Microsoft’s Bill Gates once wrote that “content is king,” and he has been quoted relentlessly ever since. It is certainly true that articles represent the bedrock of the Internet, as people turn in increasing numbers to the Web for answers to their questions.

When considering article writing techniques, always remember that the article in its finished form must be “readable.” In other words, it must make sense, not be artificially contrived, not contain an excess number of keywords and should leave the reader satisfied that he or she has actually learned something new!

Different article writing techniques include a “how-to” approach, the popular “top 10″ style, a no-nonsense bulleted list or the conventional article. The webpage itself largely dictates whether an article should be formal or informal.

Google and the other search engines make no secret about the fact that they place great value on well composed content. When they electronically analyze a piece, they use a process called latent semantic indexing to check whether the article itself relates to the title. There should be a variety of secondary keywords contained within and the search engine will use its vast database to check for their presence. if these words are not present, the article will be marked down.

Typically, an article will be between five and eight paragraphs long and be of 500 words duration. This is not set in stone, but is typical for articles found throughout the web. The opening paragraph of an article should summarize the total content and the following 3 to 5 paragraphs should each refer to a particular point, expanding as you proceed. The closing paragraph sums everything up.

While different authors will have very different article writing techniques, all should follow the best practices expected. Never slant an article from a sales approach, as this is typically frowned upon. Although a majority of websites have a commercial purpose and the content therein could be judged as well, there is a time and a place for such a pitch and good writers will know that content quality is foremost.

When looking at structure from an SEO perspective, remember that secondary, LSI — type keywords must back up your prime words. Content experts will not need to worry about this element, as they will naturally form an article containing such content.

We are told that the major search engines are placing more and more emphasis on quality content and penalizing those webmasters who try and optimize first and provide quality second. As this scenario unfolds there will be a lot of focus on article writing techniques, as well as demand for the provision of great content.

Click on the hyperunderlined text to find out more about article writing techniques, and how you should actively consider the idea for your online marketing program.