This is part three of my series of EHow tutorials. In Part 1, we discussed how to choose profitable keywords for EHow articles. In Part 2, we discussed how to analyze keyword competition for EHow articles. Now, we'll be looking at how to FULLY optimize your articles to get them on the coveted front page of Google, and it all begins with the title......This is one of the most important steps of article creation, and I have seen MANY mistakes when it comes to title creation. First, make sure you get the keyword phrase into the title AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. We'll continue with our example keyword, "relieve sinus pressure".
A plausible (and optimized) title for this keyword might be - How to Relieve Sinus Pressure. But, before we start writing we need to make sure there aren't any other articles by this name on eHow. Google will give priority to the older article, if there are two by the same name, from the same site.
If there are titles by the same name on OTHER sites, this doesn't matter. The only competiton we are concerned with right now is eHow competition. We don't want to be beaten by another eHow article, so we'll do a quick search on the eHow site to see if we need to modify the title.
There are several titles with our keyword in it, but none with the exact title. This is an important point - these titles are not optimized. Consider the first result "How to Use Steam to Relieve Sinus Pressure". It sounds like a good article, but the keyword phrase occurs after other filler words. A more optimized way to write this title might be, "How to Relieve Sinus Pressure Using Steam". You want to get the keyword in AS EARLY AS YOU CAN after the "How to".
If there did happen to be another article by the same title, we could always modify ours. Here are some examples of optimized titles using our keyword phrase:
- How to Relieve Sinus Pressure with Herbs
- How to Relieve Sinus Pressure with Natural Remedies
- How to Relieve Sinus Pressure with Essential Oils
You CAN target the article to one specific treatment, if you desire, but make sure the keyword Phrase always comes first.
The next point I want to make about title creation, is that you must use the keyword EXACTLY AS IT APPEARS in your keyword tool. For example, if the keyword phrase is "relieve sinus pressure", you can't use it as "relieve horrible sinus pressure", or "relieve your sinus pressure". It must be "relieve sinus pressure" because that's EXACTLY what people are searching for.
UPDATE: EHow No longer allows duplicate titles, so make sure to check for them before you begin writing your article. However, even if you accidentally forget it's not that hard to add an adjective or modifier to your title to change it up a bit. Just make sure you keep your keyword in tact in there somewhere.
Writing An Optimized Intro for Your EHow Articles
The next step in the creation process is writing an optimized intro. This is an extremely important, and often neglected step. If you read Part 2 of this series, you'll understand why it's so important. You MUST GET YOUR KEYWORD IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in the intro.
Some other important points to keep in mind when writing your intro are:
- Use the keyword at least once in the intro. I usually put the keyword in the first sentence somewhere, if possible, but as long as it's in there somewhere you'll be okay.
- Make sure your intro is at least 50 words long. A short intro doesn't look good in the search engines, it won't get you onto the front page of EHow as a featured article, and it looks like you didn't put much thought into your article.
- Don't make your intro too long, either. 50-75 words, with the keyword inserted once is optimal.
So, for our sinus pressure article, we might write something like this for our intro:
If you need to relieve sinus pressure fast, there are many natural remedies and over-the-counter treatments you can try. Thousands of people struggle with sinus pressure and pain every year, but you don't have to be one of them. Use these easy methods to relieve sinus pressure and get on with your life.
You might want to go into a little more depth than this, throw in a statistic (According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 100,000 people suffer from sinus infections...), list some of the things covered in the article, etc. I have no idea if the Mayo Clinic thing is true, just giving you an example. :)
Difficulty Rating and Materials List
The difficulty rating on eHow articles should not be abused. Don't over dramatize here. Do not say that something is difficult if it really isn't. Use your better judgment. Building a robot out of old circuit boards is difficult. Making your hair curly for prom is not. See the difference? Most of the articles I write fall under easy, and moderately easy, as most of yours probably will.
The materials list is another often abused area of eHow articles. THIS CAN BE LEFT BLANK! If you write an article about choosing this or that, you probably won't need a materials list. You don't have to put anything here.
