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Before I got into SEO and SMO I was a teacher.
It was a way tougher job than I have now.
I taught crazed 7th and 8th graders to write. Not just write, but write for standardized tests. Which meant quick, informative pieces, that score them well enough to earn IPods and Xbox 360s from their parents.
So the result on my end is the knowledge of how to write a servicable article in no time.
Why is this important?
Because you should be adding at least 5 to 10 pages of fresh content on your site every week. Either via blog or some other means. Fresh content is spider bait, and fresh content increases your long tail value.
Here is how to create a great article in 15 minutes:
1) Open your feed reader. Damnit if you aren’t collecting RSS feeds of important market sites and blogs start now! Skim your feeds and choose three possible topics — 1 minute
2) Open Notepad on your computer, or whatever text writer you use, and list the topics 1,2,3. Under each bullet as many ideas as you can, spending 30 seconds on each. Whichever topic has the most written under it is the one you are going with. - 1 minute 30 seconds
3) Under your list of topics write, Who:, What:, When:, Where:. Then take 1 minute to assign your bullet points from step 2 into these categories. — 1 minute
4) Spend 3 minutes creating a really strong hook sentence, followed by two sentences that tell your reader who, when, and where. This is now your intro. — 3 minutes
Note: There are lots of places you can go for a hook. The laziest, and thus the fastest is a question.
“Do you love hotdogs?”
“When is the last time you loved a cell phone?”
Other concepts include a quote, a simile, or setting a scene.
5) Create two paragraphs explaining the “What.” Include any quotes or background information. – 3 minutes
6) Create a fourth paragraph where you do a personal analysis of the topic and conclude. — 3 minutes
7) Create a strong title that will stand out in someone elses feed reader — 30 seconds
8) Scan for spelling and grammar mistakes. Then save the file and put it away for about an hour. This will allow you time to remember any info you may have forgotten to add to the piece. — 2 minutes
If you are a perfectionist you will go through the file for a second round of revision after the hour has elapsed. If not you should be ready to put it together with your CMS or in HTML form and push it live.
Should you write all of your content in 15 minutes?
No.
The point here is that quality content is not as painful and costly as it seems. A good idea is half the battle. Once you have that, it is just about finding the right framework to display it.
23 responses so far ↓
1 jeremiah andrick // Sep 22, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Nice. I need to try this more often. I feel like I have to force myself on my personal blog and so often it reads that way to me.
2 andrew // Sep 23, 2008 at 6:35 am
Great article, true and simple, something that we should go back to now and then, thanks Dave
Andrew
BBunderground
http://blackberryunderground.com
3 Glen Allsopp // Sep 23, 2008 at 7:49 am
Nice tips man, I’ve been writing 2 / 3,000 word articles lately so any speed advice helps ;)
4 Links Roundup - September 23rd 2008 // Sep 23, 2008 at 7:53 am
[…] Write a Solid Article in 15 Minutes […]
5 daniel // Sep 23, 2008 at 11:26 am
fantastic article - love it. How long did it take to write? :)
6 Michael D // Sep 23, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Great tips. I’ve been writing posts for years and I push myself to roll out fresh content daily. 15 minutes has long been my standard. Will be putting your advice into action.
7 web design // Sep 24, 2008 at 1:19 am
great post.
8 Internet Marketing Joy // Sep 24, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I have to admit that my writing skill is not really good..this article had helped a lot in making article writing easier and more effective…thanks a bunch for the great tips!
9 Nate Moller // Sep 24, 2008 at 11:57 pm
This is a great step-by-step how to on writing articles and content for your site. I agree, content is key for quality SEO placement, especially as you use the right keywords and deep link to other pages on your site(s).
I will definitely use this list as I teach clients how to build an online business. Many of them are scared to just start writing - they claim they don’t know how, don’t know where to look, etc. This article will help them get going.
Thanks again!
10 Chic Web Design // Sep 25, 2008 at 1:37 am
FANTASTIC article with great tips. I can never cry “blogger’s block” again!
11 Eric Werner // Sep 25, 2008 at 7:26 am
This blows my mind - it’s so fresh to hear something that you can take action on to improve immediately.
