4. Use an Outline

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen writers make is not knowing where they want the article to go. You should have one major point to your article. Everything you write should push the reader in that direction.

I’ve found that outlining is the best way to make sure your writing is going where you want it to go.

For starters, it’s easy to look at your outline and see if it makes sense.

For example, in the outline below, I know immediately if I’ve left anything out. I can tell if the flow of the article will take me to the conclusion I desire.

1. Come Up With A Topic To Write About
2. Research The Topic
3. Make A List Of Things To Include
4. Create An Outline Using Those Things
5. Write Two Paragraphs On Each Item
6. Summarize The Article
7. Present The Reader With An Offer

That outline is pretty straight forward. It let’s me ‘see’ the flow of where the article is going. I can always change it if I don’t like it, but it serves as my guide.

Not using an outline to write is a lot like baking without knowing what to do next.

There may be times when writing without an outline is preferable.

When it comes to writing articles for your website, you need to know where you are going.

Writing from an outline helps move the article forward. The last thing you want to do is ramble along. An outline puts you in the driver's seat. It allows you to control the flow of information. To build the case for your product, offer, or platform.

An outline helps you know where you are going. If you don't know, how will your readers follow you?

Build your outline based on the research you've done for your article.

A skimmer is someone who glances through your article taking note of the key phrases. When they find something of interest, they read into the paragraph.

This is one of the reasons you need to use H2 and H3 tags in your article. Let them be the key points you want to make in the article. The paragraph you write underneath that subheading can build on the concept or idea.

This is where a good outline comes into play. You can use your outline points to develop your Subheadings for the article.

The key is to write in a way that compliments ‘how’ people read. Most people [on the internet at least] read for key points. If they can find those key points, they will continue to stay engaged.

If they have to search for them, they will leave. It’s that simple.

Write in a way that makes it easy to find what they are looking for. It’s usually the big ideas they want. If they find a big idea (a subheading) that appeals to them, they will read the ‘fine print.’

A bullet point is a short list of items relevant to your topic. In essence it’s a short list.

Here’s what bullet points can do:

• Keep the reader moving forward
• Summarize major points
• Keep your writing short and crisp
• Force you to think in bite size segments

Bullets can give life to the article. People generally like short, fast, to the point thoughts.

The cool thing about writing bullet points is you can take headlines that didn’t work, and refurbish them as bullet points.