NEVER put things like "money", "time", "love", "understanding", etc. here. Also, steer clear of obvious things like "water", "air", etc. Another mistake I often encounter is people stuffing the keywords in the materials section. I can't really think of a time when this would be appropriate. Stay brief and to the point. Here's an example materials list for our sample article:
- Eucalyptus essential oil
- Handkerchief or tissue
Don't write things like, "Eucalyptus essential oil to relive sinus pressure". This looks bad, is much too wordy, and makes it obvious that you're keyword stuffing. Just don't do it. You never need to get your keywords in that badly.
UPDATE: Keyword stuffing is a thing of the past. DO NOT stuff keywords into awkward places. More on this in a future post.
Creating Content: Writing Highly Optimized EHow Articles
Now that you have a great title, and well-written intro, it's time to move on to the bread and butter of your eHow article. First and foremost, this is a How-to article, not an informative peice. You need to remember that people have clicked on your article looking for a way to do something, not get an education on it. This brings me to one of the most important points for writing eHow articles - WRITE ACTIVELY!
I write for upfront pay for a content company, and our articles are submitted on eHow. I write mostly how-to's for this company, and we WILL be rejected if we write passively. EHow wants actionable, iformative, HOW-TO ARTICLES.
So, what do I mean by writing actively? Here are the main rules of thumb:
USE ACTION VERBS
Every step should begin with an action verb, such as "Use", "Go", "Open", "Drive", "Look", "Gather", etc. This draws the reader's eye and keeps them reading. If you begin your step with, "One of the first things you need to do.....", the reader will quickly move on. Tell them what to do and tell them NOW! Don't beat around the bush! They came to you for instructions, not a rambling, fluff-filled, worthless article.
It's okay to add a little backgroud information, if necessary, but do this sparingly. Try to begin as many sentences as possible with action verbs, and ALWAYS begin the first sentence of a step with an action verb. I'll give you an example of a step in a moment, but first I want to make another point.....
USE KEYWORDS
Use the main keyword 3 to 4 times throughout the body of the article.
This is how it works. Put the keyword
Here's an example of a first step that incorporates all of the above guidelines:
As you can see, I began all of my sentences with action verbs, except the last one. If you have any background information you think will be helpful, throw it in the last sentence, after the reader has already scanned the instructions. This is guaranteed to keep them interested.
I also used the keyword twice in the step.
UPDATE: This section once explained that you should focus on only one keyword phrase for your article. This is a bad idea, as I've found through experience. Using multiple keywords is one of the best things you can do to improve your Google ranking. This lesson came late to me, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. More on this topic in a future post. If this is your first time going through the tutorial, choose one main keyword phrase for now and I'll show you how to choose and use related keywords in Part 7 of this series.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH
Always try to add at least five steps, and two hundred words (including intro). This may not always be possible, but don't fret over it. Try your best - but don't ever fluff it up to meet a recommended number of steps. It's better to have three well written, informative steps, than five fluffy, worthless steps.
However, keep in mind that without at least 150-200 words or more, Google might not understand what your article is about, and you'll have irrelevant ads displayed. Try your best, and if you can't come up with many words, perhaps you shouldn't write the article in the first place.
You also don't want your article to be too long, or the reader may lose interest. Keep it between 200-600 words, for optimal results.
KEEP IT SHORT
Each step should be no longer than four or five sentences, with a minimum of two. One sentence steps look much too sparse, particularly if you're using a picture. If a step is longer than five sentences, either break it up into two steps, or break it up into paragraphs. Most how-to articles should not have epically long steps. If you tend to ramble, CUT THE FLUFF!
Just put in the actions the reader should take, not you r commentary on it. A few helpful facts are okay, after the actions, and only if necessary, or needed to fill out the step a bit.
Writing Tips and Warnings for Your EHow Articles
Tips and Warnings are another important section of EHow articles. This gives you a good chance to get your keywords in, insert information that may not be suitable as a step on it's own, and provide more exposure to the ads at the bottom of the screen.