12 admin // Sep 26, 2008 at 8:51 am
(Update: Joe Ferry from Shadywoodcommunications.com began to use vulgarity, sock puppetry, and spamming the blog, so his comments were deleted. This blog is open to criticism, but not negativity for the purpose of self-promotion.)
@joe tell us how you really feel!
I tend to think a services website with adwords displayed on it is BS, but what do I know I just write a blog that people actually read ;-)
13 Eric Werner // Sep 26, 2008 at 8:58 am
I suppose that you could also just write an inflammatory two word comment on the blog of someone who already gets traffic.
Perhaps he could write an article on how to write a solid comment in 15 seconds!
14 cat pickett // Sep 26, 2008 at 9:05 am
Eexcellent article. I’m going to send this on to a client who’s having trouble writing blog posts (now that I have him convinced that it’s important to have actual content on his site). Thanks!
15 Politnessman // Sep 26, 2008 at 9:35 am
I just read the article and the comment I agree with the most was the ‘total bullshit’ comment. All the author is advocating is a ‘me too’ article:
“1) Open your feed reader. Damnit if you aren’t collecting RSS feeds of important market sites and blogs start now! Skim your feeds and choose three possible topics — 1 minute”
Thats great, but a real industry leader writes an original article, not one regurgitated from something someone else has done. To do that takes time, research and a lot of thought.
The method advocated above may work well for 7th and 8th grade students who haven’t yet had an original thought, but for a true professional this is rubbish.
16 admin // Sep 26, 2008 at 9:53 am
@politnessman I am wondering if you read the post my friend.
I am an SEO. This is about how to write an article, when all you are looking to do is add fresh content. It is not about how to write AMAZING blog content, which from a quick glance at your blog I am not sure you are qualified to expound on with posts like this http://politenessman.net/?p=117 .
Take the advice in context. This blog is about optimizing for search. Quality SEO needs fresh content, some SMBs do not know how to start with this process, this is post represents a linear point in that education.
Besides I have a few comments pointing out why this post isn’t rubbish. Helping one person made this post effective.
But in the end I find peace due to fact that you are reading and commenting on my blog, which shows why I am more qualified than someone such as yourself to teach others the finer points of the written word.
17 blackzero85 // Sep 27, 2008 at 7:56 am
Haha,
I’m gonna use my RSS reader more often now. Thanks. ;)
18 Jess Sanders // Sep 29, 2008 at 9:41 pm
What a handy, practical tip. I will be sure to use this next time I am stuck!
Thanks,
Jess
19 Iain // Oct 3, 2008 at 10:17 am
Dave, your article is a good one, although I’d be interested, like daniel, in how long it took to write!
I also see Politnessman’s point however - don’t you think it’s a little bit spammy to approach articles this way? Shouldn’t you always be trying to add new, unique content that adds value? You do say, ‘bullet as many ideas as you can’, so I guess you’re putting your unique slant on it.
20 Lynn // Oct 7, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I’ve been trying something similar myself lately. I’m going to print and test this and see if I can actually write a post in 15 minutes with this method. :) If so, then you’ll have a devoted fan.
I love to collect information for myself and my site visitors, because I happen to think there’s value in this kind of aggregation. When you have a topic you follow (and hopefully visitors who also follow this topic) it’s nice to be able to pull together information from various sources that might not usually have posts or articles that are relevant to the topic, but do occasionally have something of interest. (I love my feed reader for this–google is great and I use the list view for quick access to topic specific posts amid the morass.) These sites might not be the usual haunts for the people I want reading my site so I offer significant value to them. I waste my time so they don’t have to waste theirs. :)
BTW, I’ve linked to a related article on my blog in the website URL where I talk about this same topic in a slightly different context.
21 Manendra // Oct 22, 2008 at 3:57 am
Discount City Hotels offers great deals on cheap London hotels, last minute hotel deals and late availability hotels at the lowest rates in London and Paris.
22 Speed Blogger // Dec 3, 2008 at 4:29 am
This is a great strategy for writing that we should all follow once in while.
23 Jhangora // Dec 15, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Nice framework.Would definitely try it.However I think after 4 months of blogging I have realised that in order to create a nieche blog one has to have lots of knowledge in a particular domain.Visitors are pretty good at identifying chaff from grain.
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