any awkward sentence structure, if needed.
Sleep on It!
After that, sleep on it and then reread your article the next day. There may be things you missed out and wanted to add, or other mistakes you would want to correct.
I hope these tips are useful to you as it is to me. I'm trying out some of these new tips myself when writing a new article, especially about the tip on the importance of establishing keywords. That's the most basic tip and yet, often missed out by established writers. Hopefully, with these tips, your articles will be a hit!