Tips do not have to be actionable like the steps, and include any information you feel is relevant to the subject. Don't write a tip just for the sake of writing a tip - make sure you have something to offer. Some good information to put into the tips section includes:
Warnings should be just that. Don't put tips in the warnings section. Instead, use things like this:
You don't have to include tips AND warnings in every article. If you can, great. If you can't no problem, just try to do one or the other. In some cases, there just won't be enough information to do either, and that's fine too. It's better to leave the sections blank than to fill it with useless information, or information that doesn't pertain to the article.
NEVER put things in the tips and warnings section, like "Enjoy!", or "Have fun!". Only add to the section if there is pertinent information to convey. This goes for steps, too!
Choosing Categories
I'm only going to touch on categories briefly, as they aren't the most important part of optimization. Simply choose the most relevant category first, and a few sub-categories after this, and you'll be fine.
EHow's Keyword Section
EHow's Keyword section is....well, useless. It was once used for eHow's site search engine, but now that's not even used. These keywords are not picked up by the search engines. I usually throw in my keywords using the underscore method, just in case anything ever happens with it. But, it's not essential, and you shouldn't worry too much with it.
It is a required field, so you will have to put something in. I have heard several theories on the best way insert keywords here. Some people advise typing your keywords with underscores between the words. (relieve_sinus_pressure) Some people say to separate them by comma. In the end, it doesn't matter much since the words aren't used for anything. Just throw them in however you like.
Related Articles
The related articles section should be used for...choosing related articles. However, you can put your own articles here, as long as they are relevant to the present article. While it's tempting to link to five of your own articles, even if they are unrelated, this will hurt you in the long run. You want your page to be optimized for a specific keyword or keyword phrase, so choosing unrelated links will hurt your ad alignment. Choose a few related articles, if you have any. If not, let eHow choose the articles, and leave this section alone, or choose a few other EHow articles if you like. I typically don't do anything here - unless I have an article that's closely related and already published.
EHow's Additional Resources Section
The additional resources section can be used to add affiliate links, and make more money. Some people are comfortable doing this, others aren't. Let me explain my take on it. Yes, it can take away from ad clicks, and thus, take away from your income on a particular articles. I don't typically add affiliate links on high-earning articles, unless they are really poised to sell.
On articles that don't make much ad revenue, or that are set up to lead the reader to a purchase, adding affiliate links can help. My article, "How to Perform Sugaring Hair Removal" has not made even a dollar in eHow earnings. However, it's made three sales on Amazon, and it's still a pretty new article!
So, my advice is to give it a while and see if the article is capable of earning on its own. If you have poor ad alignment, or you just don't seem to be getting clicks, go ahead and add some affiliate links.
I would advise NOT placing links to outside sources, unless they are essential for your article. This should only be rarely. EHow articles should be as self-contained as possible, so the reader doesn't have to navigate away to get what he needs. Besides, you want the reader to click on the ads, not leave your page and forget about it.
Conclusion
A well-written, highly optimized article with a good keyword phrase, WILL make money. If you follow these steps, you shouldn't have any problems. Just remember, it takes TIME to begin earning. This is the most important part of residual income. You do the work now and the money comes later. Don't get frustrated when you see the pennies come rolling in. In a few months, those pennies will become dollars.
Other posts in the eHow tutorial series:
Part 1 - How to Find Profitable Keywords for Your EHow Articles
Part 2 - How to Analyze Your Keyword Competition for EHow Articles
Part 4 - Using Images in Your EHow Articles
Part 5 - How to Improve Ad Alignment on EHow Articles
Part 6 - How to Add Amazon Affiliate Links to EHow Articles
Now that you have a great title, and well-written intro, it's time to move on to the bread and butter of your eHow article. First and foremost, this is a How-to article, not an informative peice. You need to remember that people have clicked on your article looking for a way to do something, not get an education on it. This brings me to one of the most important points for writing eHow articles - WRITE ACTIVELY!
I write for upfront pay for a content company, and our articles are submitted on eHow. I write mostly how-to's for this company, and we WILL be rejected if we write passively. EHow wants actionable, iformative, HOW-TO ARTICLES.
