Article Writing in Less Than an Hour

If you've created a mini-site on a certain topic then you want to get traffic to that site. One powerful way to go about it is to write short articles related to the subject of that site. Writing articles not only drives traffic, but its completely free.

Articles are a way to get unlimited traffic your mini-site. You can submit your article to e-zine publishers and directories which will expose you to tens of thousands of readers. Out of those thousands, some will click on the link in your article to visit your site and purchase your product.

Articles also work to build trust and credibility. Readers who do click to your site are pre-sold because they see you as an expert. Writing articles helps you build your reputation and credibility with your target market. Even if a reader doesn't click on your link, they are associating your name with that topic. As you become an expert in that field, joint venture partners will contact you and you will expand the exposure you receive.

There is an easy formula for writing articles to drive traffic to your site. First, target your audience and get to know who you are writing for. Understand their needs and wants, and cover their hot button issues in your articles. Use attention grabbing headlines to get your customers into reading your article.

To create a good headline, highlight a big benefit of reading the article. What will your reader get out of reading this particular article? For example, "Here's How to Avoid Probate—Pass on Your Estate Quickly to Your Heirs—And Keep the Government from Taking 70% of your Estate When you Die!" is a better headline than "All About Probate."

Substitute your topic in anyone of the following headline formulas:
The truth about... (number) ways to... The Complete Guide To... How to ________ and ________ What your _______ isn't telling you about... How your Can _____ in ____ days Who else wants to... Get rid of _____ forever Here's the quickest, cheapest way to get rid of ______ once and for all Get rid of ____ in ____ or less...guaranteed New ______ cures...or your money back.

After writing your eye-catching headline, briefly introduce the subject or problem and state your position about it. Then outline the main points that you want to cover. Depending on the subject, you should have three to seven main points. Any more than seven is going to be too complicated and lengthy for an article. Write the rest of the article elaborating on each point and then state your conclusion. In your conclusion, tell your reader why this article is important and how they should take action on the issue.

The most critical part of article writing is laying out a resource box. The resource box or signature file is the contact information that you provide after the article. Here is where you add your website link and other contact information for your reader to use to find out more about the topic or take action on it.

Most article writers have pretty boring resource boxes, but you can make yours sparkle and increase your odds of the reader clicking on your link. Treat the resource box like a powerful classified ad. It has to make the reader do as you ask because, after all, isn't that why you wrote the article to begin with? Also, be conversational in the box.

Don't talk down to your readers like a professor. Feel free to use slang terms and street language to make yourself approachable. Most importantly, make sure there is a benefit involved when the reader takes action by going to your site. For example, include a phrase like "Learn how to lose 25 pounds in 25 days or less at www.... ".

Your resource box is much more important than the actual article that you are submitting. A great resource box may result in a reader receiving an auto responder series that eventually sells him valuable information. Both you and your readers benefit from the auto responder.

When writing your article, keep in mind that 500 words is plenty. There's no need to write "War and Peace." You just want to pass along enough vital info to make the reader want to click on your link to your mini-site to find out more.

Article writing may seem intimidating at first, but the process is easy. Writing a good article and resource box is one of the best ways to get traffic to your website and, therefore, increase your profits. Now get writing!