10 Things You Must Do in Blogs and Articles

By:  Serena Carcasole, IMVA, SMS

Writing blogs and online articles is an important part of Internet marketing.

To get the most out of these tools, there are a few things you must do in blogs and articles. Use these tips to increase your readership and show your knowledge.

1. Connect. Write to your audience and connect with them. Instead of writing like a robot with keywords, make sure your language is engaging and easy to read.
2. Relax. Forget the formal rules of writing a paper that you were taught in school. While articles and blogs do need beginnings, middles, and conclusion, try to relax and make each part something your reader will enjoy.
3. Inform. People go online to get information. Even if your blogs or articles are intended to sell a service, your first job is to provide helpful information.
4. Have an objective. Don’t just blindly write a blog or article. Always have a theme or objective in mind. This will keep you from wandering around and making readers have to dig for the information.
5. Repurpose. Don’t just write an article or blog on one topic and call it good. Take that one piece and turn it into a few articles or blogs. This way you’ll have more material and in-depth ideas to explore.
6. Be timeless. Chances are your blog or article might stay online for years. If you are constantly citing things that are in the news right now or that won’t interest people down the line, leave them out. Think about subjects that are timeless and try not to references years and dates too much. The reader wants to believe your article is new and fresh even if you wrote it years ago.
7. Use short sentences. While you don’t want sentences that are too short, ones that are too long are even worse. An online reader will get bogged down by complex sentence structures, so keep it short and concise.
8. Use bullet points and headings. Bullet points and headings are another way to have an online article or blog easier to read. Don’t make your readers work while they take in your article. Give them a layout that is appealing. 
9. Check word count. Don’t just write an article without an idea of how long it should be. Try to stick to a certain word count. Articles that have excess lengths tend to be too hard to read online. Less is better. If in doubt, turn your article or blog into a series. Compare the length of your articles or blogs to people in your industry who you respect
10. Include your contact information. You must include contact information if you want readers to find you. Articles submitted to any of the online article directions must have your name and a link to your website in the biography. You should also have a way for people to comment or contact you from your blog site.

Using these tips as guidelines will make your blogs and articles really work. With good Internet marketing, you’ll drive more traffic to your website and get more results. So keep these things you must do in blogs and articles in mind next time you’re writing online content. With some practice these tips will become second nature.

For more tips on writing blogs and articles, check out, 10 Things to Never Do in Your Blog.

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***AUTHORS NOTE***

Newsletter publishers are invited to reprint this article in its entirety, and must include author’s bio and copyright information. 

***AUTHOR BIO***

Serena Carcasole is a certified Internet and Social Media Marketing Specialist, Author of Internet Marketing 101 Self Study Guyide and Workbook  and the President of Virtual Business Solutions ON DEMAND, a premier virtual assistance firm helping entrepreneurs around the world to succeed and grow their businesses. In addition to administrative services, Virtual Business Solutions ON DEMAND provides a host of specialized technical and marketing outsourcing options to meet business owners’ unique needs. Some of the most popular services include Internet marketing through social networks, blogging, and article marketing; website and graphic design; search engine optimization support.

As a full-service outsourcing provider, VBSOnDemand provides full project management support for even the most complicated projects. VBSOnDemand donates 1% of profits to the Canadian Cancer Society. For more information: