What Makes a Good Article? 5 Essential Qualities

What makes a good article? And why is it important in marketing?

According to the 2022 CMI survey, 83% of marketers believe it’s more effective to create higher-quality content less often. And when it comes to content marketing, high quality doesn’t just mean a good read — it has to be substantial as well.

Why?

Because content with 900-1,200 words attracts 21% more traffic and 75% more backlinks than content with 300-900 words. This is why B2C marketers have increased their production of long-form content from 22% to 42% in the past year.

But creating a good long-form article takes more than just writing skills.

It requires an understanding of the audience, thorough research, clear language, logical structure, and visual integration. Having an understanding of how to write a captivating story is essential for any content creator who wishes to draw attention and engage readers.

In this post, we will explore what makes a good article by looking at these five essential qualities.

Table of Contents

1. Know Your Audience

Who are you writing for?

This is a question every content creator should ask before writing an article or blog post.

Knowing who your audience is and what resonates with them will help ensure that your work reaches the right people, engages them, and encourages them to take action.

Here are three tips for creating content that speaks directly to their needs.

Identify Your Audience

The first step in content creation is to identify who you’re writing for — your target audience.

• What age group are you targeting?
• Where do they live?
• What type of job do they have?

Once you’ve identified the demographic characteristics of your readership, it’ll be easier to craft content tailored to their interests and needs.

Understand Their Needs

Now that you know who your readers are, it’s time to understand what kind of information would be most valuable to them.

• What topics interest them the most?
• What challenges or problems do they face daily?

Keyword research can help you find topics that are most relevant to your target audience. Cover these topics in your content pieces to reach maximum engagement.

Determine What Type of Content They Consume

Now that you have content ideas, how should you write them?

Does your target audience prefer to read stories or case studies? For visual learners, perhaps you can turn your written text into a slideshow, video, or podcast.

Different types of media resonate differently with different types of audiences so consider experimenting with a variety of formats until you find one that works.

At the end of the day, knowing exactly who you’re writing for will make all the difference when it comes to creating great content pieces.

2. Research Thoroughly

Once you have an idea of who your readers are, it’s time to start researching relevant topics for your article or blog post.

When creating content, you need facts, numbers, and even opinions to back up your claims. And the best way to find these things is through research.

Research lends credibility to any piece of content. You can only earn the trust of your readers if your content was created out of facts — not speculation.

By thoroughly researching your topic and giving proper credit to your information sources, you demonstrate to your readers that you care about providing them with useful, relevant content — in exchange for their trust and loyalty.

Here are three tips on how to conduct research for your blog content — because well-researched writing is part of what makes a good article.

Gather Sources

Look at industry publications, blogs, websites, and other online resources related to your topic.

Check Credibility

Find sources with factual and up-to-date information to build credibility with your audience. If possible, try finding multiple perspectives on a topic by including interviews from experts or citing different studies related to what you are discussing.

Organize Your Notes

Taking notes while researching can help you keep track of all information and organize them into categories based on importance or relevance. This makes it easier to go back while you’re going through your drafts since everything should already be accessible.

Researching thoroughly is essential to what makes a good article. Without proper research, you risk publishing wrong and outdated content that could ruin your reputation.

3. Use Clear Language

Clear language is essential for effective communication — whether spoken or written.

When writing an article, it’s important to use words that your target audience understands. The goal is to communicate your thoughts in a way they can easily grasp, not to show off the depth of your vocabulary.

First, think about the style of writing that best suits your piece. Is it more conversational? Or do you want a more formal tone?

Your choice will depend on the type of content you’re creating as well as who your target audience is.

Avoid words that are too specialized for readers. Instead, use simple words and phrases that don’t require further explanation or context.

It’s also important to write in an active voice rather than a passive voice. These statements are more direct and to the point.

For example, “The squad formed the program” is better than “The program was formed by the squad.” Both sentences mean the same thing, but one reads more smoothly than the other which helps with comprehension.

When writing long-form content, breaking up long paragraphs into shorter sections with subheadings makes the article easier to skim. Adding visual elements such as charts, graphs, diagrams or photographs also helps keep readers engaged when there’s plenty of text involved.

Since you know your audience well, you can insert idioms, colloquialisms, analogies, and metaphors that they also use in their daily conversations — making your article more relatable. These types of expressions provide a personal touch and emotional connection. Although they may not always fit perfectly into every situation, they add personality and flavor when used properly.

