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Anyone who has an interest or a deep passion for writing can write online. The way things are evolving and the sudden shift to online is a boon to writers. Online writing or digital writing provides various platforms and opportunities for writers to grow and earn. Online article writing is only one form of writing in many. It has a lot to teach, learn and provide to the market. So, let's study online article writing in detail.

What is Online Writing?

Online writing means text written with a motive to get read on mobile phones, laptops, or tab. Anything a writer writes like tweets, social media posts, blogs, scripts, comments, articles, or reviews on a digital platform is online writing, also known as digital writing .

What are Articles?

Articles are written in a formal language. These are long forms of writing which are well-researched and informative pieces of writing. Articles are written mostly for two motives, either content marketing or for communicating with customers to know them, or both! Companies write articles for their websites or hire a person to write for them to market their product. Articles can be written for newspapers, websites, or magazines.

Why Online Article Writing?

There are so many writers out there who write content for different outlets. Well! Most writers don't know that they can generate a good amount of income through online article writing. The shift to the web has been beneficiary to the writers because the content is needed more on online than offline platforms.

By writing articles for brands, organizations, or their author websites, writers create a platform for readers to connect and provide them value. And by providing the value they create or increase their brand awareness which further helps brands to convert these readers into potential customers.

The brands pay writers to write articles for them. Writers can write the long form of information and can earn a living through it. By online article writing, this work can be done from home also. The writing world has a lot of scope in this digital age. So, if a writer needs to earn money then what is better than being paid for your art? What's better than doing something you eternally love?

Skills Article Writing Requires:

• Creativity and Unique —  To write articles online, creativity and uniqueness are very important. As there are so many writers out there, creativity and the uniqueness of your article will be the aspect that will set your writings apart from others and will garner readers' attention.

• Research — Research is the key ingredient of any type of writing. Before writing an Article, having a thorough understanding of the topic is necessary. As the writings will further be published online where everything can be got in seconds, it is crucial to do research.

• Editing and Proofreading — Editing and proofreading are like polishing your article to make it look appealing. These two are very important because if there are editorial mistakes and an article needs proofreading, it can lose readers' attention in a matter of seconds only.

• Search Engine Optimization — The basic motive of writing online is to have a higher rank in search engines which increases visibility and grows business. And to get a higher rank, an understanding of SEO is highly essential. Organizations always ask for SEO-optimised articles for the very same reason.

Read here the Best Ways to practice Article Writing

Scope in Online Article Writing:

Articles are one way to establish a platform for business, create brand awareness, and promote their products. It also helps to bring new customers who'll show brand loyalty. Almost every business either on small scale or on a large scale who have an online presence needs a writer.

Fields like the medical industry, digital marketing industry, the PR industry, media industry, IT industry, and e-commerce are a few industries where a writer can find a high-paying job or multiple clients if the writer is a freelancer. That being said, the writing world does promise various opportunities and has a great scope for an individual to grow.

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Salary in Online Article Writing:

The demand for writers has increased rapidly in the past two years. Where writers are needed in every single profession (No exception). The field is a good-paying sector. Writing online has made it easy for writers to get a good job or client in case of freelancing. Well!

In freelancing it depends on the writer how much they charge based on their skill and the number of clients they take. But in jobs, we do have an average sum a content writer can earn. The salary range somewhere between Rs.1.2 lakhs to Rs.6.2 lakhs with an average of Rs.3.0 lakhs annually.

Types of Online Article Writing

• Lifestyle — In this type of writing, articles are focused on the style of living, relationship, diet, exercise, and health, this also includes interviews and statistics. These types of articles discuss the issues of people as well as cities too. What facilities does the school need? why the public parks are not used properly? Which is the best place to visit for a brunch? Etc.

• Essays — Essays are short pieces of writing, talking about a particular subject. These are based on opinions and personal experiences, presenting the author's view on the subject in discussion.

• Trends — Just as the name says, articles like these speak about the new trends in the market. The rapid increase in demand and then the gradual fall. It could be about a game the mass is playing like PUBG, or Instagram reels, or the products which are suddenly in the eyes of the masses and now everyone is using those products.

