Writing Quality Articles on Wizzley (and beyond)

Writing good content for the web really boils down to whether

1. the search engines like it
2. the readers like it

No earth shattering revelation here. If the search engines don't like it they will either bury your work on page 276 of the SERPs, or they will flat out ignore it. In both cases don't expect to gain any new readers for your article that aren't already in your fan club.

If readers don't find what they were looking for, and if they don't take the actions you would like them to take, then the author has wasted all his time and effort and might be better off spending some quality time with the family.

The fun part is, there isn't really a whole lot of difference between content that pleases the reader and the search engines. If the reader finds, loves and shares your stuff the search engines will most likely follow suit.

Wizzley, being a community of smart and caring writers, will help you create articles that satisfy both, the search engines and the audience. Based on our experience, some common sense, and what search engines like Google openly tell us, here are some guidelines for creating that elusive piece of quality content.

This one's the single most important rule for Wizzley authors - be original! Don't copy large chunks of text that have already been published elsewhere. Write in your own words and voice. If you must quote, always give credit to the originator and keep verbatim copy to an absolute minimum.

Find out if the topic hasn't already been discussed and written about ad nauseam. Can you present a different angle, a unique view, or add new insight?

The Internet is full of dupes, clones, copies, rehash... Nobody needs them. Duplicate content is annoying at best, and illegal at worst. At the very least, it's a huge waste of time and resources.

The information you present should be trustworthy if you want the reader to take specific actions. This requires that the facts are correct and up to date. If you aren't already an expert on the topic you are writing about then it's fairly easy to become one (Google and Wikipedia are your friend).

Do your research before starting a new article. Gather authoritative sources and don't be afraid to cite them, if applicable.

Try to give as much detail as possible and necessary. The more exhaustive your coverage of the subject, the less likely the reader will leave in search of more (and better) information.

More stringent standards apply to article topics of a medical nature! 

When the health and safety of people, possibly kids, are at stake, we want to see your credentials. Preferably, you should be a medical professional and be able to back it up with proof. Again, put yourself in the position of the reader: 

• Would you trust the information enough to administer the recommended product to your kids or another family member?

Chances are, if the author appears to be a cartoon character that goes by the name of "CoolTips4U" who claims in their profile to be "passionate about making money from home", you would probably refrain from following their advice.
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Would you be comfortable to show your article to your boss, your competitor, your mother-in-law, your first school principal? It doesn't need to be a literary masterpiece, but using correct grammar and spelling is a basic courtesy to your reader.

The same goes for the readability of your article. Large blocks of text without paragraph breaks, tiny or fancy fonts, gaudy colors, flashing and blinking graphics - anything that will put a strain on the reader's eyes will diminish the value of your work.

In essence, the content should not just be useful but also visually pleasing to capture and hold the reader's attention.

If you'll notice, we've focused mainly on the reader; how to best meet the expectations of the visitor who lands on your page and get them to take specific actions.

But what about the search engines? Without their "love" your target audience might not even know your wonderful article even exists. What about SEO, keywords, meta tags, backlinks...?

Well, that'll be the subject of another article.