Remember, ambiguous language doesn’t add anything to your piece but only confuses your readers. What makes a good article is written language that’s easy to understand and paragraphs that flow logically — which we will discuss in the next section.

4. Structure Logically

Organizing your content in a logical and easy-to-follow manner is key to what makes a good article. Search engine optimization (SEO) also relies heavily on how well you structure your article so do not take this for granted.

Here are some tips on how to create a logical structure for your content.

Start With an Outline

Before you start writing, create an outline of the topics you want to cover in your article or blog post. This will give you a clear roadmap for where you’re going and help ensure that all of your points flow together logically.

Add Headings and Subheadings

Once you have an outline, use headings and subheadings to break up large chunks of text into smaller sections that are easier for readers to digest. This also helps search engines index your content more effectively so it can be found by potential customers online.

Make Connections Between Ideas

As you write, make sure each point relates back to the main topic at hand and ties into other ideas within the piece. Doing this helps keep readers stay on topic while reinforcing key concepts along the way.

Keep Sentences Short

To make sure readers don’t get overwhelmed by long-winded sentences, keep them short and sweet – no more than 25 words per sentence whenever possible.

Keep sentences concise but informative so search engines can easily pick up keywords related to the topic while still providing enough detail for readers to understand.

5. Add Visuals

Whenever possible, include real-life examples or visuals such as images, charts, and graphs to demonstrate abstract concepts.

Visuals can help separate bulky sections of text and make them easier for people to read without getting swamped with too much data. They make sure people stay engaged with what they are reading until they reach the end of your article.

Adding visuals to your long-form content is also great for SEO since search engines prefer pages that have multimedia elements on them. This means that if you use images or videos as part of your post, then those elements may show up in search results alongside the written content of your page.

Here are some tips on how to add visuals to your blog post:

Choose Relevant Images

When selecting an image for your blog post, make sure it is relevant to the topic you’re discussing.

An image that has nothing to do with the content of your article will only distract from what you’re trying to say. If possible, try using original images or ones that have been specifically created for this purpose.

Optimize Your Visuals

Once you’ve chosen an appropriate visual, be sure to optimize it before adding it to your post. This means compressing the file size so that it loads faster when someone visits your page. No one wants their website experience interrupted by slow loading times!

You should also include keywords in the alt-text field so search engines can easily find and index them as well as give credit where credit is due (e.g., citing sources).

Include Videos

Videos are a great way to add depth and interest to any blog post. They provide an interactive element that helps keep readers engaged while reading your long-form content.

Try embedding YouTube clips or other types of video files directly into posts. This way viewers don’t even need to leave the page in order to watch them.

Create Infographics

Infographics are becoming increasingly popular because they offer a visually appealing way of presenting data — perfect for those who don’t want to read long paragraphs of text.

Plus, infographics are easy to share across social media platforms, making them great tools for driving traffic back to your blog or website.

Don’t Overdo It

While adding visuals is great, you should not go overboard. Stuffing pages with too many graphics could end up hurting your website as these elements can slow down loading times.

As you continue writing and experimenting with different types of media, you’ll begin to see how these elements add value to your content — whether its purpose is to educate or entertain.

Don’t forget: practice makes perfect. The more often you practice writing, the more you improve the quality of your work. Keep honing those skills by trying different styles until you find what works best for both readers and search engines alike – then watch those clicks continue rolling in.

FAQs: What Makes a Good Article

What makes an article a good article?

A good article is one that effectively communicates its message to the intended audience. It should be well-researched, organized, and structured logically, with clear arguments supported by evidence.

It should use language appropriate for the target readership and contain no errors in grammar or spelling.

SEO best practices such as keyword optimization can help increase the visibility of an article on search engines while attracting more attention from potential readers.

What does a good article look like?

A good article should be well-written, engaging, and optimized for SEO. It should include relevant keywords in the headline and throughout the text to help it rank higher in search engine results.

The content should be easy to read with short paragraphs that use an active voice.

Additionally, a good article will have links back to other pages on your website or external sources as appropriate.

Conclusion

A good article requires a clear understanding of the audience, thorough research, and logical structure. It should be written in simple language that is easy to understand and accompanied by visuals whenever possible.

Crafting a great article can take time but with practice, it becomes easier to create content that resonates with readers. Knowing what makes a good article will help you write pieces that engage your target audience and reach your desired outcomes.

Ready to take your articles from good to great? BrandWell is here to help! Whether you’re looking to grab attention or keep readers hooked, this tool has got your back. Give it a try and see how effortlessly your content can shine!