So, what do I mean by writing actively? Here are the main rules of thumb:
USE ACTION VERBS
Every step should begin with an action verb, such as "Use", "Go", "Open", "Drive", "Look", "Gather", etc. This draws the reader's eye and keeps them reading. If you begin your step with, "One of the first things you need to do.....", the reader will quickly move on. Tell them what to do and tell them NOW! Don't beat around the bush! They came to you for instructions, not a rambling, fluff-filled, worthless article.
It's okay to add a little backgroud information, if necessary, but do this sparingly. Try to begin as many sentences as possible with action verbs, and ALWAYS begin the first sentence of a step with an action verb. I'll give you an example of a step in a moment, but first I want to make another point.....
USE KEYWORDS
Use the main keyword 3 to 4 times throughout the body of the article.
This is how it works. Put the keyword
Here's an example of a first step that incorporates all of the above guidelines:
- Use essential oils to relieve sinus pressure. Place a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil on a handkerchief, or tissue, and inhale for several seconds. Repeat this treatment until the sinus pressure is gone. Eucalyptus essential oil is known to relieve sinus pressure by drying up the mucus in the sinus cavities, and it smells nice too!
As you can see, I began all of my sentences with action verbs, except the last one. If you have any background information you think will be helpful, throw it in the last sentence, after the reader has already scanned the instructions. This is guaranteed to keep them interested.
I also used the keyword twice in the step.
UPDATE: This section once explained that you should focus on only one keyword phrase for your article. This is a bad idea, as I've found through experience. Using multiple keywords is one of the best things you can do to improve your Google ranking. This lesson came late to me, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. More on this topic in a future post. If this is your first time going through the tutorial, choose one main keyword phrase for now and I'll show you how to choose and use related keywords in Part 7 of this series.
RECOMMENDED LENGTH
Always try to add at least five steps, and two hundred words (including intro). This may not always be possible, but don't fret over it. Try your best - but don't ever fluff it up to meet a recommended number of steps. It's better to have three well written, informative steps, than five fluffy, worthless steps.
However, keep in mind that without at least 150-200 words or more, Google might not understand what your article is about, and you'll have irrelevant ads displayed. Try your best, and if you can't come up with many words, perhaps you shouldn't write the article in the first place.
You also don't want your article to be too long, or the reader may lose interest. Keep it between 200-600 words, for optimal results.
KEEP IT SHORT
Each step should be no longer than four or five sentences, with a minimum of two. One sentence steps look much too sparse, particularly if you're using a picture. If a step is longer than five sentences, either break it up into two steps, or break it up into paragraphs. Most how-to articles should not have epically long steps. If you tend to ramble, CUT THE FLUFF!
Just put in the actions the reader should take, not you r commentary on it. A few helpful facts are okay, after the actions, and only if necessary, or needed to fill out the step a bit.
Writing Tips and Warnings for Your EHow Articles
Tips and Warnings are another important section of EHow articles. This gives you a good chance to get your keywords in, insert information that may not be suitable as a step on it's own, and provide more exposure to the ads at the bottom of the screen.
Tips do not have to be actionable like the steps, and include any information you feel is relevant to the subject. Don't write a tip just for the sake of writing a tip - make sure you have something to offer. Some good information to put into the tips section includes:
- Any substitutions that can be made. For example, in our article we might say, "Lemongrass essential oil may be substituted if Eucalyptus oil is not available to help relieve sinus pressure."
- Where to find ingredients or supplies. For this article we could say, "Eucalyptus essential oil can be found in natural health food stores, or ordered online."
Warnings should be just that. Don't put tips in the warnings section. Instead, use things like this:
- Never ingest eucalyptus essential oil or allow it to come in contact with the eyes or mouth. It can be toxic if consumed.
You don't have to include tips AND warnings in every article. If you can, great. If you can't no problem, just try to do one or the other. In some cases, there just won't be enough information to do either, and that's fine too. It's better to leave the sections blank than to fill it with useless information, or information that doesn't pertain to the article.
NEVER put things in the tips and warnings section, like "Enjoy!", or "Have fun!". Only add to the section if there is pertinent information to convey. This goes for steps, too!
