Article Surfing Archive

Article ideas can be easy to generate when you first start writing to promote you web site - at least if your site is on a subject you are passionate about. There are things you have been sharing with people for a long time, and now you just start doing that in articles. At some point, though, you'll find yourself thinking, "What should I write about now?" Here are six ways to answer that question.

1. Use your web site pages. When I first started to write to promote my web sites, I just came up with article ideas as I went along. At some point, though, I realized that I had hundreds of pages on my sites that could be made into articles. This was a way to really crank out the articles fast too. If you use this strategy, be sure to sufficiently rewrite the content, so it will be "unique." Search engines don't value "duplicate content as highly. If you have long pages, you can also use the content of a page for two or more articles.

2. Use your own experiences. Think about any experience that you have had that is related to the theme of your web site. There is undoubtedly a lesson in that experience. Use the story and the lesson as a basis for an article. For example, if you have a site on dogs, you could tell the story of your first dog destroying the furniture, and have that as the lead-in for an article on dog training. This is a great way to come up with article ideas, because stories really "hook" the reader.

3. Pick apart your previous articles for new article ideas. I used to write a lot of "ten ways" articles. These are easy to write, but the information for each of the ten items is often very limited. I found that I can often go back and pick out one of these items and make it into an article all on its own. For example, if you have an article on ways to relieve stress, you might have a three-sentence item on deep breathing. Perhaps this could be made into an article. There is certainly more to be said about deep breathing than can be put into three-sentences.

4. Listen to yourself. You know things that most people don't know, and hopefully your web site is based on this knowledge. Suppose you have a website on frugal living. On occasion, your friends would probably ask you how to save money on this or that, and you would find yourself explaining something to them. Write about it! This is a great way to come up with ideas for articles that people really want to read. Any time you explain something to someone, and it's related to your web site theme, you have new article.

5. Ask your visitors. If you have a newsletter, ask your readers what topics they would like to see covered in your pages and articles. If you have a contact form on your web site, you can do the same there. You know there will be demand for a given topic if several visitors ask for it.

6. Use keyword research tools. Using the keyword research tools, like Yahoo's "keyword selector tool" (formerly Overture), is a great way to generate article ideas. Suppose you have a site on hiking and backpacking. Type in a phrase like "backpacking," and you get a list of a hundred related terms, from "backpacking food" to "ultralight backpacking." Not only will these trigger ideas for articles, but you are also sure that there is search traffic for these topics when you get ideas in this way.