• Listicle Articles — These types of articles give information, tips, steps, or ways (Just like this one!). The heading of this article has a number in it, like- 6 easy steps to start online article writing. So, in this article, the readers know that they can expect to get 6 steps on how to start online article writing.

• Questions and Answers —  In these types of articles, questions are answered, these are based on interviews. In these types, there is no need for introductions, analysis, and story building. Instead, the answers are directly noted under the questions.

Here is a guide to Article Writing Jobs

Tips for Online Article Writing

• Keep it Simple — This isn't trigonometry, when someone is reading the article it should be easy to read and comprehend. The span of readers' attention is very short, so the article should be direct and intrusive.

• Follow the Outline — Following the outline has many benefits, it keeps the writer focused on the topic, the distractions are limited, the maximum word count is always in the back of the mind and it helps with writer's block as whatever content is going to end up in the article is already mentioned in the outline.

• Engaging —  A s there is numerous reading material on any subject online, it is essential to write engaging articles. The span of readers' attention is small, if the content is not engaging, the readers will take a second to jump on the other article.

• Personal Touch — Personalization is another tip that helps to hold onto readers' attention. If the article sounds like a machine making noise then no one will be interested in it because it sounds robotic. To have that human touch, personalization is important.

• Bullet Points — Long paragraphs are daunting, boring, and heavy to read. So, the usage of bullet points helps readers to read the content fast and in an easy way. Using bullet points instead of long paragraphs also makes the articles look appealable.

6 Easy Steps to Start with Online Article Writing

Writing an article can be a difficult task especially when a word limit is around 3,000 or more. It can be challenging. So, we've listed below 6 steps to starting with online article writing.

1. Choose Your Topic

Choosing a topic is a task in itself. To start, select the areas you are interested in, it will tell you in what niche you are passionate about. Now, if you are writing articles for your company or the client then brainstorming is important. Mostly you'll be getting a topic to write on from the company or from the client itself.

Research well and study what resonates the most with your targeted audience and discuss that with the authority and your client. If you are writing for your blog, then select the niche you are deeply interested in. It could be finance, health, education, technology, anything. Choose a niche and write some of the topics that come into your mind, go to Google search about it, look at more relevant topics and choose what invokes the passion in you, and start writing.

Get yourself enrolled in the best Online Content Writing Courses to master different forms of writing

2. Find Your Ideal Audience —

Knowing about your audience is important. If a person is writing about kids' behavior, then their targeted audience will be parents not the kids. Understanding the audience decides what and how you are supposed to write.

The target Audience can be found with the help of these 2:

• Statistics — knowing the age of the audience helps. You can write content that would suit the age group the best. For instance, if you are writing an article about a fiction book then your ideal audience would be from ages 13 to 22, who would read your article.

• Interests — If a section of people loves coffee, you simply cannot make them drink tea. Similarly, knowing the interest and behaviors of the readers is important. If they love reading about finance then there is no point in giving them content about beauty.

3. Deeply Research the Topic:

To write on any topic, research is important even if the topic is on something you have been a master of. Researching the facts is important as the articles are long forms of writing providing information. Articles have credibility because they are based on facts and no matter how expert you are on the given topic, research has to be done.

Research about the relevant topics, the scope, career, types, articles you believe would be useful for your audience, tips, etc. It's advised to note the points either on a notepad or on the smartphone. The notes you have noted will further help you when you'll write the article as you will not go out of ideas and your creativity will have a free space to shine. Researching a topic further helps with writer's block.  If you are stuck in Writer's block which can happen at any time then the notes will guide you to complete your article.

4. Outline the Article:

The outline is a blueprint of an article. A structural article is always easy to read and comprehend. An outline is also important because the reader's main focus should be on the content not on the format. Outlining the article, in the beginning, makes it easy to write. Because the topics are already mentioned and all you have to do is to follow them. It also helps with distractions and keeps the writer on the topic, and the enemy of every writer, it keeps writer's block in check.

