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Microsoft's Bill Gates once wrote that "content is king," and he has been quoted relentlessly ever since. It is certainly true that articles represent the bedrock of the Internet, as people turn in increasing numbers to the Web for answers to their questions.
Consider your article writing techniques -- there are a variety. Fundamentally, the finished work must be "readable," which means that it must make sense, not be composed just to incorporate a set number of key words, must be enjoyable to read and educational or entertaining.
There are a large variety of different article writing techniques and it is largely a matter of choice. The author could opt to write a "how-to" style, a "top 10" approach, compose a piece around a bulleted list or write a straightforward article.
We are learning that the search engines value appropriate content. They use a process similar to latent semantic indexing to gauge whether the body of the article actually relates to the keywords found in its title. In other words, secondary keywords should appear throughout the article, which the search engine compares against its comprehensive database for relevancy.
Typically, an article will be between five and eight paragraphs long and be of 500 words duration. This is not set in stone, but is typical for articles found throughout the web. The opening paragraph of an article should summarize the total content and the following 3 to 5 paragraphs should each refer to a particular point, expanding as you proceed. The closing paragraph sums everything up.
While different authors will have very different article writing techniques, all should follow the best practices expected. Never slant an article from a sales approach, as this is typically frowned upon. Although a majority of websites have a commercial purpose and the content therein could be judged as well, there is a time and a place for such a pitch and good writers will know that content quality is foremost.
When looking at structure from an SEO perspective, remember that secondary, LSI -- type keywords must back up your prime words. Content experts will not need to worry about this element, as they will naturally form an article containing such content.
As we go forward, quality content will be scored ever more highly by the search engines. Webmasters who are content only with optimization and pay scant regard to quality will be penalized. There will surely be a sharp focus on article writing techniques as the demand for high-quality content increases.
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Click on the hyperlink to find out more about article writing techniques, and how you should seriously consider the approach for your online marketing program.
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