Article Writing: Seven Mistakes to Avoid

If you’re an article writer, making sure that your content is great quality is important. Web content is big business these days. Fresh material is everything, and top-notch articles are in high demand – so are the copywriters who deliver them. When you’re writing your articles, keep them short, simple, to the point, and make sure you avoid these seven common mistakes:

Passive is Passé: Writing styles follow trends. The current trend is succinct, concise business writing. Say more with less, and cut out the words that aren’t necessary for readers to understand the sentence. Watch out for passive language. Want a quick tip? Cut out “that is” and “being” from your content.

Ramble On: Long paragraphs are hard to read and they’re boring, too. Readers scan and skim text, so they want something short and fast to read. Big, chunky paragraphs get skipped over. The ideal length of paragraph for fast reading is about three to five sentences.

Ho Hum: Straight text with nothing punchy is almost guaranteed to put people to sleep. Use headers and sub-headers so that readers can find what they’re looking for quickly. Insert some bullet-point or numbered lists. Try bolding parts of phrasing.

Too Much Bling: It’s great to dress up an article and make it look pretty, but don’t overdo it either. Too much bolded words, too many headers, and an article that reads like a grocery list isn’t attractive. Find the happy medium between a little bit of bling and a lot of tacky.

Bait and Switch: A huge mistake in article writing is to start with one angle and finish on another. That’s equivalent to a walker who wanders about with no goal or purpose. Stick to the title and the subject, and keep each paragraph relevant to the whole.

Fluffing it Up: Filler sentences that just fluff up content don’t give a reader anything of value. Having supporting sentences is great, but sentences that just repeat your point in different words are useless. Use critical thinking when you write. Have one point per paragraph, and have each sentence in that paragraph back up to your point, proving it.

You Will… Don’t! : Avoid “you will” at all costs. Use action verbs to start sentences off, and your content will have that authoritative sound that helps you sound like an expert. Plus, readers will be more encouraged to act on your content suggestions.

No matter how good you are, there will always something to learn and areas to improve. No one can ever be perfect, and that’s part of life. Find ways to be better, adapt to trends, and learn new methods of doing things. Keep on top of what’s hot and current, and help seal your success.