Article Structure

Effective article structure allows freelance writers to write better blog content and web copy.

Freelance writers write many different types of blog articles. These may include recipes, "How To" guides, product reviews, short stories, novel excerpts, etc. and each type of article will have a different structure. Here we will discuss an article providing specific information on a topic of interest. These articles will typically consist of five separate elements which must come together to form a complete original informative article. Elements of an effective blog article include : Title Introduction (first paragraph) Article Body Conclusion Call to Action Title The title could very well be the most important element of the entire blog article. When sharing articles on social media, the title is mainly what people see. The general rule is that a good title should consist of 70 characters or less to have it all show up in search results. This doesn't mean that longer titles won't work just as well. The title must immediately attract attention in order for your visitors to read any further. It is a good idea to include the focused keyword in the article title. Every article should begin with a tentative title in order to maintain the focus of your article. As the article progresses, you may see a word or phrase that will spark an interesting title. It is not uncommon for the title to change several times before the article is finished. Introduction It is very difficult to find a topic that hasn't already been discussed somewhere online. Since there are other similar articles out there, your introduction must give readers a reason to read your article. Remember, the article is for your audience and it shouldn't be about you. The title and introduction are similar to a movie trailer. It must make people want to read the article. The introduction should include at least one focused keyword, but remember "keyword stuffing" will do more harm than good. Article Body Most informative type articles should be written in a conversational tone. Sentences and paragraphs should be short and concise. This is not the place to showcase your vast vocabulary. The information must be an easy read and sound natural. The content must be well organized and provide useful information. It is a good idea to sprinkle a couple of focused keywords in the article body, but don't over do it. The use of sub-headings, lists, and images can help make the article "scanable" and break up long areas of text. Conclusion The conclusion must be used to wrap things up. An article without a proper conclusion is like a novel with the last five pages torn out. You just will never know what happened. A proper conclusion can answer the "So, what?" question, issue a challenge, focus on points that support the main point, or reiterate the main point. Call to Action (CTA) A "Call to Action" can be in the form of text, buttons, photos or other graphics. If you have "Connect with me" buttons on your blog, you are already using social CTAs. What do you want visitors to do after they have read your article? If you don't include an appropriate CTA at the end of each blog article, chances are readers won't do anything. Does the length of a blog article really matter? If you read five articles on this subject, chances are you will get at least three different answers. Let's break down a blog article and see if we can come up with an answer that makes sense. Hypothetical blog article: Title = 8 words Introduction = 80 words Article Body - 3 paragraphs (75 words each) = 225 words Conclusion = 75 words Call to Action = 70 words In this example, our article consists of 450 words excluding our by-line. Even though Google suggests we write blog content as though search engines didn't exist, we must provide sufficient information for search engines to determine the subject matter of our article. Since our goal is to provide an article that either informs, educates, or entertains, it would seem impractical to think a quality blog article could contain less than 400-450 words. Freelance writing can be an exciting and rewarding journey provided we learn to master the building blocks of success.  I have just co-written "Writing Better Web Content" with my friend and colleague, Dr. Deborah Bauers.  If you are serious about freelance writing and are looking for ways to get better, you may want to check it out.

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