Choosing Categories
I'm only going to touch on categories briefly, as they aren't the most important part of optimization. Simply choose the most relevant category first, and a few sub-categories after this, and you'll be fine.
EHow's Keyword Section
EHow's Keyword section is....well, useless. It was once used for eHow's site search engine, but now that's not even used. These keywords are not picked up by the search engines. I usually throw in my keywords using the underscore method, just in case anything ever happens with it. But, it's not essential, and you shouldn't worry too much with it.
It is a required field, so you will have to put something in. I have heard several theories on the best way insert keywords here. Some people advise typing your keywords with underscores between the words. (relieve_sinus_pressure) Some people say to separate them by comma. In the end, it doesn't matter much since the words aren't used for anything. Just throw them in however you like.
Related Articles
The related articles section should be used for...choosing related articles. However, you can put your own articles here, as long as they are relevant to the present article. While it's tempting to link to five of your own articles, even if they are unrelated, this will hurt you in the long run. You want your page to be optimized for a specific keyword or keyword phrase, so choosing unrelated links will hurt your ad alignment. Choose a few related articles, if you have any. If not, let eHow choose the articles, and leave this section alone, or choose a few other EHow articles if you like. I typically don't do anything here - unless I have an article that's closely related and already published.
EHow's Additional Resources Section
The additional resources section can be used to add affiliate links, and make more money. Some people are comfortable doing this, others aren't. Let me explain my take on it. Yes, it can take away from ad clicks, and thus, take away from your income on a particular articles. I don't typically add affiliate links on high-earning articles, unless they are really poised to sell.
On articles that don't make much ad revenue, or that are set up to lead the reader to a purchase, adding affiliate links can help. My article, "How to Perform Sugaring Hair Removal" has not made even a dollar in eHow earnings. However, it's made three sales on Amazon, and it's still a pretty new article!
So, my advice is to give it a while and see if the article is capable of earning on its own. If you have poor ad alignment, or you just don't seem to be getting clicks, go ahead and add some affiliate links.
I would advise NOT placing links to outside sources, unless they are essential for your article. This should only be rarely. EHow articles should be as self-contained as possible, so the reader doesn't have to navigate away to get what he needs. Besides, you want the reader to click on the ads, not leave your page and forget about it.
Conclusion
A well-written, highly optimized article with a good keyword phrase, WILL make money. If you follow these steps, you shouldn't have any problems. Just remember, it takes TIME to begin earning. This is the most important part of residual income. You do the work now and the money comes later. Don't get frustrated when you see the pennies come rolling in. In a few months, those pennies will become dollars.
Other posts in the eHow tutorial series:
Part 1 - How to Find Profitable Keywords for Your EHow Articles
Part 2 - How to Analyze Your Keyword Competition for EHow Articles
Part 4 - Using Images in Your EHow Articles
Part 5 - How to Improve Ad Alignment on EHow Articles
Part 6 - How to Add Amazon Affiliate Links to EHow Articles
5 comments:
Some months I make more on affiliate sales than in ehow earnings, I always link to the writergig ebook, I try to link to amazon products and then back to other articles of mine on other sites-
Congrats on that! I haven't been so successful with Amazon affiliate sales, but I don't really focus on it much anymore.
I'm honestly worried that they may ban affiliate links and then I'd have to go through more than 100 articles to remove them manually or risk a deletion. That's why I only put them on articles that aren't earning anymore. :)
Hi, excellent blog!
You mentioned : NEVER put things in the tips and warnings section, like "Enjoy!", or "Have fun!". Only add to the section if there is pertinent information to convey. This goes for steps, too!
I wanted to know if there is any reason why this should never be said, is it too cliche or something? Otherwise I do not see how it would hurt the SEO etc. ?
Thanks again! Excellent tips :)
Hi Fatimah!
It has nothing to do with SEO. I just think it's bad form. It's perfectly fine I suppose, if you want to do it, but I think it makes the article look less informative. Also, eHow might take the article down if you put in a step that really isn't a step. Good luck! :)
HELLO THERE..THIS IS VERY NICE OF YOU.. you could very well be charging fees for all this but you arent.
thanks very much..great information and tips.
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