The Basic Outline One Should Keep in Mind is-

• Title – The heading of an article is what a reader sees first. So, make sure it should be eye-catching and engaging at the first sight.
• Introduction – In this paragraph, you introduce your topic and give the readers an idea of what the topic of the article means and is about.
• Body paragraphs – It is from the body paragraph where the article begins. There is no limit on how many body paragraphs should be there. It depends on how vast your topic is and your maximum word count.
• Pro Tip – Try to write small paragraphs and Connect the information in bullet points, it is easy to read and accessible.
• Frequently asked questions – Even after discussing all the topics, there are always doubts that need to be cleared off. So, adding FAQs, around 3 to 5 is advised.
• Conclusion – It is important to summarise an article. The article should have an end and that end is called the conclusion.

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5. Prepare the Rough Draft:

Writing a rough draft first is always recommended, there is always time for editing and proofreading. Write the article firstly, and once it is done, you can consider what topic needs elaboration and which does not. Which paragraph needs rewriting, unleash your creativity on the rough draft. It will enhance the quality of the article in the most efficient way. Edit the article from top to bottom. You can also add pictures and videos to the final edited draft to make it look visually appealing.

6. Finish it!:

Once the final draft is edited well. Check plagiarism, the article should be 100% unique. If by chance your article is plagiarised then there is a high chance that the article will never rank and Google might take down your website. So, checking plagiarism is very important. There are so many websites where you can check plagiarism for free.

A simple search on Google will give you any results. Keyword check, the single motive of online article writing is to rank higher on the search engines to increase visibility, brand awareness, and all. And this can be achieved by search engine optimization only. And for that keywords plays a vital role. Make sure you are using long-tail keywords and the density of the keyword should be 0.5% of the total word count.

So, if the total word count of your article is 3000 then the keyword density will be 15. After checking all this and inserting images, relevant links, and other things for your readers, your article is ready to publish or submitted.

FAQs:

Q1. Do the following tips and steps work for beginners in writing online?

Writing an article is not as easy as it is perceived, it can be challenging especially when the word count is high and the topic is something you have never heard about it. When you're stuck in situations like these tips and steps are what keep you going to write that piece of content. As a beginner, there is one thing that needs to bear in mind you have to write the article to complete it, the tips will make your work a bit easier and the steps will further help you to be on track and complete the final draft. But, for this, the article needs to be written. So, yes the tips and steps work for the beginner as well as every single writer expert or at an intermediate level.

Q2. What is the format of the article?

The format is similar to the one we used back in school.

• Title
• Introduction
• Body paragraphs
• FAQs
• Conclusion

The standard format is the same, the only change it has is that we add frequently asked questions to further clarify any doubts in the reader's mind (Like this one!).

Q3. Are there any tools for making the article error-free?

There are various free tools available on Google nowadays to check any error. For grammar, the app which is mostly used nowadays is Grammarly, there is a premium version available but the free one works just fine. Another website for grammar is a small SEO tool, this works great, it points out every mistake with the right answer. Moreover, this website is good for plagiarism checkers as well. Just copy the content and paste it into the box and you have the results.

Q4. Can you learn online article writing without taking up a course?

Yes, one can learn article writing without taking up any paid course. There are free materials available online to study from which are great. Though, studying everything all at once without any help can be exhausting as well as overwhelming sometimes. So, if you can manage on your own but it gets difficult then there is no shame in studying under experienced mentors, who knows and are well aware of how this industry works. If you do decide to join a course then IIM Skills is a great course on content writing.

Conclusion

Article writing by no means is a piece of cake. In this post, we not only discussed 6 easy steps to start writing but also the skills it requires, the scope this field has with the salary it has to offer. There are various types of article writing which we discussed thoroughly in the article. To summarise, the field has a lot to give and is high in demand, and Promises a fulfilled career to an individual. Furthermore, we have tried including every topic in the article yet when it comes to writing it is a vast topic. So, if you have any other queries then drop that in the comment section below, and will reach out to you soon!

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Source: https://iimskills.com/online-article-writing/